Transgender representation on American television has plummeted to near-zero levels, according to the 21st annual "Where We Are on TV" study released November 12, 2026, by the media advocacy organization GLAAD. Tracking scripted primetime broadcast, cable, and streaming series that premiered between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026, the report identified just seven transgender characters out of 369 total LGBTQ+ characters. That figure represents a 79% drop from the 33 transgender characters counted in the previous season, and none of the seven characters will return for the 2026–2027 television cycle.

The steep decline in transgender depictions coincides with a broader contraction in inclusive programming across Hollywood. Overall LGBTQ+ representation dropped by 25% year-over-year, falling by 120 characters from the 489 recorded in the prior study, according to PinkNews. Even as networks and streamers scale back these roles, transgender actors report a severe freeze in auditions, studio bookings, and sustainable career opportunities.

A Breakdown of the Vanishing Roles

Of the seven transgender characters tracked during the 2025–2026 television season, six were transgender women and one was a transgender man, making up just 2% of all LGBTQ+ characters on screen.

The downturn follows a steady multi-year retreat from the 2021–2022 season, when GLAAD recorded a high of 42 transgender characters.

While GLAAD's primary release emphasizes that zero tracked transgender characters will return next season, secondary coverage provides specific context on how show formats and cancellations drove this complete turnover. According to TheWrap and Gayety, three of the characters were featured on series that have since been canceled or concluded their runs: The CW's Family Law (featuring broadcast television's sole transgender character, Jerri Rifkin), Community Squad, and Squid Game. The remaining four characters appeared on Netflix limited series—Wayward, The Dead Girls, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, and Unspeakable Sins—which by design do not return for subsequent seasons.

Platform distribution data analyzed by Gayety shows that six of the seven transgender characters appeared on streaming services, one appeared on broadcast, and zero were present on cable.

Additionally, while GLAAD's release focuses on the character count, reporting by The Guardian and Gayety highlights that two of the six transgender women characters—those in Squid Game and The Dead Girls—were portrayed by cisgender men. The study explicitly criticized this casting practice, noting that placing cisgender men in transgender female roles reinforces harmful stereotypes.

Noticeably, nonbinary representation moved in the opposite direction. Under GLAAD's tracking methodology, nonbinary characters are only added to the transgender tally if they explicitly identify as transgender on screen. Separate from the seven transgender roles, the study counted 16 nonbinary characters, up 33% from 12 in the previous year.

Broader Declines Across Broadcast, Cable, and Streaming

The contraction in transgender roles reflects a wider pullback across the television landscape. According to The Advocate, the 369 total LGBTQ+ characters counted in 2025–2026 represent roughly half of the 637 queer and transgender characters recorded just four years prior.

Furthermore, 38% (141) of the 369 characters will not return next season due to show cancellations, series finales, limited-series formats, or character exits, affecting programs such as Hacks, Boots, and Brilliant Minds.

Streaming platforms continue to host the vast majority of inclusive programming, accounting for 276 LGBTQ+ characters, or 75% of the total count. However, streamers also executed the deepest cuts, shedding 96 LGBTQ+ roles from the 372 counted the previous year. Netflix led all streaming platforms with 116 LGBTQ+ characters across 58 series (down from 177), followed by Prime Video with 68, Hulu with 24, Apple TV with 22, HBO Max with 17, Paramount+ with 15, Peacock with 12, and Disney+ with two.

Linear television experienced historic lows. Cable representation dropped by 17 roles to 47 characters, marking a 16-year low, led by HBO with 15 characters and Starz with 10.

Broadcast networks dropped by seven roles to 46 characters—a 12-year low—with ABC counting 16, Fox counting 10, CBS counting nine, The CW counting six, and NBC counting five.

Intersectionality metrics also worsened. Only 44% (161) of all tracked LGBTQ+ characters were people of color, down from 51% the prior season and falling below GLAAD's industry benchmark of 50% to set an eight-year low. The report also documented zero characters living with HIV across the entire television season, down from nine in 2021.

Transgender Actors Face an Industry Freeze

Behind the statistical drop is a stark employment crisis for working transgender and nonbinary performers. Speaking with The Guardian, several prominent actors detailed how quickly industry momentum evaporated following a brief period of visibility.

Actress Trace Lysette, who earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination at the start of 2024 for her lead role in the drama Monica following turns in Transparent and Hustlers, expected her critical acclaim to lead to series regular offers on television.

Instead, offers dried up completely. Lysette estimated she has auditioned for only about seven roles in 2026, with zero auditions since the end of spring, calling the sudden professional halt "a full-on ego death" that depleted her financial savings.

Vico Ortiz, a transmasculine, nonbinary actor known for playing Jim Jimenez on the HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death, described a similar industry-wide contraction, noting that peers who were once consistently booked are "getting dropped like flies." Ortiz added that the few major network or studio auditions available over the past two years have been restricted to cisgender, femme-leaning roles. For many performers, the lack of work directly threatens their access to Screen Actors Guild health insurance and gender-affirming healthcare.

In late September 2026, Atypical star Jack Haven posted a public video on YouTube pleading for $4,000 in production work just to meet the earnings threshold required to qualify for union health insurance for the upcoming calendar year.

Commercial Hits Contradict Executive Caution

Industry analysts and advocacy leaders attribute the programming retreat in part to corporate risk aversion amid heightened political rhetoric targeting transgender Americans. Nick Adams, Vice President of the GLAAD Media Institute, stated that television executives are turning away from authentic transgender storytelling at the exact moment local, state, and federal politicians are advancing policies that target the community's civil rights.

Yet Raina Deerwater, GLAAD's Associate Director of Entertainment Research and Analysis, told TheWrap that recent midterm election results—in which conservative candidates campaigning heavily on anti-transgender advertisements suffered major losses—demonstrate that the American public is fatigued by culture-war rhetoric.

Deerwater urged cisgender, straight executives in positions of studio authority to actively back transgender creators.

GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis emphasized that cutting queer and transgender narratives is a "bad business decision" that ignores proven viewer appetite, particularly among Gen Z audiences. The report highlighted several commercial breakouts from the 2025–2026 window that relied on inclusive storytelling:

  • Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO Max): Following two closeted queer ice hockey players, the show became HBO Max's most-watched acquired scripted series in platform history, peaking at 52 times the average audience demand.
  • The Hunting Wives (Netflix): The queer-inclusive mystery drama doubled its viewership in its second week on the service, topped the Netflix charts, and secured renewals for both a second and third season.
  • Stranger Things and Hazbin Hotel: Ranked as the two most in-demand LGBTQ-inclusive series during the research period, generating 174 times and 73 times average demand, respectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does GLAAD define and track characters for the report?

GLAAD's "Where We Are on TV" study tracks scripted primetime series across broadcast networks, cable networks, and streaming services that premiered a season between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026. Nonbinary characters are counted separately from transgender characters unless the character explicitly identifies as transgender onscreen. The forecast for returning characters only evaluates shows already on the air during the tracking window and does not account for unannounced series or upcoming debuts.

Why are zero transgender characters returning for the 2026–2027 season?

All seven transgender characters counted in the 2025–2026 window appeared on programs that will not produce another season with those roles. Three characters were on series that were either canceled or concluded their runs (Family Law, Community Squad, and Squid Game), while the other four appeared in standalone Netflix limited series (Wayward, The Dead Girls, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, and Unspeakable Sins).

Sources