South Park has been well known for consistently raising eyebrows thanks to its many satirical takes on taboo and controversial subject matter. Creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have been labelled as “transphobic” by many viewers after portraying trans athletes in a negative light.

The episode sees South Park Elementary school’s vice-principal Strong Woman (yes, that’s her name) in the town’s annual “Strong Woman Competition” — where participants showcase their athletic abilities and compete for a trophy.

She is faced with an extremely masculine challenger named Heather Swanson — who supposedly began identifying as a trans woman “just two weeks” prior. The character was inspired by Randy Savage, as Swanson bears a physical and audible likeness to the late-professional wrestler. In the episode, Swanson was even introduced by news anchor David Perry as “not exactly the average trans athlete,” suggesting that she was merely pretending to be a trans woman in order to win the competition. “I’m not here to talk about my transition, I’m here to kick some f**king a**,” Swanson says to Perry after being asked about her identification.

Woman and Swanson then go head-to-head in the contest. Swanson ultimately wins with ease and claims the trophy, raising suspicion, among the other contestants, of her true identity.

In our real world back in 2018, Veronica Ivy, formerly known as Rachel McKinnon became the first transgender world track cycling champion by placing first at the UCI Women’s Masters Track World Championship for the women's 35–44 age bracket.

Some in the sports world expressed their belief that her birth sex gave her an unfair advantage. American cyclist Jennifer Wagner, who finished third (bronze), said Ivy’s birth sex gave her physiological advantages. The second-place (silver-medal) winner, Dutch athlete Caroline van Herrikhuyzen, supported Ivy. Ivy argued that there was no evidence that being born male gave an advantage in the race and that she had lost to Wagner in the past. British columnist Katie Hopkins wrote "The world is gripped by a febrile madness". Tennis player Martina Navratilova said that allowing people born male to compete in women's sports was "insane" and "cheating". Ivy criticized Navrátilová's comments as "transphobic."

Thoughts?