The majority of non-LGBTQ+ gamers don't care if a main character is trans, according to GLAAD Gaming's debut report

Gaming IndustryThe majority of non-LGBTQ+ gamers don’t care if a main character is trans, according to GLAAD Gaming’s debut reportWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Respawn Entertainment / EA)

Concept art for Catalyst, an Apex Legends character with ink-like darkness powers.

Founded in 1985 during the AIDS epidemic, GLAAD targeted defamatory coverage and was able to shift the editorial policy of The New York Times. Since then, it’s become one of the largest non-profit LGBTQ+ advocacy organisations in the world, advocating for proper representation across several forms of different media including film, advertising, and social media initiatives.

Its foray into gaming has been more recent. Originating from the GLAAD Media Institute (created in 2018), the organisation has collaborated with several studios, most recently Respawn Entertainment—who worked with GLAAD on thecanonically-trans character Catalyst in Apex Legends.

In a full report shared with PC Gamer (and released shortly before publication), GLAAD has continued to further its advocacy in the gaming industry. Developed alongside information, data and market measurement firmNielsen, its first report has turned up some interesting finds.

LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately gaming (and for longer, too)

While thefull reporthas a lot more in the way of details, one in particular drew my eye. According to GLAAD, 17%—nearly 1 in 5—of gamers are LGBTQ+, which is a 7% increase from a previousNielsen reportin 2020. The report makes note of aGallup Surveywhich estimated that around 7.2% of US adults “identified as LGBT”.

(Image credit: GLAAD Gaming report, 2024.)

An image from GLAAD Gaming’s first major report, which found that 1 in 5 gamers are LGBTQ+.

Taking that data at face-value, LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately gaming—1 in 10 compared to 1 in 5. However, GLAAD’s survey sample features gamers between the ages of 13 and 55, while Gallup’s survey targets US adults over the age of 18. In the same Gallup survey, it found that a far larger 19.7% of adults between ages 18 and 25 “identified as LGBT”.

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LGBTQ+ gamers showed a preference for single-player or co-op games as opposed to competitive multiplayer games such as League of Legends or Fortnite. In single player games, 52% of respondents were LGBTQ+ while 43% weren’t, while competitive multiplayer games skewed towards non-LGBTQ+ players (28% were, 34% weren’t).

(Image credit: GLAAD Gaming Report (2024))

An image from the GLAAD Gaming Report, measuring the proportion of LGBTQ players that play single-player games.

While it’s important not to jump to conclusions regarding raw data, it’s hard not to see a pattern between this and the survey’s reports of harassment in online games. 52% of LGBTQ+ players said they’d been harassed while playing online, compared to 38% of non-LGBTQ+ players. They’re also less likely to feel comfortable using voice chat, and less likely to feel as if the gaming community is welcome to them.

Most non-LGBT gamers don’t mind trans characters

(Image credit: GLAAD Gaming Report (2024))

An image from the GLAAD Gaming report which shows that most players don’t care if a main character is trasngender.

I’ve spoken pretty highly of the study so far—and I still think it’s a fascinating landmark. However, there are some later points that I’m not so sure about. For example, GLAAD’s study cites that it identified “games on the major PC and console distribution platforms that are publicly tagged or listed as having LGBTQ content” to establish “a baseline against which future industry efforts can be measured.”

The study states: “These games account for less than 2% of Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo’s total digital libraries. For Steam, it is less than 2.5%, but drops to just 1.7% when adult-only games are excluded.” However—at least from my personal observations—games on Steam are typically only tagged as being “LGBTQ+” when queerness forms an important part of the narrative.

While I don’t think the comparison is unfair—and queer rep in games certainly has room to improve—I do think the report neglects to mention how vital being able to inhabit a custom LGBTQ+ character is for a lot of queer players.

Baldur’s Gate 3, for example, allows you to have a gay romance with any one of its characters, select non-binary pronouns, and play as a trans character (both pronouns and genitalia are not locked to your character’s body type). Unless I’ve misunderstood, under GLAAD’s definition Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t a game that “has LGBTQ content”—which doesn’t strike me as entirely fair.

While there is a discussion to be had there about whether a ‘playersexual’ companion still counts as representation, Astarion is attracted to the same gender as a baseline, having dated, slept with, and potentially even loved men explicitly in his backstory.

Regardless of my own personal nitpicks, the survey itself marks not only a great step forward but a useful resource to help us contextualise what’s actually going on in the industry—I’d rather wrestle with data rather than controversies and tired talking points, and I’m keen to see what conversations come up as a result.

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LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately gaming (and for longer, too)#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

Most non-LGBT gamers don’t mind trans characters#

LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately gaming (and for longer, too)

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Most non-LGBT gamers don’t mind trans characters