Gay men are from Mars and lesbians are from Venus when it comes to picking their favorite TV show

Contact: Jeffrey S. Garber, President

OpusComm Group, Inc.

(315) 637-2018

www.glcensus.org

New Study Reveals: Out vs. Outrageous, Gay TV Viewers Weigh In

Nearly 70% of lesbians watch “The L Word”

Almost 50% of viewers pick “Ellen” as their favorite performer

Over 95% find “Six Feet Under” as the most accurate gay portrayal

Syracuse, New York – February 7, 2005 Gay men are from Mars and lesbians are from Venus when it comes to picking their favorite TV. Men gravitate toward shows featuring guys: Queer as Folk and Will & Grace; women go for “chick” shows: The L Word and The Ellen Show.

While 32% of women say The L Word is their favorite show, .5% of men do. And Queer as Folk was the favorite of 26% of the men, but 10.2% of the women. Overall, 69.9% of women watch The L Word, compared to 22.4% of men, according to a new online study conducted Dec. 10-15 by GLCensus Partners, a research partnership between OpusComm Group and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

No matter what show they did pick, many of the 2,149 GLBT respondents are ambivalent about their image in the medium.

Case in point: Jack McFarland. The flamboyant, over-the-top character from Will & Grace was the No. 1 pick for both “most favorite” and “negative portrayal.” The show was a top five favorite for both men and women, but with reservations.

“I enjoy Will & Grace despite the fact that it is one long series of gay jokes,” said one respondent. “If Jack were a monogamous homebody like me, there would be no ratings and no show,” said another. One respondent summed it up: “Although Jack on Will & Grace portrays the worst of the stereotype of gay men, he is still the funniest of all the gay TV characters. Though I despise the stereotype, I love his comedic talents. Go figure.”

Those mixed emotions also are manifested in the fact that 47% of respondents couldn’t pick their least favorite show that featured either a GLBT character or GLBT participant in a leading role.

“This leads me to believe that the GLBT respondents are partial to GLBT shows in general, but that they also are concerned with how they are being portrayed,” said Jeff Garber, president of OpusComm Group. “Early on, they were just happy to be included. Now they want what they believe to be a fair representation.”

Glennda Testone media director of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) agrees. "It's clear that gay and lesbian viewers are expecting a more sophisticated approach to media images of our lives – and this research bears that out," said Testone. "We need to see more stories where our experiences with relationships, family and sexuality combine to create three-dimensional characters that reflect the everyday reality of who we are."

Respondents echoed that feeling: “It would be great to see gay characters in the leading roles on prime time channels ... Something where the relationship of the main characters is treated just like any other normal relationship.” Also: “Television has come along way with its portrayal of gays and lesbians in our culture but still has a long way to go … we are still the ‘funny character’ on shows.”

The level of consciousness is not the same across the board. Said one respondent: “I'm just so happy that mainstream TV is finally starting to depict real gay characters. I have struggled for years with feeling like I can't relate to characters, like I don't belong. This new trend has gotten me interested in TV again.”

The survey did show that there was one thing all the respondents – men and women – could agree on. When asked: Who is your favorite GLBT participant who has a recurring role on a reality TV show or talk show? The overwhelming favorite was Ellen DeGeneres of The Ellen Show. Overall, 49.9% picked Ellen, 70% among women and 38.7% of men.

“There’s Ellen and then there is everyone else, mostly the Queer Eye guys,” said professor Amy Falkner of Syracuse University, lead researcher. “Perhaps it’s the history here with Ellen, her coming out on national television. GLBT people feel a connection with her and her struggles.”

Both the characters of Ben Brucker and Michael Novotny from Queer as Folk take the No. 2 and 3 spots on the most positive male portrayal, but don’t make the top five in the most favorite category. Ben and Michael portray a couple.

“Perhaps relationships earn respect from the male GLBT audience,” said Garber, “but they might not be as interesting to watch as ‘wild singles.’”

Queer As Folk (26%), Will & Grace (24.1%) and Six Feet Under (19.9%) were the men’s favorite TV show featuring either a GLBT character or a GLBT participant, while The L Word (32%), The Ellen Show (18.7%) and Queer as Folk and ER (10.2% each) were the women’s choices.

The most watched show among the GLBT respondents was Will & Grace; Degrassi was the least watched show; Six Feet Under was the most accurate show; and Reno 911! was the least accurate show.

