But the episode did not sit easy with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, an advocacy group that monitors issues of gender identity and sexual orientation in the media. In a news release issued on Thursday night, the group asks for Comedy Central and the “South Park” staff to apologize for what it calls a “slur-filled episode.”
In a statement, GLAAD officials said they recognized that the episode was attempting to “use edgy humor to provide commentary on current issues.” They added: “Yet 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.”
The statement, which does not use the word directly, says that the epithet “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. It is an epithet that has real consequences for real people’s lives.”
It continues:
The creators of “South Park” are right on one important point: more and more people are using the F-word as an all-purpose insult. However, it is irresponsible and wrong to suggest that it is a benign insult or that promoting its use has no consequences for those who are the targets of anti-gay bullying and violence. This is a slur whose meaning remains rooted in homophobia. And while many “South Park” viewers will understand the sophisticated satire and critique in last night’s episode, others won’t – and if even a small number of those take from this a message that using the “F-word” is OK, it worsens the hostile climate that many in our community continue to face.