We might be tempted to think that Hollywood today is an accepting place, what with the number of LGBT story lines we’ve seen popping up in recent years and the number of out actors that are currently big names in our favorite TV programs. However, new research by the UCLA’s Williams Institute finds that Hollywood can still be an unfriendly place for LGBT professionals.
The study, which saw researchers take responses from 5,700 SAG-AFTRA members both LGBT and straight identifying, builds on previous research in this area and is being hailed as one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind.
The research found that more than half (53 percent) of LGBT respondents in the survey believed that directors and producers don’t want to hire LGBT performers, while just over a third of non-LGBT respondents reported the same sense of bias. In addition to this, about 31 percent of all respondents said they believe casting directors might be biased against LGBT performers.
In terms of getting into the industry, there are also significant barriers. For instance, LGBT respondents are less likely than heterosexuals to have an agent, and LGBT performers feel that because of this they are at a disadvantage when they are trying for work. What’s more, the study found that while LGB performers are able to get jobs that are comparable to those straight actors are getting, they appear to receive lower daily wages than their heterosexual peers, further putting pressure on them in what is already a difficult profession in which to succeed.
The survey also found that when it comes to LGB actors, most respondents believed LGBs are just as marketable in straight romantic roles as their heterosexual counterparts. At the same time, however, about 45 percent of lesbian and gay respondents believed that producers and studio executives think lesbian and gay performers are less marketable. About 27 percent of bisexual performers and 15 percent of heterosexual respondents said the same.
In excess of half of LGB performers reported having heard directors and producers make anti-gay comments about actors, with a fifth of lesbian and gay performers saying they have heard casting directors making comments about their sexual orientation or gender expression. In addition, more than half of LGBT performers say they have heard anti-LGBT comments on set, and over a third say they have seen disrespectful treatment, something that has also been noticed by non-LGBT performers. Discrimination was reportedly particularly acute for gender nonconforming performers, and also performers who had publicly acknowledged their LGB identity. Around 13 percent of non-LGBT performers said they had also heard or seen discrimination directed at LGBT performers.
Examples of that discrimination are highlighted in the study, and include:
“I’ve seen gay men read for straight roles and when they left the room, the casting director indicated that they would not be taken seriously in the straight role because they were gay.”
“A friend almost cast a transgender actress and then found out and reconsidered because there would be a kiss with an actor and he did not know how the actor would feel.”
“A transgender person …[was] told not to use the changing room to change in, but given no alternative except the bathroom to change in. Most people from background to crew members treated them like an outcast.”
In terms of playing an LGB character, most actors thought it had no impact on their careers, but about a quarter of LGB actors said they believed playing LGB had an impact on their getting future roles.
All that said, 72 percent of respondents said they believed being out had no lasting effect on their careers, and many believed that other LGBT performers should also come out. The study also showed that, based on a similar report from last year, it appears that the situation has not worsened for LGBT performers and in some regards has slightly improved.
So, despite the negatives in this study, the researchers believe that there are some signs of progress. Also, they believe this research will help with identifying these problems and for Hollywood to recognize and address these issues.
“Although our industry is heading in the right direction, there is clearly work left to do as certain attitudes and behaviors persist and continue to put pressure on actors to stay in the closet,” says Traci Godfrey and Jason Stuart, national co-chairs of the SAG-AFTRA LGBT Committee. “We are confident that this unprecedented study will have profound ramifications for the entertainment industry as a whole. By utilizing the data it contains as it reflects the realities performers face, we can identify the obstacles to equal employment opportunities and full inclusion.”
The study also of course emphasizes that while being out and open about LGBT identity can make life potentially more difficult for performers, it need not necessarily be a barrier to success and could, in the long run, help the profession move toward a more accepting climate all round. So does Hollywood still have a problem with homophobia? It appears so, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t changing — however slow that change might be. –Source: Care 2
The study, which saw researchers take responses from 5,700 SAG-AFTRA members both LGBT and straight identifying, builds on previous research in this area and is being hailed as one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind.
The research found that more than half (53 percent) of LGBT respondents in the survey believed that directors and producers don’t want to hire LGBT performers, while just over a third of non-LGBT respondents reported the same sense of bias. In addition to this, about 31 percent of all respondents said they believe casting directors might be biased against LGBT performers.
In terms of getting into the industry, there are also significant barriers. For instance, LGBT respondents are less likely than heterosexuals to have an agent, and LGBT performers feel that because of this they are at a disadvantage when they are trying for work. What’s more, the study found that while LGB performers are able to get jobs that are comparable to those straight actors are getting, they appear to receive lower daily wages than their heterosexual peers, further putting pressure on them in what is already a difficult profession in which to succeed.
The survey also found that when it comes to LGB actors, most respondents believed LGBs are just as marketable in straight romantic roles as their heterosexual counterparts. At the same time, however, about 45 percent of lesbian and gay respondents believed that producers and studio executives think lesbian and gay performers are less marketable. About 27 percent of bisexual performers and 15 percent of heterosexual respondents said the same.
In excess of half of LGB performers reported having heard directors and producers make anti-gay comments about actors, with a fifth of lesbian and gay performers saying they have heard casting directors making comments about their sexual orientation or gender expression. In addition, more than half of LGBT performers say they have heard anti-LGBT comments on set, and over a third say they have seen disrespectful treatment, something that has also been noticed by non-LGBT performers. Discrimination was reportedly particularly acute for gender nonconforming performers, and also performers who had publicly acknowledged their LGB identity. Around 13 percent of non-LGBT performers said they had also heard or seen discrimination directed at LGBT performers.
Examples of that discrimination are highlighted in the study, and include:
“I’ve seen gay men read for straight roles and when they left the room, the casting director indicated that they would not be taken seriously in the straight role because they were gay.”
“A friend almost cast a transgender actress and then found out and reconsidered because there would be a kiss with an actor and he did not know how the actor would feel.”
“A transgender person …[was] told not to use the changing room to change in, but given no alternative except the bathroom to change in. Most people from background to crew members treated them like an outcast.”
In terms of playing an LGB character, most actors thought it had no impact on their careers, but about a quarter of LGB actors said they believed playing LGB had an impact on their getting future roles.
All that said, 72 percent of respondents said they believed being out had no lasting effect on their careers, and many believed that other LGBT performers should also come out. The study also showed that, based on a similar report from last year, it appears that the situation has not worsened for LGBT performers and in some regards has slightly improved.
So, despite the negatives in this study, the researchers believe that there are some signs of progress. Also, they believe this research will help with identifying these problems and for Hollywood to recognize and address these issues.
“Although our industry is heading in the right direction, there is clearly work left to do as certain attitudes and behaviors persist and continue to put pressure on actors to stay in the closet,” says Traci Godfrey and Jason Stuart, national co-chairs of the SAG-AFTRA LGBT Committee. “We are confident that this unprecedented study will have profound ramifications for the entertainment industry as a whole. By utilizing the data it contains as it reflects the realities performers face, we can identify the obstacles to equal employment opportunities and full inclusion.”
The study also of course emphasizes that while being out and open about LGBT identity can make life potentially more difficult for performers, it need not necessarily be a barrier to success and could, in the long run, help the profession move toward a more accepting climate all round. So does Hollywood still have a problem with homophobia? It appears so, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t changing — however slow that change might be. –Source: Care 2
No comments:
Post a Comment