“Hollywood is slashing LGBTQ stories and characters even while demand is increasing,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD’s president and CEO.
Television representation for LGBTQ+ characters dropped by 25 percent during the 2025–2026 season, according to the 21st annual Where We Are on TV report released on November 12, 2026, by GLAAD.
The report tracked scripted primetime broadcast, cable, and streaming original series that aired new seasons between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026. Researchers counted 369 LGBTQ+ characters, down 120 from the 489 characters identified in the previous study.
Transgender representation experienced the steepest decline. GLAAD counted just seven transgender characters out of the 369 total, a 79 percent drop from the 33 trans characters recorded a year earlier.
None of those seven characters are set to return for the next television season. Out of those seven trans roles, two were series regulars while five appeared in recurring capacities, and two were played by cisgender male actors.
The group’s findings show that these characters appeared on limited series or programs that concluded or faced cancellation, including “The Family Law,” “Community Squad,” “Squid Game,” “The Dead Girls,” “Monster: The Ed Gein Story,” “Unspeakable Sins,” and “Wayward.”
“Often we see media reflecting that, and because of a lot of the political conversation, it’s not a surprise to see trans representation falling on TV,” said Raina Deerwater, associate director of entertainment research and analysis for the GLAAD Media Institute.
Racial diversity among queer characters also decreased. The percentage of LGBTQ+ characters of color fell from 51 percent in the 2024–2025 season to 44 percent last season, an eight-year low that falls short of GLAAD’s 50 percent industry benchmark.
Saw that Jack Haven was about to lose SAG-Aftra health insurance…made a video and then “got a lot of offers” for jobs. I’d just like to say I lost my SAG health insurance 2 yrs ago which is why I had to find money elsewhere. Sooo, if anyone has a gig. Here is me asking for help…
Out of the total character count, 161 characters were people of color. The report recorded zero characters living with HIV across all 369 LGBTQ+ roles.
Cable television hit a 16-year low for queer representation, while broadcast reached a 12-year low. Streaming services were responsible for cutting nearly 100 queer roles. Overall, 141 characters—representing 38 percent of the total queer characters tracked—will not return due to series endings, cancellations, limited formats, or characters being written out or dying.
Demographic breakdowns within the study show that lesbian characters made up 30 percent of the total (113), and bisexual characters accounted for 25 percent (93). General US television production saw a decline as well, with 11 percent fewer new series premiering in 2025 compared to 2024, though the drop in LGBTQ+ representation occurred at more than double that rate.
The downward trend contrasts with the high audience demand for queer-centric series. Hits such as Heated Rivalry, Pluribus, The Hunting Wives, Stranger Things, and Hazbin Hotel achieved major commercial success and high viewer demand during the research period.
The Hunting Wives doubled its viewership in its second week on release to top Netflix charts. Heated Rivalry emerged as HBO Max’s most-watched acquired scripted series ever, and Stranger Things and Hazbin Hotel drew massive demand metrics.
“Since the record high of 42 transgender characters in the 2021-2022 report, this study has seen a year-over-year decline in the number of transgender characters on television,” said Nick Adams, vice president of the GLAAD Media Institute. “And yet, at a time when those stories are needed most, TV executives have turned away.”