The Russo Test

In an attempt to quantify the presence of LGBT* characters in film, GLADD recently created a criteria, nicknamed the 'Russo Test'. While it was designed for films, it can easily be transferred to comics, books, TV series, or any other media. The criteria are as follows:The film contains a character that is identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender.That character must not be solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity. I.E. they are made up of the same sort of unique character traits commonly used to differentiate straight characters from one another.The LGBT character must be tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have a significant effect. Meaning they are not there to simply provide colorful commentary, paint urban authenticity, or (perhaps most commonly) set up a punchline. The character should matter.The criteria was applied to hundred and one top-grossing films of 2012, and the results were rather disappointing. Only thirty-one LGBT characters managed to squeeze in, including fleeting cameos and bit-part characters. It is particularly annoying to note that between all of the 'genre' films-- the catch-all for sci-fic and fantasy action flicks-- only three featured an LGBT characters. Given that these types of movies (or books) tend to have large casts, and that about 8-10% of the general population is LGBT, that's some serious underrepresentation.
I find this worth addressing for several reasons. First of all, speculative fiction in general is a big offender here, particularly urban fantasy. Bluntly, we need more queer people, more disabled people, and more people of colour showing up in Urban Fantasy City. 
Second, I care because of the harsh contrast created by the genre's fixation on the sex lives of the hetero characters. Generally, I couldn't care less about the orientations of the characters in works where no one really has time for romance, because it would just gum up the plot. And if the stories had a lack of 'out' LGBT characters due to their focus on madcap adventures, that would be awesome. However, love interests/sex interests seem to be mandatory, and if you're going to bring sexuality and sexual orientation into the mix, you'd better have some who aren't straight**. 
*Intersex, asexual and other queer folks not included, unfortunately. **I exclude characters who act on same-sex attraction for the titillation of other characters. If you don't get why this is incredibly demeaning, your name may be Laurell K. Hamilton.