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| Benedict Cumberbath in Zoolander 2, criticised for stereotyping transgender people. |
Only 18% of films released by major studios in the past month included LGBT characters, GLAAD's annual survey has found, and almost half of those characters appeared on screen for less than a minute each.
The report, released last week, found that representation of LGBT people of colour actually decreased, while only one major release, Zoolander 2, featured a transgender character. GLAAD CEO and President Sarah Kate Ellis noted that where LGBT characters lack substance they are often used as punchlines, commenting that this sends "a dangerous message which keeps old prejudices alive both here in the US and around the world where these films are distributed. Hollywood must do better to question what they are really communicating to audiences."
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| LeFou: gay and happy |
The report analysed 125 films released by the seven highest earning film studios: 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Disney and Warner Bros. Paramount and Universal were rated as the most inclusive, with around a third of their output including LGBT characters.
A number of films were identified as containing homophobic humour, with Dirty Grandpa and Central Intelligence cited as two of the worst. Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates was criticised for treating a cross-dressing man as a joke and implying that a man presenting in a feminine way must be doing so in order to try and trick straight men into sex.
There was some positive news. Although 83% of LGBT characters featured were gay men, representation of lesbian and bisexual characters has increased.
Attention was drawn to Disney's treatment of gay character LeFou in its live action version of Beauty And The Beast. "His happy ending may have been a small moment, but it was a huge step forward for the industry," said Ellis.
Other films receiving praise included Star Trek Beyond, which showed Enterprise crew member Mr Sulu with a husband and daughter, and Hello, My Name Is Doris, which included several LGBT characters in minor roles, with one of them contributing to plot development.
