GLAAD Report: Most Major Studio Movies in 2013 Didn't Include LGBT Characters or Were Offensive
Don't expect many major studio films released in 2013 to receive a GLAAD Media Award this year. Instead, the leading gay and lesbian advocacy group says that the mass majority of movies produced by major Hollywood studios last year received a flunking grade when it came to depicting the LGBT community in a positive light.
On Tuesday, GLAAD released its second annual survey, the Studio Responsibility Index, "which measures quantity, quality and diversity of LGBT images in films released by the seven major studios," reports USA Today. However, the group says its findings of Hollywood's portrayal of gays and lesbians were "depressing" and "sad."
According to the report, only 17 out of the 102 films in the survey included a gay character, while many of the LGBT characters only a few minutes of screen time or depicted a stereotype.
"What's disheartening for me and to all of us in GLAAD is when it comes to major studio films, LGBT people are basically invisible," GLAAD national spokesman Wilson Cruz told the New York Daily News. "And when we do show up, it's largely a part of comedies as caricatures to service a joke that's at the expense of the character."
The report criticized films like Paramount's "The Wolf of Wall Street," which featured a gay butler in a minor role who was beaten up because of his sexuality.
The group also condemned the "homophobic humor" used in Warner Brother's "Hangover" movies, particularly by Ken Jeong's character Leslie Chow.
On the other hand, Sony Columbia was the first and only studio to receive a "good" score for several gay-friendly films like "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones," which includes two strong gay characters. It was also the only film in the report to be nominated for a GLAAD Media Award.
"There seems to be this vicious circle, where studios saying they weren't getting scripts that were inclusive, while writers were telling us the studios weren't interested in making films LBGT in them," said Cruz.
Following the report, GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis issued a statement calling for more diversity and LGBT inclusion in Hollywood films.
"LGBT people come from all walks of life; we're your family members, co-workers, neighbors and peers. Hollywood should strive to reflect that truth, rather than turn us into jokes or simply edit us out," she said.
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