NEWS

For many GLAAD (Gay & Lebsian Alliance Against Defamation) has produced an annual report detailing the number and quality of LGBT characters on major US TV networks. However it’s now decided to end the practice.

Last year was the first time that a network (Fox) was graded as excellent, which seems to have caused GLAAD to feel that the Network Responsibility Index’s job is done and that it should find new way to work to raise the quality of gay representation on television.

GLAAD CEO & President Sarah Kate Ellis commented: “The ninth edition of the NRI marks the first time in the report’s history that a major broadcast network – FOX – received an ‘Excellent’ as a grade. This milestone highlights real change across the media landscape – especially considering that the network received a ‘Failing’ grade in the NRI’s first two editions.”

She added: “GLAAD’s Network Responsibility Index has helped reshape the television landscape, inspiring LGBT characters and storylines that move acceptance forward. As representations of LGBT people in the media continue to rise in number, pushing television networks to make those representations more diverse is more crucial than ever. This requires a different set of tools than the NRI provides, and as such GLAAD will shift focus to its annual TV diversity and transgender reports.”

Instead of the Responsibility Index, the organisation will focus on its Where We Are On TV Report, which is more about the diversity of LGBT representation than the quantity.

In the last Index, both Fox and ABC Family were graded excellent, with only two networks being seen as failing, both of which were cable documentary channels – A&E and History.

It’s believed the companion Responsibility Index, which details LGBT characters on films from the main US distributors, will continue.

Over the years there have been a few gay-themed movies set in China and some were even filmed there. However, despite the fact homosexuality is legal in China, the government censors have never permitted a movie with major gay themes to be released there.

However, now for the first tim they have approved a movie that focuses on the relationship between two gay men – one Chinese and one French – Seek McCartney, directed by Wang Chao.

The Guardian reports that, ‘Chao broke the news via a post on the Chinese version of Twitter, Weibo. “This is a small step for the film department,” he said. “And a big step for the members of the film industry.”’

They add, ‘Seek McCartney is a Chinese-French co-production, with the local contribution also helping to explain why censors handed it a release spot. China allows only 34 films a year made by foreign film companies to screen at the world’s second-largest box office, as it seeks to foster interest in home-produced movies and protect them in the face of competition from Hollywood fare. Foreign films given permission to screen are rarely those with adult-orientated themes and tend to be blockbuster fantasy productions with little or no controversial content.’

Previously Chinese gay-themed films have screened in other countries, but none have ever been released domestically – including a couple that have found significant sucess on the film festival circuit. The government has complete control over what is and isn’t allowed to be legally screened in China, and even owns many of the major studios that produce homegrown movies.

Previously some minor gay content has been allowed, such as The Dead End, which featured a same-sex kiss. However mostly it has been cut out and toned down.