The days of Will & Grace may slowly be dwindling away according to a new report at GLAAD. Gay characters on TV have fallen from 3.9 percent in 2010 to 2.9 percent today, including cable networks which have also fallen flat with a dip from last year.
But withstanding the decline, shows like Modern Family, True Blood, and Glee are celebrated for their diversity and “developing LGBT characters,” ABC News reports.
“We’re ecstatic,” said Matt Kane, GLAAD’s associate director of entertainment and media. “[Modern Family] a great show, it’s a hit with viewers and critics. We’re very excited to see how they’re going to approach this new storyline of Mitchell and Cameron adopting a second son.”
GLAAD has also applauded HBO series True Blood, and TeenNick series Degrassi – a story depicting the life of a transgender teen.
“We thought ‘Degrassi’ really captured the reality of what it’s like to be a trans teen and trying to survive in high school,” Kane said. “There was a lot of discussion between Adam and his mother that we felt rang true and it’s the first time we’ve seen something like that on TV.”
“I think we’re going to see more and more gay characters on both cable and network TV as time goes on,” said Herndon Graddick, GLAAD’s senior director of programs to ABC News. “The American public is hungry for diverse characters. They want TV to be reflective of their experience in life.”
GLAAD’s report also found that TV lacks reoccurring LGBT characters that are African-American.