“This is not that surprising given that Will & Grace is on broadcast TV and Degrassi targets a very niche, younger audience,” said Falkner. “But the accuracy ratings are interesting, as only 11% said they thought Will & Grace was very accurate, which comparatively is a very low percentage. Six Feet Under’s showing is impressive – 95.2% said they thought it was at least somewhat accurate. ER and The L Word are the next closest in the high 80 percentiles. Since Reno is intended as a spoof on Comedy Central, it does very poorly in accuracy. But such low accuracy ratings – 81% said it was at least somewhat inaccurate – are a bit of a wonder why GLBT people would watch it at all.”

Other results:

Favorite leading female GLBT character on a fictional television show. No. 1 was Kerry Weaver of ER, played by Laura Innes: 22.2% overall, 24.4% among women, 21.1% among men. Men favored Melanie Marcus of Queer as Folk, played by Michelle Clunie, and Lindsay Peterson, also of Queer as Folk, played by Thea Gill. After Kerry Weaver, lesbians divided their favorites among the women of The L Word: Alice Pieszeck, played by Leisha Hailey, and Shane McCutcheon, played by Katherine Moenning, were the favorites. They were followed by Bette Porter, played by Jennifer Beals, and Marina Ferrer, played by Katrina Lombard. Leisha Hailey is the only self-identified bisexual character on The L Word and the only out real-life lesbian on the show.
Bad boys: Although Jack McFarland of Will & Grace made the top of the negative portrayal list at 30.2%, close on his heels was the bed-hopping Brian of Queer as Folk with 30%. Women thought Brian worst (32.6%) than the men (29%).
Hate her, wouldn’t want to date her: No contest for the women: the sometimes-with-men-sometimes-with-women Jenny Schecter of The L Word, played by Mia Kirshner, was the female TV character portrayed most negatively, with 37.2%.
Favorite GLBT reality show contestant: The men (12.8%) carried Rob Williams of Manhunt: The Search for America’s Most Gorgeous Male Model to the top of the pack (8.3% overall). The women put Ami Cusack of Survivor: Vanuatu in second place (6.7% overall) by picking her as their top choice (15.3%).
Unreal: A whopping 53.9% said they did not watch any of the reality TV shows on the survey: American Candidate, Amish in the City, Big Brother 5, Manhunt: The Search for America’s Most Gorgeous Male Model, Road Rules Battle of the Sexes 2, Road Rules X-treme, Survivor: Vanuatu, The Benefactor, The Biggest Loser, The Complex: Malibu and The Real World: Philadelphia. The reality shows listed in the survey were only those that featured a GLBT participant.
Favorite Queer Eye guy? Depends if you’re asking a lesbian or a gay man. Lesbians like the sharp-tongue Carson, while gay men like pretty-boy Kyan. But lots of GLBT viewers like them all. Said one: “The Queer Eye boys, oddly enough, in their fun-loving way do come across as being true to themselves.”
Little commonality: GLBT viewing habits are different than the general TV audience. The top five shows for GLBT viewers: Will & Grace, Queer as Folk, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Six Feet Under and CSI. The five top shows for general TV viewers (Nielsen top shows Dec. 13-19): Desperate Housewives, CSI- Miami, CSI – Scene Investigation, 60 Minutes and The Apprentice 2.
Where are the women? “The lack of women’s names on these lists, especially the reality shows, is disturbing,” said one respondent. “Television needs realistic portrayals of lesbians. Our invisibility is unacceptable.”
And GLBT of color? “Where are the characters I can relate to: queer, non-white, middle-of-the-road, non-gym obsessed, quirky, intelligent, complex, working class? Oh, that’s right … it won’t sell.”
Revolutionary idea: “I would like more the roles of GLBT characters to actually be played by GLBT actors.”

The GLCensus Partners is a partnership between the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and advertising and public relations firm OpusComm Group, Inc., which specializes in consultation of sensitivity issues and market plan development for all types of advertisers to target the GLBT community.

For further information and to review a full summary of the “Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Census”, contact Jeffrey Garber, president of OpusComm Group at jeff@opuscommgroup.com (315) 637-2018 or visit www.glcensus.org.

# # #

IMPORTANT NOTICE: ALL INFORMATION IS TO BE ACCREDITED TO:

GLCensus Partners (www.glcensus.org) Study - A Syracuse University and OpusComm Group research partnership

The world leader in GLBT consumer research includes:

- The S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University (www.syracuse.edu) - One of the world’s leading academic and research institutions in the field of communications.

- OpusComm Group (www.opuscommgroup.com) - Innovative Advertising, Marketing, Communication, Research and Public Relations experts on the Gay/Lesbian market.


