It's probably safe to assume that Hollywood is one of the most gay-friendly industries in the U.S., with many openly gay actors like Neil Patrick Harris and shows like "Modern Family" and "Glee" with gay characters.
But according to a new survey of 5,700 entertainment industry workers, Hollywood may not be so progressive, the entertainment news site Deadline reported.
Over half of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender respondents "believed that directors and producers are biased against LGBT performers," reads the study conducted by LGBT think-tank Williams Institute at the University of California Los Angeles.
Over half also said they have heard directors use gay slurs about actors. Gay men were the mostly likely to report being discriminated against, while both gays and lesbians said they were rejected from a role because of their sexual orientation.
All respondents are members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
"A director told me to recast a role after he found out the lead was a gay male," reads one first-hand account from a respondent, according to the survey.
"People referred to the [transgender] performer as "tranny" and made references to using prostitution to pay for the procedures, all behind the performer's back," reads another.
An overwhelming 72 percent of respondents said "coming out" about their sexuality did not boost their careers.
"Director/writer fired me four weeks into rehearsal stating I wasn't 'masculine' enough for the role as he'd conceived it, though this note had not been stated before," one respondent wrote.
"And this was shortly after I had come out (not come on) to him."
Traci Godfrey and Jason Stuart, co-chairs of the SAG-AFTRA LGBT Committee, said they hope the study, the first of its kind, leads to groundbreaking advances when it comes to equal employment in the entertainment industry.
