GLAAD says queer inclusion in studio film output fell to a new low

GLAAD’s latest Where We Are in Film report says LGBTQ representation in major studio releases fell to a record low in 2025, continuing a three-year slide in inclusion across Hollywood’s biggest distributors.

The study, released Wednesday and formerly known as the Studio Responsibility Index, examined films from A24, Amazon Studios, Apple TV, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Across the 225 films released by those 10 distributors last year, GLAAD counted 46 titles with LGBTQ characters, or 20.4 percent. That compares with 59 of 250 films, or 23.6 percent, in 2024, and 28.5 percent in the 2023 study.

GLAAD said the 46 inclusive films contained 112 LGBTQ characters, down by 69 from the 181 counted in the previous year’s inclusive films. It also found zero transgender characters in the 2025 film slate.

Of the 112 LGBTQ characters counted, 34, or 30 percent, were characters of color. GLAAD said that figure was down from 36 percent in the previous year.

The report also said there was no LGBTQ inclusion in the 19 animated and family films it reviewed. GLAAD said that gap comes at “a particularly concerning time,” noting the Federal Communications Commission has proposed warning labels when trans or nonbinary characters appear in kids’ content.

The report cites an MRI-Simmons poll showing that 62 percent of Americans would let their children watch age-appropriate TV shows and films with LGBTQ+ characters.

GLAAD said horror was one of the few genres to buck the broader trend. It pointed to LGBTQ-inclusive titles including I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Parenting, Companion and Weapons as box office performers. The organization also said indie studio labels and mid-budget films with production budgets of $15 million to $90 million, including Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, After The Hunt and I Know What You Did Last Summer, saw notable returns.

Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD’s president and CEO, said audiences are looking for inclusive stories and that the film business risks losing younger viewers if it does not invest in them.

“Audiences across the board are seeking out original and inclusive stories,” Ellis said.

Ellis added that every theatrically released LGBTQ-inclusive horror film made back more than twice its production budget.

Megan Townsend, GLAAD’s senior director of entertainment research & analysis, said Gen Z is the largest share of moviegoers in North America and also has the highest percentage of people who say they are part of the LGBTQ community.

“Gen Z represents the largest share of moviegoers in North America,” Townsend said.

She added that Gallup reports more than 1 in 5, or 23 percent, of Americans under 30 are LGBTQ, arguing studios cannot ignore that audience.

GLAAD also published studio-by-studio ratings, including results for its Vito Russo test, which measures the quality and three-dimensionality of LGBTQ characters and storylines. The organization said the studios were listed in alphabetical order.

• A24: 17 total films, 5 LGBTQ-inclusive films, 29 percent, 3 films that pass the Vito Russo test.
• Amazon MGM Studios: 24 total films, 6 LGBTQ-inclusive films, 25 percent, 5 films that pass the Vito Russo test.
• Apple TV: 6 total films, 1 LGBTQ-inclusive film, 17 percent, 1 film that passes the Vito Russo test.
• Lionsgate: 32 total films, 3 LGBTQ-inclusive films, 9 percent, 2 films that pass the Vito Russo test.
• NBCUniversal: 26 total films, 4 LGBTQ-inclusive films, 15 percent, 2 films that pass the Vito Russo test.
• Netflix: 36 total films, 9 LGBTQ-inclusive films, 25 percent, 9 films that pass the Vito Russo test.
• Paramount Skydance: 11 total films, 1 LGBTQ-inclusive film, 9 percent, 1 film that passes the Vito Russo test.
• Sony: 29 total films, 7 LGBTQ-inclusive films, 24 percent, 6 films that pass the Vito Russo test.
• The Walt Disney Company: 30 total films, 5 LGBTQ-inclusive films, 17 percent, 3 films that pass the Vito Russo test.
• Warner Bros. Discovery: 14 total films, 5 LGBTQ-inclusive films, 36 percent, 4 films that pass the Vito Russo test.