Family Guy - 'Thanksgiving' Transsexual Ida BBC Three

[Ice Maiden]

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Family Guy
'Thanksgiving'
17/06
BBC THREE

Lois cooks a Thanksgiving meal and invites the crew over for dinner. Joe is shocked when his formerly MIA son returns from Iraq and Quagmires father now transsexual parent also takes part.

We know now from this episode last series viewtopic.php?f=16&t=388 That although suffers from man many problems, this cartoon has got a transsexual character.

There are no sacred cows in Family Guy, they even made a joke about dead soldiers in Iraq!

On the one hand there is a transsexual character, she is passable, she is not as abused as Peters daughter Meg, she has returned from a past episode - rare. It is visibility even if it is at the cost of humiliation.
On the other hand, they have cast a trans character because they can then abuse them to their face. It also suggests they are running out of ideas. This usually happens when transpeople turn up - Sky's Hit & Miss' proves that.

The trans character is objectified in lets face it quite sickening ways - her only value it seems as a punchbag.

"So how are things dad?"

(Image: BBC/Fox/Fuzzy Door).

"Oh Glen I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be back here! This is going to be a really special Thanksgiving!"
"Oh Chicken Wings!"
"Oh my I hope they are the ones with the 'bone' removed!"

(Image: BBC/Fox/Fuzzy Door).

Brian the dog - "Hello Ida!"

(Image: BBC/Fox/Fuzzy Door).

"Hello Brian."

(Image: BBC/Fox/Fuzzy Door).

Stewie the Baby - "He threw up went he found out you were a monster!"
Ida is an ex-service person - and when asked later if she agrees with conscientious objectors going AWOL and disagrees with Brian she is called 'Ok well that's just some dumb Drag Queen'.
Later...

(Image: BBC/Fox/Fuzzy Door).

"Oh my, maybe it's time for us girls to hit the powder room?!"
Lois [scornfully] - "You may use the yard!"

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[AshleeKel]

What annoys me about this episode is that with the exception of the first joke, I fail to see how any of the jokes can be considered funny. They are somehow even worse than the usual "she's a man" kinda routines comedies and comics always use. It's literally just horrible statements from the characters. Just calling someone a "monster" really isn't a joke, it's a statement. And that's the problem with this episode. The only real contribution Ida adds to the plot is instantly dismissed by Brian in a moment that is incredibly out of character for someone that's meant to be a bleeding heart liberal. And considering all the characters in the scene seem to hate her (and even Quagmire has changed his position since the last time they met), I'm at a loss as to why she would have been invited to Thanksgiving in the first place.

I'm also quite surprised that nobody in the states picked up on the transphobia shown here, especially GLAAD who are usually fairly trigger happy.