LGBTQ-inclusive movies that passed the Vito Russo Test U.S. 2022

The Vito Russo Test is a method developed by GLAAD to analyze how LGBTQ characters are included in a film. The criteria are as follows; the films contains an identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer character, who is neither solely not predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition, the character must matter in some way to the plot, and the character's story must not be outwardly offensive. In GLAAD's analysis of films from the years 2012 to 2022, the year with the greatest share of films that passed the Vito Russo Test was 2020 with 90 percent of LGBTQ-inclusive films that were analyzed passing the test. However in 2022, 77 percent of films that were analyzed passed the test.

Share of LGBTQ-inclusive movies that passed the Vito Russo Test in the United States from 2012 to 2022

Characteristic	Share of films
2022	77%
2021	56%
2020	90%
2019	73%
2018	65%
2017	64%
2016	39%
2015	36%
2014	55%
2013	41%
2012	43%

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Release date

September 2023

More information

Region

United States

Survey time period

2012 to 2022

Supplementary notes

This statistic is based on a report by GLAAD which centered its analysis on U.S. theatrically released films to evaluate the quality and quantity of LGBTQ representation The source adds the following information: "For a film to pass the Vito Russo Test, the following must be true:
1) The film contains a character that is identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer.
2) That character must not be solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity (i.e. they are comprised of the same sort of unique character traits commonly used to differentiate straight/cisgender characters from one another).
3) The LGBTQ character must be tied to the plot in such a way that the character’s removal would have a significant effect, meaning the character is not there to simply provide colorful commentary, paint urban authenticity, or set up a punchline. The character must matter.
4) The LGBTQ character’s story must not be outwardly offensive (avoids defaulting to well-known tropes or stereotypes with no further development). In films with multiple LGBTQ characters, at least one character must pass this point for the film to pass the test."

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