The first annual GLAAD Studio Responsibility Index (SRI) maps the quantity, quality and diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in films released by six major motion picture studios during the 2012 calendar year. GLAAD researched films released by 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Columbia, Universal Pictures, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Brothers. The report is intended to serve as a road map toward increasing fair, accurate and inclusive LGBT film representations.
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2013 Studio Responsibility Index
Out of the 101 film releases by the major studios in the 2012 calendar year, only 14 films contained characters identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual. There were no films containing transgender characters. More detailed looks at each studio and their films can be found in the report.
In the SRI, GLAAD also introduced the “Vito Russo Test,” which was inspired by the Bechdel Test and named after GLAAD co-founder and celebrated film historian Vito Russo. These criteria allow anyone to analyze how LGBT characters are represented in a film or fictional work.
- The film contains a character that is identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender.
- That character must not be solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity (i.e. the character is made up of the same sort of unique character traits commonly used to differentiate straight characters).
- The LGBT character must be tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have a significant effect.
Less than half (6) of these 14 major studio films that featured an LGB character pass the “Vito Russo Test.”
Download the full GLAAD Studio Responsibility Index 2013 (pdf)
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