Where We Are on TV 2023-2024

According to GLAAD’s Accelerating Acceptance study, only 28 percent of non-LGBTQ Americans personally know a transgender person. The study further showed that non-LGBTQ adults who are exposed to the LGBTQ community in media are 30 percent more likely to feel familiar with LGBTQ people overall, compared to people who haven’t been exposed to LGBTQ people in content or media. Today, it’s more critical than ever that transgender representation on television depicts authentic, realistic stories of transgender people by transgender storytellers. Furthermore, it is what audiences want. According to the MRI-Simmons LGBTQ and Gender Identity Study, half of Americans say they like it when TV shows and movies show transgender or nonbinary characters. However, the number of transgender characters on TV continues to decrease.

This is the second year in a row that has seen a dramatic decrease in transgender characters, down to 24 from last year’s 32. This is the lowest number since the 2017-18 report. As was the case last year, several series with prominent trans characters (9-1-1: Lone Star, Euphoria, The Sandman, Somebody Somewhere, The Umbrella Academy) are not slated to return in this research period. Still, even if those shows were included, there is a steady decline. 

Of the 468 characters counted across scripted broadcast, cable, and streaming, 24 (five percent) are transgender, this is the same percentage as last year but is an overall decrease of eight characters. These characters appear across 19 series: five comedies and 14 dramas. Seven of these shows have been canceled or ended, meaning that at least ten characters (42 percent of all trans characters) will not be returning next season.

This year, of the 24 trans characters counted, 11 (46 percent) are trans women, five (21 percent) are trans men, and eight (33 percent) are trans nonbinary characters. This is a decrease year over year for trans women and trans men, but an increase for trans nonbinary characters. 

Nine of the trans characters (38 percent) are white, five are Black (21 percent), five are Latine (21 percent), three are multiracial (13 percent), and one is API (four percent). This is a steady percentage of white trans characters, with an increase in the percentage of Black and multiracial trans characters, but a decrease in the percentage of Latine and API trans characters. There were also no MENA or indigenous trans characters counted this year. Once again, there are no transgender characters with a disability counted. 

Of the 24 trans characters, nine (38 percent) use queer with no other label, seven (30 percent) are straight, five (21 percent) are bisexual+, and three (13 percent) were marked as undetermined sexual orientation. There were zero gay or lesbian transgender characters counted across all three platforms. Though it was exciting to see a percentage rise in queer and bisexual+ transgender characters, it is also notable gay and lesbian transgender people are a prominent part of the LGBTQ community, and their absence is one that should be remedied. 

There were only three trans characters counted on primetime scripted broadcast programming, a decrease of two characters from the previous report. The characters are office manager Jerri Rifkin on The CW’s Family Law, forensic analyst C Hemingway on FOX’s Alert: Missing Persons Unit, and scientist Ian Wright on NBC’s Quantum Leap, which has been canceled.

On scripted cable television, there are only two trans characters, both on Showtime. This is a decrease of seven characters from last report. The two characters are nonbinary financial analyst Taylor Mason on the final season of Billions, and Fatima on The Chi, a trans woman who is a journalist seeking to better her community. 

As for streaming, there are 19 trans characters on original scripted original streaming programming, a welcome increase of three characters from the previous year. Many of these characters are on shows that did not air a season during last year’s report period, such as Amazon’s With Love, Max’s Our Flag Means Death, Netflix’s Sex Education and Paramount+’s Star Trek Discovery. Though it is exciting to see these trans characters back on screen everywhere from a spaceship to a pirate ship to high school, this the final season of those series and the groundbreaking trans characters on them. Also ending this year is Max’s comedy Sort Of, one of the few shows with a trans lead (Pakistani nonbinary 20-something Sabi) and Netflix’s comedy Glamorous, whose make-up enthusiast protagonist came out as a trans woman in the series finale. Within these six shows, nine trans characters are taking their final bow, nearly half of the trans representation on streaming. 

Other highlights of trans representation on streaming include Rose Noble on Disney+’s Doctor Who, a young trans woman who is the daughter of Donna Noble, a fan-favorite companion of the Doctor. Doctor Who is a 60-year-old franchise with fans around the world, so including a young trans woman on this show is a powerful antidote to the transphobic media narratives in the UK. Yasmin Finney, who portrays Rose, also plays trans teen Elle on Netflix’s Heartstopper, who begins a romance this season and becomes friends with more queer and trans people including Naomi, another young trans woman. Netflix also continues to air The Dragon Prince, which includes trans elf Terrestrius. Other streaming series with trans characters include Back to 15, Elite, Survival of the Thickest, and a new series premiering this spring.