2020 films included more LGBTQ characters with longer screen time, study finds

Films from major studios included more LGBTQ characters onscreen for longer amounts of time in 2020 compared to the year prior, according to an annual study conducted by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). But the organization said there's still progress to be made, especially when it comes to transgender and bisexual representation. 

The 9th Annual Studio Responsibility Index included films from eight major studios: Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, STX Films, United Artists Releasing, Universal Pictures, the Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros.  Of the 44 films those studios released in 2020, 22.7% included LGBTQ+ characters, a 4% increase from 2019. Though there were fewer LGBTQ characters overall — 20 compared to 50 in 2019 — the organization attributed that to the steep decline in films released that year due to the coronavirus pandemic.