Presence vs. Representation
The Portrayal of LGBTQ+ Communities in Movies
First, let’s imagine we are part of the transgender community...
Among the 50 most popular movies with LGBTQ+ elements released in the last decade*, can you find the movies that include our community as part of the main plot?
Hover over the matrix to reveal answers.
*Popularity based on the number of IMDb reviews
*LGBTQ+ elements are defined as any LGBTQ+ characters or scenes
Did you find it? There's only one.
"Dallas Buyers Club" is the only movie that has a significant transgender character among the top 50 movies with LGBTQ+ elements. The character was played by a straight male actor.
Looking at LGBTQ+ representation in the history of movie production, we are making progress, albeit imperfect...
“The Moral Guidelines”
The Hays Code, effective from 1934 to 1968, placed a series of censorship guidelines on movie production. Homosexuality was considered not acceptable.
A Milestone in Queer Cinema
“The Boys in the Band”, centers on a gay friend group, is among the first major American motion pictures to revolve around gay characters.
Starring Tom Hanks
A-list actor Tom Hanks won an Oscar for his portrayal of a gay lawyer in “Philadelphia”. The performance and the fame of Hanks helped broaden the understanding of AIDS.
Into the Mainstream
Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” was a huge commercial success and won three Oscars, proving to Hollywood that LGBTQ+ stories had a place outside of strictly independent filmmaking.
Intersectional Representation
“Moonlight”, the Best Picture winner at the 2017 Academy Awards, was one big step toward making gay cinema that isn’t whitewashed and features a range of identities.
Content quoted from A history of LGBTQ+ representation in film by Abby Monteil
According to IMDb, in the last decade, about 150–200 movies with LGBTQ+ elements were released every year...
However, the majority of them only have LGBTQ+ characters that are peripheral...
Nonetheless, LGBTQ+ characters are more visible than ever in movies...
...but is visibility enough?
What are the ways to measure LGBTQ+ representation in movies?
We envisioned the Rainbow Bechdel Tests.
However, even for LGBTQ+ movies that have passed the Rainbow Bechdel Tests, their characters and plots can be stereotypical...
The top 50 LGBTQ+ focused movies* released in the last decade have a few common themes.
Hover over the rainbow colored nodes to highlight relationships.
*Popularity based on the number of IMDb reviews
*”LGBTQ+ focused” is defined as LGBTQ+ characters or plots are the focuses of the movie.
Our recommendations to the movie industry for the decades to come...
Including LGBTQ+ communities in movies shouldn't just be tokenism. The quantity of LGBTQ+ characters is never the best indication of true representation.
As with everybody else, the LGBTQ+ communities are just people – they are diverse, unique, and full of stories. Movies should portray people for who they are...and not who we want them to be.
