In recent years, the press and LGBTQ+ groups have been putting pressure on Rockstar Games to remove or change content they see as “transphobic” in Grand Theft Auto V. Now, players have noted a few such changes to transgender representation in the “expanded and enhanced” upgrades to the game recently released for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Reddit user JayProspero was among the first to notice a change to the action figures lining the wall of the office in the in-game arcade. A hot-pink-clad “Captain Spacetoy” figure, in a box highlighting “interchangeable genitalia,” has been removed in the new console versions of the game; an alternative figure with a more reserved outfit and “posable vomit direction” remains on the wall.
In new-gen GTAV/GTAO, Rockstar appear to have disabled the trans caricatures or “drag queens” from spawning outside Cockatoos. This could be following a plea from OutMakingGames last year. I hope this provides comfort to anyone who felt these NPCs depicted harmful stereotypes
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— Kirsty Cloud (@kirstycloud) April 8, 2022
Kirsty Cloud, who helps run fan community GTAnet, has also highlighted that over-the-top trans woman character models, apparently referred to as “drag queen” in the game’s files, no longer spawn outside Cockatoos, an in-game nightclub. While those character models can still be accessed in the game’s sandbox-style Director Mode, dialogue options that make explicit reference to their gender and sexuality have been removed.
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