Data shows homosexuals hugely overrepresented on the big screen, but GLAAD says it’s still not enough

By: American Decency Staff

A gay advocacy group has released a reportshowing that the number of Hollywood films featuring homosexual behavior has risen to an all-time high, with nearly 16 percent of films released in 2014 featuring at least one homosexual, lesbian, or bisexual character.  But the activists said they still aren’t satisfied, citing a lack of leading roles for homosexuals, insufficient racial diversity among gay characters, and occasionally less-than-positive portrayals of the homosexual lifestyle by some filmmakers.

To produce its 2015 “Studio Responsibility Index,” homosexual advocacy group GLAAD analyzed the film releases of seven major film studios and their affiliates and found that out of 161 movies released in 2014, 25 featured characters with non-traditional sexual preferences such as homosexuality or bisexuality – a total of 15.5 percent.  The major film studios were more likely to feature gay characters – nearly 18 percent of their films did so, compared to just 11 percent of those released by their smaller, “indie”-style affiliates.

Considering a recent Gallup poll found that only 3.4 percent of the U.S. population identifies as homosexual, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, the number of films featuring homosexual characters would seem to be inordinately large.

But GLAAD strongly disagrees. According to the organization’s CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis, Hollywood isn’t doing enough to promote acceptance of alternative sexualities at the movie theater.  She’d rather see film studios follow the model of network and cable television and streaming video services, which have become notorious for pushing the envelope with graphic depictions of all kinds of sex acts, whether between heterosexual or same-sex couples.

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