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More gay TV characters for fall season

BY Linda Thomas  on October 5, 2012 @ 3:27 am (Updated: 12:42 pm - 10/5/12 )

With a statewide vote on same-sex marriage a month away, an advocacy group says the number of gay and bisexual characters on TV shows is at its highest level in the season ahead.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) today released its 17th-annual "Where We Are on TV" report. It finds that 4.4 percent of actors appearing regularly on prime-time network drama and comedy series during the 2012-13 season will portray gay, lesbian or bisexual characters. This is up from 2.9 percent last season.

The group says ABC leads the networks in gay representations, with 10 regular characters out of a total of 194.

The study reviewed 97 scripted TV programs scheduled to air in the upcoming season on the broadcast networks, counting a total of 701 series regular characters.

Gay and lesbian characters on cable television have also risen to 35, up from a total of 29 last season.

The study found that among cable networks, Showtime leads with 12 characters. The HBO drama "True Blood" remains cable's most inclusive series, featuring six LGBT characters.

"This year’s increase of LGBT characters on television reflects a cultural change in the way gay and lesbian people are seen in our society," says GLAAD President Herndon Graddick in a statement. "More and more Americans have come to accept their LGBT family members, friends, coworkers, and peers, and as audiences tune into their favorite programs, they expect to see the same diversity of people they encounter in their daily lives."

Compared to last year, African-American representation has grown from 9.9 percent to 12 percent, while Hispanic representation has decreased from 5.6 percent to 4.1 percent.

Link to the full report

TV's first gay character came charging out of the closet in 1972 with the premier of "The Corner Bar," which was similar to "Cheers." Played by Vincent Schiavelli, the character of Peter Panama portrayed what most of us would consider an over-the-top gay. Billy Crystal furthered the movement in 1977 with his character of Jodie Dallas in "Soap."

Gay characters have since given way to entire gay shows like "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and "Will & Grace."

NewNormal

In "New Normal" on NBC, Andrew Rannells, near right, and Justin Bartha are a gay couple who arrange a pregnancy with a surrogate played by Georgia King. NBC photo

By LINDA THOMAS

Linda Thomas, KIRO Radio Morning News Anchor
Linda is the morning news anchor and features reporter for KIRO Radio and one of the most followed local journalists on social media.
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Comments (27)


  • Add A Comment

  • ron prevost wrote...
    Wall Street isn't the only place the 'one percent' has undue importance.
    October 5, 2012 5:52 am
    As acceptable as may be, gays and lesbians do not make up 4.4% of our population. It's only because the portion is higher among actors that we see more on TV.

    But, what's the deal on Hispanics? 10% (and growing) of the population only merits a 4.1% representation?

    And that's Hollywood.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • mnpat wrote...
    But it would appear the media...at least in this area
    October 5, 2012 7:34 am
    Gives the LGBT community 20% of their time and effort in keeping them on the front page.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • vsekvsek wrote...
    exactly why
    October 5, 2012 6:01 am
    me and MILLIONS have stopped watching mainstream media.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Denco25 wrote...
    I Agree
    October 5, 2012 7:48 am
    Just don't watch the network and cable comedy series anymore -- very perverted.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Pat_riot wrote...
    Well of course..
    October 5, 2012 6:15 am
    It's quite obvious they're trying to push the perverse as "the new normal".. what better way than doing it through the method they've used to dumb us all down for decades now.. the television.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    Pat.... Pat... Pat....
    October 5, 2012 10:14 am
    Gee, I guess only one definition of what's perverse and what's not is allowed. And that one being the right wing Christian moralistic one where love is only allowed to exist between a man and a woman - and probably only allowed when they are married in a Christian church and probably only when adhering to stricly evangelical Christian values where sex only happens in the dark, under the covers, missionary style and only for procreation - never for pleasure.... Doesn't matter that the Constitution allows for multiple views and beliefs on what is allowed when it comes to love, sex, religion. You have your right to see anything you don't like as perverse - but I also have the right to call you on it when your position doesn't allow someone else to excersize thier Constitutional rights.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ronzilla wrote...
    You are describing Catholic sex, NOT Christian sex.
    October 5, 2012 10:05 pm
    Just sayin'.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Seattle is a cesspool wrote...
    Oh my gosh...
    October 5, 2012 6:15 am
    How gay. Seriously.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Jeddite wrote...
    FTFY
    October 5, 2012 6:24 am
    "More OBNOXIOUSLY STEREOTYPICAL gay TV characters for fall season". Oh wow, another lisping, flamboyant, effeminate fruitfly prancing around. Fantastic. Certainly wouldnt want to portray millions of gays as anything other than that stereotype. Why not just cast Jon Cryer as the role of EVERY GAY MALE EVER?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Denco25 wrote...
    Too Bad
    October 5, 2012 7:47 am
    Another sign of the moral decay of America. The country is going down the same path that led to the fall of the Roman civilization.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • anotherfencewalker wrote...
    Hollyweird...
    October 5, 2012 7:55 am
    I'm NOT gay but if I was, I'd have to say that entertainment television has quickly and successfully dialed in their mold of the gay male in what must be an offensive manner to the group. Apparently gay men are all dressed in expensive sweaters and Italian loafers and the thought of wearing Jeans is just not fashionable. They have them dancing around on screen like a bunch of giggly ladies who drink cosmopolitans with a flower in the glass. This is not contributing anything to advancing whatever the gay agenda may be.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Burn_Notice wrote...
    If you watch network TV and channels like HGTV, etc
    October 5, 2012 8:35 am
    You would think 25% of America is gay. The first openly gay male on TV was probably Billy Crystals character on an sitcom called "Soap". Then Principally "Will and Grace" up'd the bar. Now with plethora of junk channels like, Lifetime, Oxygen, etc adding to the social perception that 1 in 4 is gay this it is not surprising there is a massive drift in the moral compass of America making crap TV like, "The New Normal" even possible.

    It is like the old adage that "if you put a frog in boiling water he will jump right out, put a frog in cold water and slowly turn up the heat he will boil to death without even knowing it".

    We as a nation in our "anything is acceptable", "everything should be allowed", and a "do not judge" mentality that is going to bring down the most powerful nation in the history of the world in record time no less. This should come as no surprise to anyone. Hollywood has been doing it for years. Re-writing history to make it more social acceptable to their view of how the world should be as opposed to how the world actually is or was.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • kata wrote...
    Hollywood's pet project
    October 5, 2012 8:40 am
    stress on the word pet. Like "save the whales", only more photogenic. AFW is right - these aren't characters - they're caricatures.

    Revolution was meh. Last year, Terra Nova was meh. "House" was the last bit of really good television. I am down to two shows I watch on Hulu, and after they're off the air this year I seriously give up on TV. Too preachy. Too formulaic. And worst of all more often than ever, agenda > entertainment. Don't even get me started on Reality TV. I wait for the day we have our first Running Man.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • calapete wrote...
    Thank God we have the freedom to turn the channel!
    October 5, 2012 9:38 am
    PBS usually has some family friendly shows, oh, oops. He sold off Sesame Street to pay for Wall Street! ha ha!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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