TV shows like "Abbott Elementary," "Hacks," "Heartstopper," "The Last of Us" and "Yellowjackets" helped increase the ranks of LGBTQ+ characters on prime time by 4% over the previous season, according to a new study by the advocacy group GLAAD. This year's "Where We Are on TV" study, released Thursday, counted 489 LGBTQ characters across scripted prime-time broadcast, cable and streaming shows — up 21 additional characters. It marks a boost after two years of decline, but remains far below the 2021-2022 record high of 637 characters. Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of the group, warned that those numbers could still decrease soon: More than 200 of the LGBTQ+ characters counted this year — in shows like "Heartstopper," "Harlem" and "Elite" — will not be returning due to a flurry of series cancellations, endings or because they were limited series. "Storytelling brings us together and this current cultural and political climate calls on creatives and executives to double down on fair and accurate stories of LGBTQ people," Ellis writes in the report. GLAAD added that the number of transgender characters on TV has slightly increased from last year to reach 33 — 24 trans women, seven trans men, and two nonbinary characters — but only four trans characters appear on series that have been officially renewed. The report is the 20th edition of the annual tracking by GLAAD and charts a remarkable leap from just 47 LGBTQ+ characters in the first study. It arrives as President Donald Trump has targeted transgender and nonbinary people with a series of executive orders — including one declaring the existence of two unchangeable sexes — stripping government websites of "gender ideology" an reinstituting a ban on transgender service members in the... Read More