		Contact: Jeffrey S. Garber, President OpusComm Group, Inc. Jeff@opuscommgroup.com (315) 637-2018 www.opuscommgroup.com www.glcensus.org New Study Reveals: Out vs. Outrageous, Gay TV Viewers Weigh In Nearly 70% of lesbians watch “The L Word” Almost 50% of viewers pick “Ellen” as their favorite performer Over 95% find “Six Feet Under” as the most accurate gay portrayal Syracuse, New York – February 7, 2005 Gay men are from Mars and lesbians are from Venus when it comes to picking their favorite TV. Men gravitate toward shows featuring guys: Queer as Folk and Will & Grace; women go for “chick” shows: The L Word and The Ellen Show. While 32% of women say The L Word is their favorite show, .5% of men do. And Queer as Folk was the favorite of 26% of the men, but 10.2% of the women. Overall, 69.9% of women watch The L Word, compared to 22.4% of men, according to a new online study conducted Dec. 10-15 by GLCensus Partners, a research partnership between OpusComm Group and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. No matter what show they did pick, many of the 2,149 GLBT respondents are ambivalent about their image in the medium. Case in point: Jack McFarland. The flamboyant, over-the-top character from Will & Grace was the No. 1 pick for both “most favorite” and “negative portrayal.” The show was a top five favorite for both men and women, but with reservations. “I enjoy Will & Grace despite the fact that it is one long series of gay jokes,” said one respondent. “If Jack were a monogamous homebody like me, there would be no ratings and no show,” said another. One respondent summed it up: “Although Jack on Will & Grace portrays the worst of the stereotype of gay men, he is still the funniest of all the gay TV characters. Though I despise the stereotype, I love his comedic talents. Go figure.” Those mixed emotions also are manifested in the fact that 47% of respondents couldn’t pick their least favorite show that featured either a GLBT character or GLBT participant in a leading role. “This leads me to believe that the GLBT respondents are partial to GLBT shows in general, but that they also are concerned with how they are being portrayed,” said Jeff Garber, president of OpusComm Group. “Early on, they were just happy to be included. Now they want what they believe to be a fair representation.” Glennda Testone media director of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) agrees. "It's clear that gay and lesbian viewers are expecting a more sophisticated approach to media images of our lives – and this research bears that out," said Testone. "We need to see more stories where our experiences with relationships, family and sexuality combine to create three-dimensional characters that reflect the everyday reality of who we are." Respondents echoed that feeling: “It would be great to see gay characters in the leading roles on prime time channels ... Something where the relationship of the main characters is treated just like any other normal relationship.” Also: “Television has come along way with its portrayal of gays and lesbians in our culture but still has a long way to go … we are still the ‘funny character’ on shows.” The level of consciousness is not the same across the board. Said one respondent: “I'm just so happy that mainstream TV is finally starting to depict real gay characters. I have struggled for years with feeling like I can't relate to characters, like I don't belong. This new trend has gotten me interested in TV again.” The survey did show that there was one thing all the respondents – men and women – could agree on. When asked: Who is your favorite GLBT participant who has a recurring role on a reality TV show or talk show? The overwhelming favorite was Ellen DeGeneres of The Ellen Show. Overall, 49.9% picked Ellen, 70% among women and 38.7% of men. “There’s Ellen and then there is everyone else, mostly the Queer Eye guys,” said professor Amy Falkner of Syracuse University, lead researcher. “Perhaps it’s the history here with Ellen, her coming out on national television. GLBT people feel a connection with her and her struggles.” Both the characters of Ben Brucker and Michael Novotny from Queer as Folk take the No. 2 and 3 spots on the most positive male portrayal, but don’t make the top five in the most favorite category. Ben and Michael portray a couple. “Perhaps relationships earn respect from the male GLBT audience,” said Garber, “but they might not be as interesting to watch as ‘wild singles.’” Queer As Folk (26%), Will & Grace (24.1%) and Six Feet Under (19.9%) were the men’s favorite TV show featuring either a GLBT character or a GLBT participant, while The L Word (32%), The Ellen Show (18.7%) and Queer as Folk and ER (10.2% each) were the women’s choices. The most watched show among the GLBT respondents was Will & Grace; Degrassi was the least watched show; Six Feet Under was the most accurate show; and Reno 911! was the least accurate show. “This is