the immediate threat of trump's 2nd term
One thing is certain: Supporting and consuming queer media is more crucial than ever!!
“With experts forecasting that Trump is planning to take a pro-M&A approach during this second term, one can expect all kinds of different combinations for new media conglomerates in the Hollywood landscape — which [historically] comes at the cost of taking fewer risks, including fewer voices, and betting solely on tentpole intellectual property (IP) that is guaranteed to bring back financial returns.”
crisis calls from lgbtq+ youth spike by 700 percent after election day
“I think a lot of folks feel if they live in a so-called blue state, they’re safe from whatever impact a second Trump administration can have, and that’s just not true,” said Leslie Cooper, deputy director of the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project
RISING ANTI-LGBTQIA+ & ANTI-DRAG LEGISLATION
According to the ACLU, the annual number of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills have nearly doubled in less than a year with 238 bills introduced in the first three months of 2022 to a total of 532 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills as of November 2024. Anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation has skyrocketed over the past several years, from 41 in 2018, with most bills targeting the drag and trans community.
As of March 5, 2023, according to Time Magazine, Tennessee became the first state to ban Drag Shows for minors with similar bills introduced in 11 additional states. Since then, as of June 2024, Howard Brown Health reported that Gender-Affirming Care Bans are up 150%, “Don’t Say Gay” Bills up 130%, and Anti-Trans Sports and Bathroom Bills up 165%.
Lack of Funding & Representation
Women and LGBTQIA+ filmmakers struggle daily to find opportunities, fair wages, and financial investment in Entertainment. In their 2022 study, Women In Film LA found that “...on average, men-owned production companies receive over SEVEN-TIMES the amount of funding that women-owned production companies receive.”
According to the August 2023 Annenberg Inclusion Initiative USC Inequality report - the largest, most rigorous, and comprehensive analysis of identity in popular movies focusing on representation on camera and behind across the 100 top-grossing fictional films from 2007 to 2022 - concludes that “Film continues to minimize and marginalize the stories of the LGBTQ+ community—and change is needed…the image of the LGBTQ community in popular film is one that— when not defaulting to invisibility—continues to advance a portrait of White, male, adult characters. The spectrum of voices affiliated with the LGBTQ community continues to be left out of top films”. The study shows that, “In 2022, 72 of the 100 top films did not feature even one LGBTQ+ speaking or named character on screen. 84 films were missing LGBTQ+ girls/women. Across the 100 top movies of 2022, only 1 speaking character was coded as gender non-binary. More than 40% of the LGBTQ+ characters (41.4%) appeared in speaking roles that were inconsequential to the story”.
Additionally, the report found, “The percentage of girls and women on screen has not changed since 2008 (32.8%). Clearly, the activism and industry advocacy has failed.” It goes on to undercover that, “In 2022, a meager 16.3% (of screenwriters) were women (while) 83.7% were men”. The report reveals that “ …fewer than 10% of directors were women in 2022” and urges the need for more women behind camera to ensure that the access and opportunity afforded to women in the industry continues to increase in order to create essential, meaningful long-term change.
