GLAAD’s 2025–26 television study counts just seven transgender characters, down sharply from 33 the previous season. Most appear on streaming, and none is expected to return next year. The figures raise fresh questions about who gets to tell transgender stories, who gets cast in them, and what audiences may lose when series end.
Essential Takeaways
- A steep drop: GLAAD counts seven transgender characters for 2025–26, compared with 33 in its previous study.
- Streaming dominates: Six characters are on streaming and one is on broadcast; cable has none.
- No returning characters: GLAAD says three appear in cancelled series and four in limited series.
- Casting remains contentious: Two of the seven characters are transgender women played by cisgender men, according to GLAAD.
- One portrayal stands out: Netflix’s Wayward features Mae Martin as Alex, a trans man whose identity isn’t the only part of his story.
Transgender TV representation takes a sharp turn
Seven characters is a startlingly small count beside last season’s 33. GLAAD’s latest study puts six of them on streaming platforms and one on broadcast, with no transgender characters counted on cable. The result feels less like a gentle dip than a door closing.
The previous GLAAD study recorded 33 transgender characters for the 2024–25 season. Its comparison gives useful context for the latest figures, though the two reports cover separate television seasons.
What the numbers say about representation
Of the seven characters, GLAAD counts six women and one man, with no nonbinary characters classified as transgender in the study. Three are white, three are Latine and one is Asian or Pacific Islander. Their sexual orientations are listed as straight, bisexual or undefined.
The report also finds that two characters are series regulars, while five are recurring. But none is expected to return in the following season: GLAAD says three are on cancelled series and four are in limited series. That makes the headline count feel especially fragile.
Casting choices remain part of the debate
GLAAD says two of the seven characters are transgender women played by cisgender men, including characters in Squid Game and The Dead Girls. The issue is not only who appears on screen, but who gets the opportunity to bring those lives to it.
The Associated Press reported that Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk acknowledged that casting a transgender actor would have been preferable, while describing difficulties finding someone he considered suitable in South Korea. TheWrap also reported Hwang’s account of the casting challenge and the marginalisation faced by LGBTQ people there. Those explanations add context, but they don’t settle the wider question of authentic casting.
Wayward offers a different kind of trans story
Netflix’s Wayward includes Alex, a transgender man played by Mae Martin. The Los Angeles Times describes Alex’s identity as one part of a wider character, rather than the whole point of the story. That distinction can make a character feel more fully human: not defined by a single detail, but still allowed to be recognisably trans.
RogerEbert.com also discusses Alex as a character with complicated personal and professional qualities. The two accounts offer a useful contrast to portrayals where a character’s identity carries the entire narrative, while remaining focused on this one series rather than the season-wide numbers.
Why the next season matters
A count of seven is sobering, but the absence of returning characters gives it an extra sting. When every character is tied to a cancelled or limited series, there’s little continuity for audiences seeking to follow transgender lives across seasons.
GLAAD argues that the industry should turn to transgender creatives and supportive allies to develop stories audiences want to see. That’s a practical challenge as much as a representation issue: a meaningful character needs room to grow, and a story needs people with the insight and opportunity to make it work.
Give the next season room for more stories, and more chances to tell them well.
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