On Wednesday night, “fag” was the word of the night on “South Park,” and GLAAD — the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation — isn’t laughing.
The November 4 episode featured rampant use of the anti-gay slurs “fag” and “faggot” as Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny attempted to drive a local biker gang out of town.
In the broadcast, the gang rallies their Colorado town to use the slur to refer to “annoying and inconsiderate” riders of Harley Davidson motorcycles. Local gays initially take offense to the boys’ use of the word, then get on board with the re-branding after noting the word is “never going to disappear, [it’s] simply too much fun to say.”
“Though this seems to represent a well-intentioned effort by the creators of South Park to delegitimize a vulgar anti-gay slur, the fact is that the word is and remains a hateful slur that is often part of the harassment, bullying and violence that gay people, and gay youth in particular, experience on a daily basis in this country,” GLAAD said in a statement Thursday.
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A clip from the episode can be watched here:
GLAAD officials said they recognized that the episode was attempting to “use edgy humor to provide commentary on current issues,” but added, “despite what the ‘South Park’ writers may believe, the definition of the F-word remains one that is harmful and derogatory to the LGBT community.”
In a statement, Comedy Central responded:
“South Park” is famous for tackling controversial subject matter in thoughtful and hilarious ways. This particular episode of the show has been both criticized and applauded within the gay and lesbian community. With all of that in mind, we will let this “South Park” episode speak for itself.
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