Spoiler alert: This article includes spoilers for "The 100," "The Walking Dead," "Jane the Virgin" and "The Magicians."

It's no surprise that there is a lack of LGBT characters in television (and the media, in general). A recent study by GLAAD found that straight characters make up 96 percent of the characters on TV.

There is an obvious problem with the lack of representation, but the even larger problem is the treatment of those LGBT characters. Over the span of a few weeks, a number of lesbian/bisexual female characters have been killed off for little to no reason. It started with the CW's "Jane the Virgin" with the murder of Rose (Bridget Regan). Next came the heart-wrenching death of Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) on the CW's "The 100," right after an emotional scene with another female character.

There was also the death of Kira on Syfy's "The Magicians," and then the end of Denise (Merritt Wever) on AMC's "The Walking Dead." A number of other LGBT characters were killed off on other shows on different networks, also. Why are these deaths a problem, though? What makes these any different than the straight characters who have been killed off recently?Out of the scripted shows airing on the CW, six shows featured a total of 13 different lesbian/bisexual characters. Since their introduction, seven of those characters have been killed (though one was "resurrected" after fan response).

These incidents follow the TV trope "Bury Your Gays" in which LGBT characters are sacrificed to help the leading heterosexual (because obviously they're straight) character continue on in their story. It is one thing, though, to kill these characters, but it is another to lessen their entire legacy with the way they die.

In "The 100," a commander of 12 armies, was killed by a stray bullet in her own home. It was understandable that Lexa needed to be written off the show (Alycia Debnam-Carey recently joined the cast of "Fear the Walking Dead"), but the way in which the writers did it was almost meaningless. There was no greater reasoning. Her death had no meaning. It was a move done for shock value.

In "The Walking Dead," Denise got shot through the eye with a crossbow bolt. Surprisingly, that story line was originally written for a straight male character. The show did everything it could to make sure Denise was killed instead. More so, her death had very little to do with her, as a character, and did not do much to satisfy her character arc.

Killing LGBT characters deserves more thought than what will make the audience gasp. It shouldn't be an "easy move" for script writers. LGBT characters already have such minimal representation; they deserve more than being killed off to support the main heterosexual characters.

What's worse, not being on TV at all or being killed off within a handful of episodes? That's a difficult question to answer, but one that LGBT characters shouldn't have to.