How intolerant is Hollywood towards gay and transsexual people? A survey* among thousands of Hollywood actors followed this question. The result shows a doleful picture of the dream factory.

Discrimination and homophobic comments are almost on the agenda in Hollywood. A survey from the University of Los Angeles shows that more than half of the LG actors already have heard anti-gay comments. 53% of LGBT respondents believe that directors and producers are biased against
LGBT performers. The big challenge with the role search, the fear of a career crease and a prejudiced role picture turn many actor’s coming out into a difficult undertaking in Hollywood.

However, the survey shows a positive development too.

53 percent of lesbian and gay actors come out to their fellow actors. The majority generally supports LGBT people playing heterosexual and non-transgender roles. For example, 80% of respondents agreed that transgender women should be considered for roles written for women and that transgender men should be considered for roles written for men. Although the most actors are open-minded towards their LGBT fellow actors, especially the dream factory’s persons in response are those who aren’t always tolerant towards gay and transsexual people.

* M.V. Lee Badgett, Jody L. Herman: ‘Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Diversity in Entertainment: Experiences and Perspectives of SAG-AFTRA’