FOX, the network that brought you Empire and Glee, has just reached an important milestone in the The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s Network Responsibility Index, a system which rates each major television network by how well the LGBT community is represented in its line-up. FOX is the first broadcast network in America to ever receive an “excellent” rating, and its programming has come a long way in the nine years the index has been in existence. (In 2006, FOX received a failing score.)


According to The Hollywood Reporter, FOX’s score from GLAAD came with the statement that it was clear to the organization that the network had intentionally worked to make its programming more inclusive. And considering how many people watch FOX, the network’s also likely responsible for making at least a few people think about LGBT individuals in a more favorable way.

Not to be outdone, ABC Family also received high honors, earning the highest score of the networks surveyed for the index.


From The Hollywood Reporter:

GLAAD said ABC Family posted the highest-ever percentage of LGBT-inclusive programming for any network in the NRI surveys at 74 percent of its original programming. GLAAD also gave “good” grades to ABC, The CW, FX, HBO, MTV, Showtime, “adequate” grades to CBS, NBC, TLC, TNT, USA, and “failing grades to A&E and History.

Now that LGBT characters are more adequately represented in mainstream television, GLAAD will focus on making sure that diversity is more prevalent among television characters on major networks.

Contact the author at mark.shrayber@jezebel.com .