Arts & Entertainment
GLAAD TV report shows LGBT characters more likely to be white, gay males
gay white males are more likely to be represented on the small screen
(Screenshot via YouTube.)
LGBT characters on TV are becoming closer to the norm but odds are they are white, according to the latest study released from GLAAD.
GLAAD’s “Where We Are on TV” diversity report shows that TV has made advances in LGBT inclusion with more LGBT characters appearing on shows than ever before.
According to the report, 58 of the 901 regular characters on broadcast TV series identify as LGBT. There are also 28 reoccurring LGBT-identifying characters. The CW tops the list with 11 percent with FOX (10 percent), NBC (5.3 percent), ABC (5 percent) and CBS (4.2 percent) following behind. Gay men are the most represented on broadcast TV with 47 percent.
Cable TV increased from 92 to 103 LGBT series regulars with Freeform coming in first at 25 and Showtime coming in second at 21.
Streaming shows have also improved with Netflix, Hulu and Amazon including 51 LGBT regular characters and 19 recurring characters. This is a jump of five characters from their 2016 report.
17 regular and recurring transgender characters were found on broadcast, cable and streaming with nine trans women, four trans men and four non-binary (including Taylor from Showtime’s “Billions). This is the first time GLAAD has been able to include non-binary characters in its study.
Another first for GLAAD was being able to include asexual characters in its report. GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis acknowledged the shift saying “while these identities have been depicted on screen before, those characters were often relegated to one-off episodes, which did not allow for nuanced exploration.”
Cable and streaming count one asexual character each for Raphael on Freeform’s “Shadowhunters” and Todd on Netflix’s “BoJack Horseman.” GLAAD notes that while Jughead is asexual in the Archie Comics he is not being portrayed as such on CW’s “Riverdale.” The organization says it “would like to see the series address this moving forward, as the ace community remains nearly invisible in media.”
While sexuality representation is at a high, gender and racial diversity is still lagging behind.
GLAAD found that the LGBT characters on TV are mainly white with 77 percent on streaming, 62 percent on broadcast and 64 percent on cable. 55 percent of characters on streaming are also male and cis-gender.
The study does highlight achievements in gender and racial diversity like Freeform’s inclusion of a Muslim lesbian character on “The Bold Type,”
“As LGBTQ acceptance in government and the broader American culture reverses course, television is a critical home for LGBTQ stories and representation matters more than ever,” Ellis said in a statement. “At a time when the Trump administration is trying to render LGBTQ people invisible, representing LGBTQ people in all of our diversity in scripted TV programs is an essential counterbalance that gives LGBTQ people stories to relate to and moves the broader public to support LGBTQ people and families.”
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(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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