not that surprising given that Will & Grace is on broadcast TV and Degrassi targets a very niche, younger audience,” said Falkner. “But the accuracy ratings are interesting, as only 11% said they thought Will & Grace was very accurate, which comparatively is a very low percentage. Six Feet Under’s showing is impressive – 95.2% said they thought it was at least somewhat accurate. ER and The L Word are the next closest in the high 80 percentiles. Since Reno is intended as a spoof on Comedy Central, it does very poorly in accuracy. But such low accuracy ratings – 81% said it was at least somewhat inaccurate – are a bit of a wonder why GLBT people would watch it at all.” Other results: Favorite leading female GLBT character on a fictional television show. No. 1 was Kerry Weaver of ER, played by Laura Innes: 22.2% overall, 24.4% among women, 21.1% among men. Men favored Melanie Marcus of Queer as Folk, played by Michelle Clunie, and Lindsay Peterson, also of Queer as Folk, played by Thea Gill. After Kerry Weaver, lesbians divided their favorites among the women of The L Word: Alice Pieszeck, played by Leisha Hailey, and Shane McCutcheon, played by Katherine Moenning, were the favorites. They were followed by Bette Porter, played by Jennifer Beals, and Marina Ferrer, played by Katrina Lombard. Leisha Hailey is the only self-identified bisexual character on The L Word and the only out real-life lesbian on the show. Bad boys: Although Jack McFarland of Will & Grace made the top of the negative portrayal list at 30.2%, close on his heels was the bed-hopping Brian of Queer as Folk with 30%. Women thought Brian worst (32.6%) than the men (29%). Hate her, wouldn’t want to date her: No contest for the women: the sometimes-with-men-sometimes-with-women Jenny Schecter of The L Word, played by Mia Kirshner, was the female TV character portrayed most negatively, with 37.2%. Favorite GLBT reality show contestant: The men (12.8%) carried Rob Williams of Manhunt: The Search for America’s Most Gorgeous Male Model to the top of the pack (8.3% overall). The women put Ami Cusack of Survivor: Vanuatu in second place (6.7% overall) by picking her as their top choice (15.3%). Unreal: A whopping 53.9% said they did not watch any of the reality TV shows on the survey: American Candidate, Amish in the City, Big Brother 5, Manhunt: The Search for America’s Most Gorgeous Male Model, Road Rules Battle of the Sexes 2, Road Rules X-treme, Survivor: Vanuatu, The Benefactor, The Biggest Loser, The Complex: Malibu and The Real World: Philadelphia. The reality shows listed in the survey were only those that featured a GLBT participant. Favorite Queer Eye guy? Depends if you’re asking a lesbian or a gay man. Lesbians like the sharp-tongue Carson, while gay men like pretty-boy Kyan. But lots of GLBT viewers like them all. Said one: “The Queer Eye boys, oddly enough, in their fun-loving way do come across as being true to themselves.” Little commonality: GLBT viewing habits are different than the general TV audience. The top five shows for GLBT viewers: Will & Grace, Queer as Folk, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Six Feet Under and CSI. The five top shows for general TV viewers (Nielsen top shows Dec. 13-19): Desperate Housewives, CSI- Miami, CSI – Scene Investigation, 60 Minutes and The Apprentice 2. Where are the women? “The lack of women’s names on these lists, especially the reality shows, is disturbing,” said one respondent. “Television needs realistic portrayals of lesbians. Our invisibility is unacceptable.” And GLBT of color? “Where are the characters I can relate to: queer, non-white, middle-of-the-road, non-gym obsessed, quirky, intelligent, complex, working class? Oh, that’s right … it won’t sell.” Revolutionary idea: “I would like more the roles of GLBT characters to actually be played by GLBT actors.” The GLCensus Partners is a partnership between the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and advertising and public relations firm OpusComm Group, Inc., which specializes in consultation of sensitivity issues and market plan development for all types of advertisers to target the GLBT community. For further information and to review a full summary of the “Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Census”, contact Jeffrey Garber, president of OpusComm Group at jeff@opuscommgroup.com (315) 637-2018 or visit www.glcensus.org. # # # IMPORTANT NOTICE: ALL INFORMATION IS TO BE ACCREDITED TO: GLCensus Partners (www.glcensus.org) Study - A Syracuse University and OpusComm Group research partnership The world leader in GLBT consumer research includes: - The S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University (www.syracuse.edu) - One of the world’s leading academic and research institutions in the field of communications. - OpusComm Group (www.opuscommgroup.com) - Innovative Advertising, Marketing, Communication, Research and Public Relations experts on the Gay/Lesbian market.