GLAAD’s Visibility Project, a new campaign launched in May 2021 with P&G to grow LGBTQ inclusion in advertising, tracked ads that aired during Super Bowl LVI. Among them, only four ads from Google, T-Mobile, NBC, and Peacock feature LGBTQ people, of which none include any explicit LGBTQ storytelling. Additionally, Vrbo aired a “pre-game” ad which features LGBTQ people. However, it did not air during the actual program. 

GLAAD calls on brands, corporations, and advertising agencies to take notice of the near invisibility of meaningful inclusion of LGBTQ stories, people, and issues featured in ads that aired during Super Bowl LVI.

​​​​Check out the LGBTQ-inclusive ads that aired during Super Bowl LVI below:

Google, featuring a LGBTQ couple:

T-Mobile, featuring out superstar Miley Cyrus:

NBC, featuring out comedians Kate McKinnon and Bowen Yang: 

Peacock, featuring out actors Kate McKinnon and John Cameron Mitchell:

Vrbo, featuring an LGBTQ couple

Despite the near invisibility of LGBTQ people in this year’s crop of ads, strides were made on the field and during the opening ceremony. Before the start of the game, out tennis legend and LGBTQ champion Billie Jean King was prominently featured in a segment about Title IX and the importance of equality in sports, stating: “It’s hard to understand inclusion until you’ve been excluded.” King also threw the coin toss at Super Bowl LVI.

On the field, the Los Angeles Rams made history by having five openly gay cheerleaders on the sidelines during Super Bowl LVI, as reported by Outsports. Actress Sandra Mae Frank wore a Progress Pride pin while performing the National Anthem with country artist Mickey Guyton and “America the Beautiful” with R&B singer Jhene Aiko in American Sign Language on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf.

Maureen Raisch, a trans artist and NFL employee, designed the logo for this year’s Super Bowl.

“GLAAD research shows that audiences look favorably towards brands with LGBTQ-inclusive advertising, yet ad makers are ignoring the data and instead keeping LGBTQ people out of the narrative,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “Major cultural events like the Super Bowl are incredible opportunities to increase LGBTQ visibility in the world of professional sports and in culture at large, especially at a time when proposed bills around the country target LGBTQ people in unprecedented numbers. The time is now for brands to step up and show they truly support our community by meaningfully spotlighting LGBTQ people and stories, not just during Pride Month but year-round, especially on advertising’s biggest night.”

Contrary to this year’s slate of ads, Super Bowl ad lineups in previous years have been more LGBTQ-inclusive. In 2020, there were at least-eleven LGBTQ-inclusive ads from Amazon Alexa, Budweiser, Doritos, HGTV, Microsoft, Olay, Pop Tarts, Sabra, Tide, TurboTax, and Under Armour that aired during Super Bowl LIV. In 2021, at least four LGBTQ-inclusive ads from M&M’s, Michelob ULTRA, Logitech, and Paramount + aired during Super Bowl LV. However, despite the visibility of LGBTQ people within these ads, very few are representative of LGBTQ stories and voices in a meaningful and inclusive way.

On Thursday, GLAAD and the National Football League (NFL) hosted ‘A Night of Pride,’ sponsored by Pepsi Stronger Together, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood California. The evening featured a performance by Big Freedia as well as panel discussions on advances in LGBTQ inclusion in sports and advertising, as well as the NFL’s commitment to LGBTQ players and fans. Guests included out NFL players and Legends including Ryan O’Callaghan, R.K. Russell, and Jeff Rohrer as well as LGBTQ leaders and allies including Alyssa Milano, Anthony Bowens, August Getty, Big Freedia, Braunwyn Windham-Burke, Jai Rodriguez, Jari Jones, Jeka Jane, Joey Zauzig, Justin Sylvester, Kent Boyd, LZ Granderson, Mollee Grey, Peter Porte, Philemon Chambers, Sonya DeVille, Victoria Brito, Cyd Zeigler, and Pamela Stewart, Chair of GLAAD’s Board of Directors. More information and pictures from the event can be found here.

In 2021, GLAAD launched the Visibility Project, a new campaign in partnership with P&G to drive and to sustain LGBTQ inclusion in ads and marketing. Despite the fact that 1 in 6 Generation Z adults identifiy as part of the LGBTQ community, a 2020 study by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media found only 1.8% of characters in ads from the annual Cannes Lions festival were LGBTQ. With the Visibility Project, P&G and GLAAD are bringing together the world’s top brands and ad agencies working to advance LGBTQ inclusion in ads, creating and providing tools, techniques and resources for industry executives, and harnessing the power of advertising to accelerate LGBTQ acceptance.

GLAAD’s research showcases both positive audience reception to LGBTQ inclusion in ads, as well as a growing willingness from brands to include LGBTQ people in ads. In conjunction with the launch of the Visibility Project, GLAAD & P&G released findings from “LGBTQ Inclusion in Advertising and Media, Advertiser and Agency Perspectives” Study, which showed that marketing and ad executives are more concerned about the risks of inauthentic representation and response from the LGBTQ community than with a public backlash for including LGBTQ people. Read the full study here. In May 2020, GLAAD released the findings from its first study with P&G called the “LGBTQ Inclusion in Advertising and Media” study. The study details how non-LGBTQ Americans respond to TV, films, and ads featuring LGBTQ representation. Results demonstrated high comfortability around viewing LGBTQ images in the media, favorability towards brands with LGBTQ-inclusive advertising, and that inclusive media images lead to greater acceptance and understanding. Read the full study here.