South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have been accused of transphobia after mocking trans athletes in the show’s latest episode.
The 23rd season’s seventh episode focused on the character Strong Woman, who can be seen entering a Strongwoman Competition alongside a new character named Heather Swanson.
Swanson bears a striking resemblance to late wrestler Randy Savage, who died in 2011 and, when asked why they’re competing, she says she only started identifying as a female a few weeks ago in order to compete.
“I’m not here to talk about my transition, I’m here to kick some f***ing ass,” she says, before winning the competition.
It’s revealed at the end of the episode that this character is actually an ex-boyfriend of Strong Woman, who he wants to beat in revenge for a bad break-up.
Transgender world track cycling champion Rachel McKinnon criticised the episode on Twitter, calling it “lazy” and “transphobic”.
“I’m not particularly mad about the South Park episode,” she said. “Yes it’s transphobic. Yes it’s lazy. Yes it contributes to harm to trans women and girls. But they’re lazy and increasingly irrelevant. F***, Futurama made the same stupid storyline in 2003. Transphobes don’t have new jokes.”
She added: ”South Park has been deeply transphobic the *entire time.* This isn’t their first explicitly transphobic story line. It won’t be their last. Stone and Parker are transphobes. Write them off. Ignore their lazy show.”
In 2018, McKinnon became the first trans athlete to win a track world title at the women’s World Masters Track Cycling Championship in California.
