GLAAD’s latest Where We Are on TV analysis warns that LGBTQ characters of colour have fallen sharply in the 2025–26 season, after making up half of those counted across platforms in the previous report. The shift sits within wider concerns about who gets seen on screen, though separate UCLA findings on streaming films should not be mistaken for television figures.

The latest season brings a sharp reversal

GLAAD says the share of LGBTQ characters who are people of colour has dropped substantially for the 2025–26 season. The change stands out because the previous report found that 50 per cent of LGBTQ characters across platforms were characters of colour.

That earlier result offered a clear benchmark, but it didn't mean every platform had reached the same level. In GLAAD's 2024–25 report, 248 of 489 LGBTQ characters across broadcast, cable and streaming were people of colour, or 51 per cent overall.

A 50 per cent target, with uneven results

GLAAD has repeatedly urged the television industry to make at least half of its LGBTQ characters people of colour. The previous season came close to that goal overall, but the platform breakdown showed a more mixed picture.

Streaming recorded 54 per cent, while broadcast reached 49 per cent and cable 34 per cent. So the overall figure told only part of the story: streaming was the sole platform to exceed the benchmark.

The wider screen picture needs careful reading

GLAAD frames the latest decline as part of a broader retreat in representation, not simply a fluctuation in LGBTQ character counts. UCLA's 2026 Hollywood Diversity Report offers one relevant, though separate, measure: the share of lead actors of colour in streaming films fell from 51 per cent in 2024 to 36 per cent in 2025.

That figure concerns films, not television series, and it doesn't measure LGBTQ characters. Keeping those categories distinct matters; the statistic adds context about screen employment, but it can't stand in for GLAAD's television findings.

Television representation has its own gaps

A separate UCLA analysis of the top streaming television series of 2024 found that creators and lead actors of colour were underrepresented among the most-watched shows. Of 222 scripted series in the top 250, 8.3 per cent had creators of colour, while white men accounted for 78.9 per cent.

The same analysis found that nearly four-fifths of leads in the most-watched streaming comedies and dramas were white actors. These are different measures from GLAAD's count of LGBTQ characters, but they help show why representation is best understood through more than one lens.

What readers should take from the figures

The previous GLAAD result is a useful baseline, not a current-season count. Its headline 51 per cent covered LGBTQ characters across platforms in 2024–25, while the newer GLAAD analysis describes a decline for 2025–26 without the supplied summary giving a new percentage.

It's also worth noting the contrast in UCLA's television findings: underrepresentation among the most-watched series coexisted with strong audience engagement for diverse stories. A gap between who appears on screen and what audiences watch is a reminder that popularity and visibility aren't always the same thing.

The key question now is whether the latest decline proves temporary or signals a longer retreat in representation.

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