Nearly 10 years after its original release, Rockstar has quietly removed some characters and jokes from Grand Theft Auto 5 that critics called harmful stereotypes about transgender people.
As first reported by Ars Technica, GTA community members have noticed various changes to the GTA 5 Remake available on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. They include characters tagged as “Drag Queens” that no longer spawn outside of cockatoos, in addition to removing dialogue.
On Reddit, another user pointed out that a space toy captain with “interchangeable genitals” had been cut out.
Rockstar appears to have banned trans comics or “Drag Queens” from spawning outside cockatoos in the next-gen GTA 5/GTAO. This probably follows a request from OutMakingGames last year. I hope this provides comfort to those who feel that these NPCs portray harmful stereotypes 🏳️⚧️
— Kirsty Cloud (@kirstycloud) April 8, 2022
As noted by community members, the changes follow an open letter from Out Making Games asking Rockstar Games to remove the content, which was described as transphobic in the original 2013 release. A follow-up article on Kotaku also called for the removal of content from the new version.
Following these changes, Out Making Games said it was “excited” about the removal.
IGN reached out to Rockstar for comment on the changes, but has yet to hear back.
Last year we wrote an open letter to @rockstar, calling on them to remove transphobic content from the next-gen version of GTA 5. We’re happy to say they have. Thanks to everyone at Rockstar for prioritizing this issue. https://t.co/JnPtufcBZq
— OutMakingGames (@OutMakingGames) April 18, 2022
This isn’t the first time Rockstar has chosen to remove controversial content. Back in 2015, the Confederate flag was removed from certain locations in GTA V and replaced with the American flag.
GTA 5 released on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in March, bringing significantly improved load times and other enhancements. Rockstar also quietly announced GTA 6, with more to come at a later date.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s senior news editor and co-host of the Nintendo Voice Chat. Is there a tip? DM her at @the_katbot.
