More Than Half LGBT Believe Hollywood Discriminates Against them
More than half of gay actors in Hollywood believe film-makers are biased against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) performers,according to a new study (pdf).
The report from the Williams Institute, a thinktank on gay issues at UCLA, also found that more than 50% of respondents had heard directors and producers make anti-gay comments about actors. A third of gay respondents said they had witnessed disrespectful treatment of LGBT performers on set, while one in eight non-LGBT performers had seen gay actors treated poorly.
While 53% of lesbian and gay actors were “out” to all or most of their fellow actors, the report found that only 36% had revealed to agents they were gay, and only 13% had told industry executives. One-fifth of gay male respondents and 13% of lesbians said they had experienced discrimination in the work environment.
“We found that LGBT performers may have substantial barriers to overcome in their search for jobs,” said the authors of the study, the UCLA academics MV Lee Badgett, and Jody L Herman. However, 72% of gay or lesbian performers who had openly disclosed their sexuality said it had not affected their careers and would encourage others to do the same.
The report, conducted in autumn 2012 and funded by the Screen Actors Guild producers industry advancement and cooperative fund, is based on interviews with 5,700 members of the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. It was due to be presented formally on Thursday night at union meetings in New York and Los Angeles. Deadline first reported details of the study.
Other reports have found that women and Latinos are likewise underrepresented in Hollywood. A 2013 report commissioned by the Sundance film festival suggested that female directors are struggling in mainstream Hollywood despite appearing in greater numbers in the field of independent film. In July this year, another study revealed that 75% of employees on blockbuster film sets are male. A month later, a report found that Hollywood is failing to depict the increasing ethnic diversity of the US – specifically Latinos and African Americans – on the big screen.
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