Fans of Comedy Central's South Park have lambasted a prominent online conservative after he tweeted about what he believed to be the show's take on trans rights.Influencer Ian Miles Cheong posted a clip from Season 18, Episode 3 of South Park, titled The Cissy, in which character Eric Cartman put a bow on his head and claims to be transgender, largely to use the girl's bathroom, though it's made clear he isn't aware of what the term means. Cheong, who has expressed views opposed to trans rights, commented that they "nailed it." Users roasted Cheong for apparently taking the clip seriously, rather than as satire targeting more conservative views.
Many pushed back against Cheong for believing that Cartman -- who essentially mocked trans rights in the episode while simultaneously knowing little-to-nothing about them -- was taking the morally correct position, with several noting that Cheong missed the "entire point" of the episode.
South Park and the Larger Conversation
At the time of the episode's airing in 2014, perhaps the most high-profile and controversial transgender-related issue was that of public bathrooms. Some conservatives argued that allowing people to use the bathroom of their gender identity, even if it did not correspond to their sex assigned at birth, would lead to voyeurism, harassment, and even assault in women's bathrooms.
The debate led to at least one state, North Carolina, governed at the time by Pat McCrory, to enact the so-called "bathroom bill" into law. McCrory lost his re-election in 2016, however, and his successor, Roy Cooper, largely repealed it.
The South Park episode "The Cissy," written by series co-creator Trey Parker, was met with largely positive reception at the time of its release, with some praising its approach toward the debate surrounding transgenderism.
Full episodes of South Park are available to stream on Comedy Central and HBO Max.
Source: Twitter, South Carolina General Assembly