LGBTQ+ inclusion in film at three-year low, Glaad survey shows | Video

LGBTQ+ communities are gradually disappearing from film in a way that has a major impact on LGBTQ+ characters, according to a report published today.

The annual survey of films by Glaad (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) found that only 46 of the 225 films released in 2025 had LGBTQ + characters, which only made up 20.4% of last year’s films including the community group.

This is the third year in a row to see a decline in LGBTQ+ representation after a record 28.5% increase in Glaad’s 2023 survey.

“If the industry doesn’t prioritize investing in films with LGBTQ characters, it could be losing a generation that could go elsewhere to find entertainment that includes our community,” said Glaad President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in a press release.

Mid-budget movies were found to be more visible in LGBTQ+ representation, with a positive report. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, After The Hunt and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Horror films were especially included last year, and Parents, His friend and Weapons all including queer characters – and each making more than double their budget to make a return at the box office.

Although LGBTQ+ characters mainly participated in the films in question, Glaad praised Nia DaCosta’s. HedaEthan Hawke-actor Blue Moon and Eva Victor I’m sorry, Son such as movies that feature unknown characters and were warmly received by critics. “When our stories are fixed, those movies are seeing better,” the report says.

It was a poor year for trans representation, with a report showing that inclusion was lacking in the 200-plus films analyzed. “The misrepresentation and marginalization of characters and interesting stories, while politicians and LGBTQ activists are eager to target people through propaganda, anti-transgender laws and violence, is unconscionable,” the study says.

Although Glaad’s report focuses on 10 distributors, including Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, Netflix and A24, it said that smaller companies have produced “amazing LGBTQ films that break boundaries and deserve recognition”.

Among the small distributors he commended are Mubi (Sound History, Mother Father Sister Brother), Bleecker Street (Wedding Party), Magnolia Pictures (Casual clothes) and Blue Harbor Entertainment (Good Indian Boy).

In a press release, Glaad’s head of entertainment research and analysis Megan Townsend said big studios that ignore moviegoers and moviegoers are bad business.

“Gen Z represents the largest segment of moviegoers in North America,” Townsend said. “Gen Z also has the highest number of people who identify as LGBTQ, and Gallup reports that more than one in 5 (23%) Americans under the age of 30 are LGBTQ.

“If the studios want to be relevant to young audiences and bring in box office dollars, they can’t afford to ignore the roughly one-quarter of ticket buyers who are most affected.”