ISSUES
: Sexuality and Gender
Chapter 3: LGBTQ+ issues
35
The Vito Russo Test
T
aking inspiration from the
Bechdel Test, which examines
the way female characters
are portrayed and situated within
a narrative, GLAAD developed its
own set of criteria to analyse how
LGBT characters are included
within a film. The Vito Russo Test
takes its name from celebrated
film historian and GLAAD co-
founder Vito Russo, whose book
The Celluloid Closet
remains a
foundational analysis of LGBT
portrayals in Hollywood film. These
criteria can help guide filmmakers
to create more multidimensional
characters, while also providing a
barometer for representation on a
wide scale. This test represents a
standard GLAAD would like to see
a greater number of mainstream
Hollywood films reach in the future.
To pass the Vito Russo Test, the
following must be true:
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The film contains a character
that is identifiably lesbian, gay,
bisexual and/or transgender.
Ö
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That character must not be
solely or predominantly defined
by their sexual orientation or
gender identity, i.e. they are
made up of the same sort
of unique character traits
commonly used to differentiate
straight characters from one
another.
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The LGBT character must be
tied into the plot in such a way
that their removal would have
a significant effect. Meaning
they are not there to simply
provide colourful commentary,
paint urban authenticity, or
(perhaps most commonly) set
up a punchline. The character
should ‘matter’.
Less than half (seven) of the 17
major studio films GLAAD counted
LGBT characters in managed to
pass the Vito Russo Test this year,
compared to six out of 14 inclusive
films released in 2012. Clearly there
is a lot of room for improvement in
Hollywood film. With this annual
report, GLAAD will continue to
track the industry’s progress.
Additional
recommendations
Seeing more films pass the Vito
Russo Test would be a great start,
but as several of the films GLAAD
tracked in 2013 prove, passing
that test in no way guarantees a
film won’t also be problematic or
offensive in its portrayal of LGBT
people. Here are some additional
recommendations GLAAD has for
Hollywood film to both improve
depictions of LGBT people and stop
repeating the same defamatory
mistakes.
Genre films like comic-book
adaptations and action franchises
are the areas where Hollywood
film studios seem to commit
the majority of their capital and
promotional resources nowadays,
but LGBT characters are still rarely
seen in them. Especially given their
global popularity, these films must
become more diverse and inclusive.
None of the LGBT characters that
GLAAD counted in 2013 releases
are considered ‘lead’ characters,
and there were only a few that had
substantial supporting roles. In fact,
many of these appearances were no
more than a few seconds long, or just
enough time to get to a punchline.
As is still often said of Hollywood’s
treatment of other marginalised
groups, there need to be more
substantial LGBT roles in film.
Diversity in LGBT images continues
to be an issue in nearly all forms
of media, and film is no different.
Not only should there be a greater
number of substantial LGBT roles,
those characters should be more
gender-balanced, racially diverse
and from many backgrounds.
There were no transgender
characters in the 2012 releases
GLAAD tracked, but the two found
in the 2013 releases were hardly
an improvement. One was a trans
woman very briefly depicted in a jail
cell, while the other was an outright
defamatorydepiction includedpurely
to give the audience something
to laugh at. Media representation
of transgender people has long
remained decades behind that of
gay and lesbian people, and images
like these continue to marginalise
the community. However, recent
media attention around trans issues
and people like actress Laverne
Cox demonstrates that times are
changing, and Hollywood should as
well.
Anti-gay slurs are less common in
film now than they were 20 years
ago, but they are by no means
extinct, and some are still used by
characters the audience is meant to
be rooting for. Perhaps even more
prevalent are anti-transgender slurs,
which in 2013 were used by main
characters in films like
Anchor Man
2
and
Identity Thief
for no reason
other than to make a joke. With few
exceptions, these words should be
left on the cutting room floor.
The results: 20th Century Fox,
Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures,
Sony Columbia Pictures, Universal
Pictures, Walt Disney Studios,
Warner Brothers.
2015
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The above information has
been reprinted with kind
permission from the Gay
and Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation (GLAAD). Please
visit
for further
information.
© GLAAD 2016
