The Business GLAAD CEO discusses LGBTQ inclusivity in film; Disney and Universal sue over AI plagiarism
Jun 20, 2025
Sarah Kate Ellis, the President and CEO of GLAAD, champions LGBTQ inclusivity in media. She reveals insights on GLAAD's 2025 Studio Responsibility Index, which scrutinizes Hollywood's LGBTQ representation. Ellis discusses the alarming decline in visibility for queer stories amid political pressures and the rise of mid-budget films as potential safe havens for diverse narratives. She shares her optimism about changing attitudes, including a surprising shift in the Catholic Church's perspective on LGBTQ issues, and comments on the ongoing legal tussles over AI and copyright.
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Studios Sue AI for Plagiarism
- Disney and Universal sued AI startup MidJourney for allegedly plagiarizing their characters and creating unauthorized videos.
- They acted now because MidJourney plans to launch video generation using copyrighted images, which studios view as crossing a legal line.
Hollywood Backslides on LGBTQ Inclusion
- Hollywood is backsliding on LGBTQ representation for the second year, especially impacting minority stories.
- Mid-budget films show promise as opportunities for queer storytelling despite industry financial pressures.
LGBTQ Characters Have Minimal Impact
- Only 24% of films included LGBTQ characters, and many had minimal screen time.
- Representation of LGBTQ people of color decreased significantly by 10% year over year.