“While it is heartening to see progress being made in LGBTQ representation on television, it’s important to remember that numbers are only part of the story, and we must continue the push for more diverse and intricate portrayals of the LGBTQ community,” GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement.

GLAAD said some TV characters and storylines still portrayed the LGBT community in a negative or stereotypical way, but noted that television was far ahead of movies in terms of representation.

One area of disappointment for GLAAD was the high number of lesbian characters being killed off. The report said more than 25 lesbian and bisexual female-identifying characters have died on scripted TV and streaming series since the beginning of 2016 - most of them violently - a move it said “sends a dangerous message to audiences that LGBTQ people are secondary and disposable.”

GLAAD said it was looking forward to upcoming shows “Doubt,” starring transgender actress Laverne Cox as a lawyer, and LGBTQ inclusive series like “American Housewife,” “Designated Survivor,” “Conviction,” and the miniseries “When We Rise” which will chronicle the history of the gay and lesbian movement.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)