Glee and True Blood have
helped Fox and HBO top this year's Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation (GLAAD) survey of gay-inclusive television.
The 16th annual Where
We Are On TV report released Wednesday found that Fox is the
most LGBT-inclusive broadcast network and HBO tops the list of cable
networks.
The number of gay characters in the
2011-2012 broadcast television season have decreased, while cable
networks remain steady, the study found.
“While the number of LGBT characters
is down, some of the most popular shows with critics and viewers such
as Glee, True Blood and The Good Wife weave
storylines about gay and lesbian characters into the fabric of the
show,” said GLAAD Acting President Mike Thompson. “Whether it's
the growing household of Mitchell and Cameron on Modern Family
or the recent wedding of Callie and Arizona on Grey’s
Anatomy,Americans expect to see the diversity of our country
represented in their favorite programs and that includes gay,
lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.”
The report shows that LGBT characters
on broadcast television are down 3.9% from last season. Cable
networks have 29 scripted LGBT series regulars in the upcoming
season, down from 35 last year.
Among the networks, Fox topped the list
with 8 gay characters out of 117 (6.8%), followed by ABC (3.4%), NBC
(1.9%), and the CW (1.5%). CBS, which has previously promised to
increase its diversity, came in last at 0.7 percent.
HBO leads among cable networks. Its
supernatural drama True Blood is one of the most
LGBT-inclusive programs on television with six characters.