In its fourth annual Studio Responsibility Index (SRI), which tracks the "quantity, quality, and diversity of images of LGBT people in films released by the seven largest studios" in 2015, GLAAD found that Hollywood really needs to get its life together.
According to the report:
- Of the 126 releases from the major studios in 2015, 22 of them (17.5%) included characters identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender. This is no change from the 17.5% of films (20 of 114) found to be inclusive last year.
- Transgender representation is shockingly low with only one character in the mainstream releases of 2015 - whose brief appearance served as a punchline to laugh at when her identity is revealed.
- The majority of LGBT characters GLAAD found in films from the seven biggest studios in 2015 were minor characters - in substance and screen time - or even just cameos.
- Of the 22 inclusive films, almost three quarters (73%) include less than ten minutes of screen time for LGBT characters.
The report also found the racial diversity of LGBT characters "dismal" with a near 7 percent drop in LGBT characters of color.
Two films specifically called out for their shittiness starred Kevin Hart, Get Hard (pictured) and The Wedding Ringer, both containing "more blatant and incessant gay panic humor than we have seen in a Hollywood film in years." Hot Tub Time Machine 2, the Citizen Kane of Hot Tub Time Machine sequels, also failed spectacularly.
"Hollywood's films lag far behind any other form of media when it comes to portrayals of LGBT characters," said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President & CEO. "Too often, the few LGBT characters that make it to the big screen are the target of a punchline or token characters. The film industry must embrace new and inclusive stories if it wants to remain competitive and relevant."
Click here to read GLAAD's SRI.