LGBTQ+ characters hit a new low on TV. And it's only getting worse

With shows like Heated Rivalry, The Hunting Wives, and Pluribus quickly finding a large fan base and dominating the cultural zeitgeist, it would be easy to think that LGBTQ+ representation on television is improving, but it turns out that the opposite is true. Queer people are being attacked from all angles — socially, politically, and legally — and it’s being reflected in the decline in LGBTQ+ storylines and characters gracing our television screens. GLAAD's latest Where We Are in TV study, analyzing the 2025 to 2026 television season, looked closely at broadcast, cable, and streaming TV to understand the state of queer, transgender, and POC representation, and what they found is startling. Transgender representation collapsed 79%, going from 33 characters during the last television season to now just seven across all platforms. That number is just going to get worse next year because none of the current trans characters are set to return.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.