That’s a startling number.
The GLAAD TV report for 2015 gave us this information at the beginning of the 2015-2016 season.
Of the 881 regular characters expected to appear on broadcast primetime programming in the coming year, 35 (4%) were identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. There were an additional 35 recurring LGB characters.
This is only American TV and only regulars, so while our list shows that 16 female LGBTQ characters are dead, we have to exclude a few.
When you read the full report, you see there are 35 recurring and 35 regulars (so that gets us to 80 LGBT characters on primetime for more than one episode). Of those 80, 23 are lesbians and 12 are bisexual females.
35 female LGBTQ characters on primetime.
On our list of 16, the following have to be excluded:
- Ash Larsson – Not on network TV, Janet King is on Australian TV
- Marissa Kagan – Victim of the week on Elementary
- Kira – Victim of the week on The Magicians
- Felicity – Not included in GLAAD’s count
- Alexandra – Not included in GLAAD’s count
- Julie Mao – Not on network TV, The Expanse is on Syfy
- Zora – Not on network TV, The Shannara Chronicles is on in syndication only
That gives us 9 who died in 2016 alone.
That’s 25% of all regular or recurring characters.
25% of all regular or recurring characters who are female LGBTQ are dead.
The number’s probably going to go up, since Person of Interest is back tonight, and I really don’t see everyone making it out alive.
