GENDER BENDER: ‘Transphobic’ Futurama episode criticized by LGBT media

The episode in question has Bender, the series' id-dominant robot, "transition" to being a woman in order to compete in the 3004 Olympic games.

In the course of the episode, Bender wants to compete in the games but feels he doesn't have a chance against the male robots, so he "transitions" to a "fembot", and easily wins five gold medals.

When Bender finds out that gender testing is obligatory before the medals can be awarded, he undergoes actual transition surgery, then ends up having an affair with a cis-male robot, first for materialistic purposes, but then she ends up genuinely falling in love.

The whole episode ends with Bender faking the death of his feminine alter-ego "Coilette" and transitioning back to being Bender with another operation.

This particular episode originally aired in the summer of 2003, but, ironically, it tackles an issue that is at the forefront of controversy years later.

Trans female athletes are easily shattering records in just about every area where they are free to compete, and critics have said that this is unfair to biologically female athletes who can't keep up.

A bill has even been introduced into the US Congress proposing measures to prevent this, and several states have taken action already.