GLAAD Revealed Zero Trans Representation in 2020’s Major Film Industry

Mj Rodriguez made groundbreaking strides for the trans community by being the first out, trans person to be nominated for an Emmy. The actress is nominated for one of the awards shows top categories—Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She made history after performing her ass off for three seasons of FX’s Pose—the drama that gives insight to the trans Black and Latinx ballroom culture in New York City during the 1980s.

Although this is amazing for the trans community, we’d like to see more trans, intersex, nonbinary, and genderfluid performers receiving these rolls to highlight accurate representation of these characters. 

GLAAD, an LGBTQ media advocacy organization, has shed light on another crucial topic—trans representation in the big screen film industry has far to go. In GLAAD’s annual Studio Responsibility Index (SRI) 2021 edition, they revealed the shocking, but not surprising statistic that across all 44 major studio films released in 2020, there were ZERO trans or nonbinary characters.

To make matters worse, it included that 2020 made it the fourth year in a row for this to happen. This statistic offers proof that when it comes to trans representation, the film industry is moving at a significantly slower pace than the television industry. Since Hollywood’s highest-grossing studios have continuously failed the trans community by not including characters in not one of their films for nearly half a decade. 

GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis wrote in a letter, “This year’s SRI makes it clear, there remains significant work to be done in mainstream film releases to ensure that tomorrow’s releases include us all—no matter the means of distribution nor platform. Our challenge—today and every day—is to continue driving, working, and collaborating with creators, executives, and studios to ensure the entertainment on our screens reflects the world in which we live and the audiences who consume it. An audience who is changing, fast.”

On the brighter side of things, GLAAD found that representation for LGBTQ folks overall has gone up from 4.1 percent to 22.7 percent from the year prior. Lesbian representation went up as well with five out of 10 inclusive, LGBTQ films feature a lesbian character. This was an SRI new first-time record that queer women outnumbered queer men in the releases from major studios. 

It’s clear that GLAAD will not be satisfied with bare minimum advancements and will continue to help fight LGBTQ battles for inclusitivity. Sarah Kate Ellis reminds us there’s “pressure for these studios to create more meaningful substantive change in representing and investing in marginalized communities.”