41% Decline in LGBTQ+ Characters Across Television
Significant Reduction Projected by 2026
The 2025 GLAAD report reveals a projected 41% decrease in LGBTQ+ characters currently appearing on American television by 2026. GLAAD, a leading media advocacy group for LGBTQ+ visibility, attributes this decline to increasing conservative pressure influencing creative decisions across networks and streaming platforms. While business shifts are at play, the real concern lies in the societal impact: LGBTQ+ representation isn’t just about inclusion—it’s essential for increasing acceptance, safety, and visibility in a still largely unequal world.
Why Queer Representation Matters
Television is more than just entertainment—it shapes identity, community, and how people relate to one another. For young LGBTQ+ audiences, on-screen representation offers validation, emotional support, and models for navigating relationships and personal growth. These portrayals can help reduce risky behaviors, provide a sense of belonging, and fill in the gaps left by traditional education systems.
Transgender characters, when authentically depicted, show the depth of full lives—not just transition stories—while emerging visibility for lesser-known identities like asexuality begins to paint a broader and more accurate picture of the LGBTQ+ community. For older LGBTQ+ individuals, positive depictions of love, family, and fulfillment remain rare but critically important, allowing these viewers to envision futures that reflect their realities.
Television may not solve systemic issues, but it offers comfort, recognition, and guidance. When queer stories are told with care, they build deeper understanding and help normalize identities too often erased.
Representation Shapes Public Understanding
LGBTQ+ visibility on screen isn’t only crucial for queer communities—it also shapes how others perceive and relate to them. Authentic portrayals help break down misconceptions, reduce stigma, and bring humanity to identities that are still often misunderstood. Families, peers, and coworkers gain insight and empathy through exposure to well-crafted LGBTQ+ characters.
But a mass pullback in representation does the opposite, reinforcing outdated narratives and shrinking public awareness. The projected 41% drop within a single year is alarming, especially amid rising political and cultural backlash against LGBTQ+ rights. When media narrows its focus, it directly impacts how society sees—and treats—those who live outside of that lens.
A U.S.-Driven Shift with Global Reach
Though GLAAD’s findings focus on American programming, the effects of this trend are far-reaching. Many viewers in Europe—including French-speaking regions like Switzerland—consume TV content through global platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video. As a result, U.S. representation patterns strongly influence the stories available to international audiences.
This reduction in LGBTQ+ visibility on American screens therefore limits access to diverse narratives worldwide. For LGBTQ+ viewers abroad, this translates to fewer opportunities to see themselves accurately represented and more barriers to self-acceptance and cultural inclusion.
