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Who's missing in Hollywood?

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 28: An Oscar statue backstage at the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on February 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 28: An Oscar statue backstage at the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on February 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
By Christian Bryant
Sept 11, 2016

The #OscarsSoWhite controversy highlighted issues of representation in Hollywood by pointing out who is seen on camera most often.

So, who is it we aren't seeing?

A recent study from the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism examined the 100 top-grossing films of 2015.

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The study points out "an epidemic of invisibility" among six groups: women, black people, Hispanics and Latinos, Asians, members of the LGBTQ community and people with disabilities.

While all of these groups were underrepresented, there were a few demographics that almost weren't seen at all.

Eighty-two of the top-grossing movies of 2015 didn't feature an LGBTQ person.

Of the 18 films that did feature an LGBTQ person, there was one transgender character with a speaking role -- an improvement from 2014.

There weren't any LGBTQ people with disabilities depicted on film in 2015.

The study reaffirms the idea that representation in Hollywood is lacking and that the film industry looks largely the same: mostly white, male, straight and able-bodied.

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Christian Bryant

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