Study shames Hollywood representation of LGBT people in 2016

An annual study by America’s Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has assessed Hollywood’s representation of LGBT people in 2016, and last year’s major releases have been largely met with disapproval.

As reported by The Wrap, GLAAD singled out 13 specific 2016 blockbusters which they deem the ‘most damaging’ to LGBT people. While some of their selections are not particularly surprising, others are rather more unexpected, and make the list for less immediately obvious reasons.

Several comedies were singled out for homophobia/transphobia, most notably ‘Zoolander 2,’ in which Benedict Cumberbatch’s role as gender-neutral model All led to calls for a boycott of the Ben Stiller sequel.

Other comedies called to task for homophobic humour were ‘Sausage Party,’ ‘Dirty Grandpa,’ ‘Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates’ and ‘Central Intelligence.’

Jake Gylllenhaal drama ‘Demolition’ also came in for criticism, the study finding it “disheartening” that the film used the beating of a gay man “as a plot device.”

Meanwhile, the Coen Brothers’ 1940s Hollywood tale ‘Hail, Caesar!’ was condemned for a subplot involving a gay director who pressures his leading men into sleeping with him to help further their careers, a trope GLAAD call “both offensive and incredibly overdone.”

Perhaps most surprising, ‘Nocturnal Animals’ – the work of a gay director, Tom Ford – was chastised for presenting “a world inclusive of gay characters,” but pushing them to the sidelines: “it is disappointing that their stories are centered on the straight women in their lives.”

Three of 2016’s biggest comic book movies also made the list. Both ‘Deadpool’ and ‘Suicide Squad’ were criticised for presenting entirely straight versions of characters established as LGBT in the comics (Deadpool and Harley Quinn), whilst the total absence of LGBT representation in ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice’ was also taken to highlight the lack of “substantial queer characters” (the study’s words) in superhero cinema.

Finally, two of the year’s biggest family animated movies ‘Zootropolis’ and ‘Finding Dory’ were named in the list. Whilst both films show same sex couples on screen, these appearances were deemed too brief and unclear: “While confirmed inclusion is a step forward for children’s films, we would like to see these characters be more forthrightly defined within the film itself going forward.”

The study found that only 18.4% of 2016’s wide release films featured representations of identified LGBT people, counting 70 qualifying characters overall.

GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis says, ““We continue to see many of the same problems repeatedly. This includes LGBTQ characters who lack substance and are often treated only as a punchline, a dangerous message which keeps old prejudices alive both here in the U.S. and around the world.”

The study rules that the major studios “continue to lag behind the groundbreaking stories we see in independent film.”

Of course, one such 2016 independent film was ‘Moonlight,’ which won three Oscars including Best Picture at the Academy Awards in March.

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