Twitter Chat: How well does Hollywood handle LGBTQ characters and issues?

When it comes to LGBTQ representation, Hollywood often draws criticism.

Mark Segal, LGBTQ activist and founder of the “Philadelphia Gay News,” recently reviewed the newly-released “Stonewall” movie, directed by Roland Emmerich. In his review, Segal blasted the movie for its failure to accurately portray the riots that marked the beginning of the modern LGBTQ rights movement:

I’m not sure who “Stonewall” was made for. It wasn’t made for young LGBT people seeking good LGBT history, nor for a community who wishes to see its history portrayed with dignity and respect, and without perpetuating stereotypes and old myths.

Segal wasn’t alone in his opinion. Negative reviews flooded the Internet, and “Stonewall” tanked at the box office in its opening weekend.

A recent study by USC showed that “across 4,610 speaking characters in the 100 top films of 2014, only 19 were Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual. Not one Transgender character was portrayed.”

In our next #NewsHourChats, we’ll ask some of the questions raised by this issue: Should we be taking efforts to encourage LGBTQ diversity in Hollywood? What are some common mistakes Hollywood makes in portraying LGBTQ people? What are some ways a push for LGBTQ diversity can result in tokenization?

On Thursday, we held a Twitter chat to discuss these issues with Segal (@PhilaGayNews); Drama Desk-nominated writer/performer and creator of “Every Single Word” YouTube series Dylan Marron (@dylanmarron); Senior Staff Writer at Mic.com Jamilah King (@jamilahking); Senior Editor of AutoStraddle Heather Hogan (@hhoagie); and PBS NewsHour Art Beat Reporter/Producer Corinne Segal (@newshourartbeat). See below for a recap of the chat.

Editor’s note: This post’s headline was updated to better reflect the wide range of criticism and reactions to Hollywood’s representation of LGBTQ characters and issues.