Viewers may be cheering on LGBTQ+ stories such as Heated Rivalry, but the latest GLAAD television report paints a much less upbeat picture. Across US broadcast, cable and streaming scripted shows, the number of LGBTQ+ characters fell to 369 in the 2025–2026 season. The steepest drop was among trans characters, raising fresh questions about who gets to be seen on screen.
Essential takeaways
- Fewer characters overall: GLAAD counted 369 LGBTQ+ characters, down from 489 the previous season.
- Trans roles fell sharply: The total dropped from 33 to seven, and none of those seven is expected to return.
- Streaming still leads: It accounts for three-quarters of the characters, but also recorded the largest year-on-year loss.
- Some groups bucked the trend: Non-binary representation rose, while LGBTQ+ characters of colour declined.
- The outlook is uncertain: Series endings and cancellations could mean further losses in the coming season.
A hit show doesn't tell the whole story
A popular LGBTQ+-led series can make representation feel newly visible, but one buzzy title can't stand in for the whole television landscape. GLAAD's 2025–2026 Where We Are on TV study counted 369 LGBTQ+ characters across broadcast, cable and selected streaming programmes, nearly 25 per cent fewer than the previous season.
The Associated Press reported that the previous year's count was 489, after a rise from the year before. That earlier uptick makes the latest fall all the more striking: representation can move in different directions across platforms and seasons, rather than steadily improving.
GLAAD president and chief executive Sarah Kate Ellis argues that the success of inclusive programmes should encourage the industry to invest in more LGBTQ+ storytelling. The numbers suggest that audience interest in individual shows doesn't automatically translate into a broader range of roles.
Trans representation takes the hardest hit
The sharpest change is in trans representation. GLAAD counted seven trans characters, down from 33 the previous year, and none of the seven is expected to return. TheWrap highlighted the precarious position of these roles, many tied to programmes that are ending, cancelled or otherwise not continuing with those characters.
That leaves a striking gap between the visibility of trans stories in public debate and their presence in scripted television. The tally is small enough that losing a handful of roles can make a substantial difference, which is why the prospect of none returning matters as much as the year-on-year drop.
Streaming has most of the roles, but losses are widespread
Streaming accounted for three-quarters of the LGBTQ+ characters in the study, according to Them, and it also saw the biggest year-on-year loss. Broadcast and cable reached their lowest representation levels in more than a decade, with cable at a 16-year low and broadcast at a 12-year low.
The earlier picture was already uneven. The Associated Press reported that broadcast and cable representation had continued to fall in the 2024–2025 season, even as streaming numbers rose. That history is a useful reminder that a high overall total doesn't mean every part of television is moving in the same direction.
Among non-streaming outlets, HBO and ABC were the most likely to feature LGBTQ+ characters, Them reported. That offers viewers a starting point when looking for inclusive stories, but it doesn't soften the broader decline.
The drop affects more than one community
The losses extend beyond the headline total. GLAAD reported that LGBTQ+ characters who are people of colour made up 44 per cent of the count, down from 50 per cent the previous year. Them also noted that representation fell among Black, Latinx, Asian American and Pacific Islander, multiracial and Middle Eastern and North African characters.
Non-binary characters were the exception, with their on-screen representation rising by 33 per cent. But the wider pattern remains troubling, particularly for viewers who rarely see their identities reflected in mainstream stories.
There was another conspicuous absence: no characters living with HIV appeared in the season, compared with nine in 2021. A missing category like this can be easy to overlook beside the overall totals, but it shows how representation can narrow in specific ways as well as in numbers.
What comes next for LGBTQ+ TV?
The coming season may bring more changes, as endings and cancellations put existing roles at risk. GLAAD's previous report described how a character's future can depend on whether a series is renewed, while the latest findings suggest that this uncertainty has real consequences for representation.
The debate also reaches beyond programme schedules. Them reported that Senator Josh Hawley questioned Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos about transgender content at a hearing on the proposed Netflix–Warner Bros. transaction. Hawley's office described the exchange in its own terms, while the Senate Judiciary Committee identifies the proceeding as a hearing about the deal's competitive impact.
For viewers, the figures offer a useful counterweight to the excitement around any one successful show. A story can be a cultural phenomenon and still sit within an industry where LGBTQ+ roles are becoming harder to find.
It's worth celebrating the stories that break through, while keeping an eye on who gets the next chance to tell one.
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