There is a “significant gap” in 2SLGBTQIA+ representation on Canadian screens, according to a study by Toronto-headquartered media organization Pink Triangle Press (PTP).

The PTP Pink Paper, released at the Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) on Tuesday (June 11), looked at the state of 2SLGBTQIA+ representation in the film, TV and video game industries, both in the English- and French-speaking markets. Roughly 66% of the media industry professionals surveyed for the study feel that Canadian-funded content does not sufficiently support the inclusion of 2SLGBTQIA+ themes, stories and professionals.

In other key findings, an overwhelming majority (93%) of the respondents agreed that 2SLGBTQIA+ representation on Canadian screens is extremely important to them. And while 85% said the on-screen portrayal of 2SLGBTQIA+ characters has improved in the last five years, a vast majority agreed that portrayal of these characters is “superficial, stereotypical, or focused solely on trauma.”

2SLGBTQIA+ representation is also seen to be uneven, with two-spirit, trans and gender diverse characters’ identities more underrepresented than other 2SLGBTQIA+ identities, especially compared to gay men, according to the study.

“There’s a very clear narrative in this country among the execs that choose our works that the closer to heteronormativity these roles are, either in writing or in the cast, the more palatable our content is going to be to Canadian audiences, and that is a false narrative,” said Border2Border Entertainment’s Alexander Nunez during a BANFF panel discussion on the Pink Paper findings.

PTP research also found significant barriers to more authentic representation and career advancement for 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals. Key among these is the lack of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in decision-making roles, which “has immense downstream effects.”

“It’s pretty dire. I’m not sure any of the larger media companies in Canada have any representation at all and it’s not just at the board level. It’s also within the senior management teams,” a media exec interviewed during research said.

A lack of financial and career support, cautious industry executives, storytelling stereotypes and tokenization of professionals are also cited as barriers in the study.

“[One] particular network will only have queer people in B and C roles, they will not have a primary character be queer, full stop,” said Gay Agenda co-founder Michelle Mama at BANFF. “That’s what we’re being told.”

Respondents in the study also noted job security as another major area of concern, which has the added impact of limiting creativity in the opportunities 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals end up getting. More than half of film, television and streaming professionals (66%) believe that 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals have less job security. This number jumps to 73% among 2SLGBTQIA+ respondents.

The study results also point to a perception gap in the industry, with 60% of straight cisgender respondents agreeing that 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals are given equal off-screen opportunities while that number is only 19% for their 2SLGBTQIA+ counterparts.

“The difference between how 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals and their straight cisgender counterparts answer these questions reveals the systemic biases that pervade the industry. Straight cisgender respondents consistently underestimate the difficulties imposed upon 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals regarding career advancement, job security, and opportunities in the workplace,” reads the report.

The research for this report involved a survey completed by 479 professionals in the Canadian media industries and video interviews conducted with actors, screenwriters, producers, and videogame developers.

It also involved a content analysis of 22 hours of top-watched Canadian television shows — based on data from Parrot Analytics). Fourteen of the shows were in English and eight in French.

The content analysis of the shows yielded 134 speaking roles in French television and 224 speaking roles in English. It revealed French television is more likely to portray 2SLGBTQIA+ characters than English characters.

“However, this is only true for specific identities, primarily gay men,” said the report.

While 73% of the programs included 2SLGBTQIA+ characters, they held fewer than 10% of speaking roles overall. Characters identified as Black, Indigenous or persons of colour from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community represented 4% of prominent roles in English television, and 2% in French.

The study also found 2SLGBTQIA+ characters are more likely to be portrayed as one-dimensional in French television (73%) compared to English television (25%).

“There has been an explosion of queer characters recently, but our research reveals important issues and gaps, both in screen portrayals and the experience of industry workers,” said Pink Triangle Press CEO David Walberg in a statement.

Several participants in the study were of the opinion that the creation of a Queer Screen Office could potentially “open networks and promote inclusive hiring practices” and help in advocating for “meaningful representation.”

“Trans and queer trauma is very real, but let us tell those stories … we’re not safe in this world, there’s a lot that we’re navigating and I think it’s OK to tell those stories,” said actor Cassandra James, the first trans woman to hold a major daytime TV role, during the BANFF panel.

“What the real call to action is, is around letting us in the room and then letting us give you the nuanced perspective to what we’ve experienced so that it can actually be told in a way that’s meaningful, can actually have heart with it and that’s not trope-ic and damaging.”

The study recommends that decision makers and industry leaders establish mentoring programs to address perception gaps and professional barriers. It also recommends that funders and executive create “specific, quantifiable opportunities for greenlighting 2SLGBTQIA+ stories.”

The PTP Pink Paper was commissioned by Pink Triangle Press and conducted by Maru Matchbox and Signal Hill Insights research companies, and written by academic Alex Custodio. Data was collected between December 2023 and May 2024.

The project was supported by the Canada Media Fund and Telefilm Canada.

With files from Kelly Townsend

Image: Unsplash