More Than 40 Organizations File Comment with the FCC Opposing Content Ratings for LGBTQ Characters and Stories on TV

May 22, 2026 - Advocates for Trans Equality, GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the National Women's Law Center Action Fund, and PFLAG National today filed a public comment to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on behalf of more than 40 organizations. The comment responds to a recent FCC Public Notice to consider a new rating system that would require a "warning label" before family television shows that include LGBTQ characters, stories, or themes, even in programs currently rated as appropriate for all ages. The FCC Public Notice, released on April 22, asks Americans to submit comments about whether the TV Oversight Management Board (TVOMB) should create new TV ratings to alert viewers to "transgender and gender non-binary programming" and "the discussion or promotion of gender identity themes."

The FCC set a May 22, 2026, midnight ET deadline for comments and June 22, 2026 for reply comments.

Organizations that signed the joint comment include:

Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE)

Advocates for Youth

AIDS United

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network

CenterLink: The Community of LGBTQ Centers

Clearinghouse on Women's Issues

COLAGE

Color Of Change

Committee for the First Amendment

Equality California

Equality Federation

Feminist Majority Foundation

Gender Justice

Georgia Equality

GLAAD

GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law)

Global Justice Institute

Human Rights Campaign

Immigration Equality

interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth

Japanese American Citizens League

Lambda Legal

Movement Advancement Project

National Center for LGBTQ Rights

National Hispanic Media Coalition

National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund

National LGBTQ+ Bar Association

National Women's Law Center Action Fund

NBJC

Oasis Legal Services

PEN America

PFLAG National

Planned Parenthood Action Fund

Reproductive Freedom for All

Rocky Mountain Equality

SAGE

Silver State Equality

The Center for Constitutional Rights

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

The Trevor Project

Transathlete

Transgender Law Center

United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry

*as of May 21, 2026

For information on how to file a comment to the FCC visit glaad.org/fcc.

In the joint comment, the organizations wrote:

"Together, we affirm that depictions of LGBTQI+ identities, including specifically transgender and non-binary identities, belong in our television programs. We believe that all people-including all LGBTQI+ youth-deserve to see themselves represented in the media. And we also believe that parents and guardians, not government regulators, should be the ones deciding what their children are able to watch."

It continues:

"Content warnings that specifically single out LGBTQI+ people, including transgender and non-binary people, or mentions of gender identity on screen are unnecessary, unhelpful, and discriminatory. They do not serve to inform parents or guardians; they serve to further a strategic political agenda that has targeted a minority for exclusion from public view. Requiring a content warning based solely on the identity of a character establishes a dangerous precedent, and one with a troubling historical context."

Quotes from organizers

"LGBTQ+ stories matter and deserve to be told, seen, and heard," said HRC President Kelley Robinson. "The Trump administration does not get to use the FCC to try and erase us simply because they want to pretend to live in a world where we don't exist. This is a brazen form of political interference that will hurt the ability of all people to appreciate, understand, and learn about the world and people around them."

"The FCC does not set TV ratings, but under this administration the FCC has repeatedly tried to control what Americans can see on their own televisions. This government overreach is dangerous and a threat to our community and our democracy," said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. "LGBTQ+ people and their families deserve to see their lives represented in the media they watch. And media companies must have the freedom to create programming that appeals to their viewers and subscribers without interference from a government pursuing its own anti-LGBTQ+ political agenda."

"The FCC is cloaking itself in purported concern for parents in an attempt to censor content, intimidate industry, and silence depictions of our trans siblings and neighbors," said Brian Dittmeier, director of LGBTQI+ equality at the National Women's Law Center Action Fund. "The FCC is overstepping its authority to undermine the existing ratings system, which is well understood by parents and enjoys broad public support. The FCC's presumption that it knows better does not reflect parents' priorities and reeks of government overreach."

"The FCC has given us yet another example of what 'small government' means: small enough to fit in your living room; to interrupt family movie night; small enough to make home feel unsafe," said PFLAG National Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs Diego Sanchez. "Parents and families with transgender loved ones in particular know too well how big government actions impact their families directly, because they feel those impacts before everyone else."

More About the FCC's Public Notice

On April 22, the FCC released a Public Notice asking for public comments related to the TV Oversight Management Board (TVOMB). The Public Notice questions if "transgender and gender non-binary programming" and "the discussion or promotion of "gender identity themes" should change existing TV content ratings. Among the questions put out for public comment are, "Should such programming be rated differently or contain relevant descriptions so that parents can make informed decisions?"

The TV Oversight Management Board (TVOMB) is a coalition of media companies, independent of the government, that oversees the creation and management of TV ratings that appear on broadcast, cable, and streaming programs. Established in 1998, TV ratings help inform consumers about the content in the programs they watch. In addition, the ratings are linked to a V-Chip which exists in all modern televisions. The V-Chip allows adults to block programs with specific ratings from being seen in the home.

The FCC does not directly set TV ratings, but under this administration it has repeatedly used its political leverage to pressure stations, networks, and broadcasters into self-censorship and anticipatory obedience. The United Church of Christ's Media Justice Ministry compiled evidence of a pattern where the Trump-era FCC pressured broadcasters into "voluntary" actions, in many cases successfully: In September 2025, Nexstar and Sinclair blocked Jimmy Kimmel Live! from appearing on owned and partner local TV stations after statements from the FCC. In July 2025, the FCC pressured merging companies like Verizon and T-Mobile to "voluntarily" remove DEI programs. CBS installed a "bias monitor" and cancelled Stephen Colbert's The Late Show. In April 2025, it subjected 60 Minutes news reporting to investigation and comment. In February 2025, it informed Comcast and NBCUniversal it was being investigated for its DEI policies and investigated a radio station for ICE coverage. On January 30, 2025, just ten days after Inauguration Day, the FCC launched a wide-ranging inquiry targeting NPR and PBS. Just last week the FCC issued an order directing Disney to file their broadcast license renewals ahead of schedule, tied to the government's yearlong investigation of Disney's DEI practices.

The FCC will accept reply comments on the Public Notice through June 22, 2026.

About the Human Rights Campaign:

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the nation's largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people, with 3.6 million members and supporters. The HRC Foundation (a 501(c)(3)) works to ensure LGBTQ+ people are safe, seen and supported where it matters most: at school, at work and in every community across the country. From the courtroom to the classroom, from Congress to corporate America, HRC and the HRC Foundation build power through partnerships, storytelling, and action-working to create a future rooted in equity, freedom and belonging for all LGBTQ+ people.

About GLAAD:

GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. For more information, visit www.glaad.org or connect @GLAAD on social media.

About National Women's Law Center Action Fund:

NWLC Action Fund and its sister organization, the National Women's Law Center, fight for gender justice-in the courts, in public policy, and in our society-working across the issues that are central to the lives of women and girls. We use the law in all its forms to change culture and drive solutions to the gender inequity that shapes our society and to break down the barriers that harm all of us-especially women of color, LGBTQ people, and low-income women and families. For 50 years, we have been on the leading edge of every major legal and policy victory for women.