GLAAD Publishes First Scorecard of LGBT Characters in Movies

August 21st, 2013 10:06 AM

Want to know just how much or how little influence the LGBT community is having on the films you see or don't see?

On Wednesday, LGBT advocate GLAAD published the Studio Responsibility Index which actually calculates the "quantity, quality and diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in films released by six major motion picture studios during the 2012 calendar year":

Out of the 101 film releases by the major studios in the 2012 calendar year, only 14 films contained characters identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual. There were no films containing transgender characters. [...]

In the SRI, GLAAD also introduced the "Vito Russo Test," which was inspired by the Bechdel Test and named after GLAAD co-founder and celebrated film historian Vito Russo. These criteria allow anyone to analyze how LGBT characters are represented in a film or fictional work.

  • The film contains a character that is identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender.
  • That character must not be solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity (i.e. the character is made up of the same sort of unique character traits commonly used to differentiate straight characters).
  • The LGBT character must be tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have a significant effect.

Less than half (6) of these 14 major studio films that featured an LGB character pass the "Vito Russo Test."

You've heard of political correctness? We've now entered the era of LGBT correctness.

Those interested in the entire report should go here.