GLAAD President Anticipates a Pivotal Moment for the Trans Community
As GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis steps onto the Emmys stage on January 15 to accept the Television Academy’s Governors Award on behalf of the advocacy organization, her message will be succinct: there is notable progress to celebrate, yet much more work remains.
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GLAAD
The esteemed award, recognizing those who have made significant and enduring contributions to television, aligns GLAAD with previous honorees such as the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, Debbie Allen, and Tyler Perry with his Perry Foundation.
“For us at GLAAD, this is such a huge honor and a validation of our nearly 40 years of work,” says Ellis in an interview with Variety.
In its annual “Where We Are On TV” report, tracking LGBTQ representation for 25 years, GLAAD highlighted 596 LGBTQ characters (regular and recurring) across all TV platforms in 2022-2023. Ellis emphasizes the timeliness of this recognition, especially regarding LGB representation.
However, she underscores a significant gap by noting that only 32 (5.4%) of these characters were trans.
“We have seen those watershed moments (for lesbian, gay, and bisexual representation), whether it was Ellen DeGeneres coming out or ‘Will & Grace,’” Ellis says. “What we don’t have yet is a watershed moment for the trans community. I see this opportunity as a chance to speak to the academy and all the creators in the room to say that we need that moment. We need you to create and write about trans people because there were over 500 anti-LGBTQ bills proposed this past year and most are against trans people and our trans youth.”
Ellis emphasizes that 30% of Americans personally know someone who identifies as trans, leaving 70% to be educated through the media they consume.
“But what’s taking up that space in the media right now are political pundits who are talking about trans people with misinformation and in negative ways,” Ellis says. “We need Hollywood to be the antidote to that.”
In 2018, Ellis launched the GLAAD Media Institute, collaborating with Hollywood productions to ensure accurate LGBTQ representation is integrated from the project’s outset. The institute is actively engaged with about 12 productions, seeking GLAAD’s guidance.
One notable instance involved “Grey’s Anatomy,” which consulted GLAAD when introducing Casey Parker, a trans resident, in Season 14. From early discussions to casting actor Alex Blue Davis, GLAAD advised the production on making the character historically impactful.
GLAAD’s ongoing initiatives include the Black Queer Creative Summit, fostering opportunities for Black, queer creators, and the upcoming release of its first report on LGBTQ inclusion in video games, its second annual review of representation in advertising, and addressing the issue of AI.
As Ellis commemorates a decade as GLAAD president in 2024, she acknowledges frequent inquiries about her satisfaction with LGBTQ representation in media. While the activist in her desires to say “Never!”, she has a benchmark in mind.
“I will really be happy when we are in every story because we are in every family, we are in every workplace,” Ellis says. “I don’t mean that we need to be the center of every story, but I don’t know a family in America, or a workplace or a restaurant, or really anywhere in America, where there aren’t LGBTQ people.”
