YMMV / South Park S 23 E 7 Board Girls

• Catharsis Factor: After unfairly beating women in sports competitions and rubbing "her" victories at their faces, it's very satisfying to see Heather lose to the 4th grade girls at board games.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • PC Principal's objection to Heather's participation in women's sports is based on the fact that Heather "transitioned" long after hitting puberty. In 2022, the state government in Texas announced a platform to criminalize pre-pubescent transitions. If PCP were to make that argument today, it would seem as if he really doesn't want trans people in sports.
  • The school's gamer club gradually becoming a girls-only club coupled with Heather Swanson crying about unfair advantages when "she" loses to a little girl can leave a sour taste considering the International Chess Federation imposed a ban on transgender competitors.
• Memetic Mutation: "I'm not here to talk about my transition!"
• Misaimed Fandom: The episode has become borderline gospel among transphobes, despite the actual target being women's sport groups who don't have a stricter criteria for contestants outside of saying they're women and the masses who are too polite to say anything about it. This is likely the reason Heather resembles Randy Savage, as anyone less masculine could be mistaken for a genuine trans woman.
• Suspiciously Similar Song: The "Strong Woman" song almost sounds like a parody of "Godzilla" by Blue Öyster Cult.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Given Stan's extensive knowledge at board games and actually not minding the girls playing board games with them, perhaps Wendy, Stan's on-and-off Love Interest could have had a prominent role here playing board games with Stan and repairing their relationship that was destroyed by Gerald's trolling, especially since their last interaction in the show was in Season 20's "Oh Jeez", three seasons ago. But alas, Wendy doesn't have that such role here feeling like a wasted opportunity, and their relationship remains up in the air.
• The Woobie:
  • Stan was the only boy in Dice Studs who wasn’t sexist to the girls joining their group. He in fact loved how they made the games more challenging and fun, wanted to know how they painted their player pieces, and enjoyed everything they brought to their club. Sadly thanks to his friends the girls weren’t allowed to stay. However in fun to see moment when the girls made their own (amazing) club they rightfully kick the boys out using their own message. Sadly this includes Stan, who didn’t do anything wrong and loved having more serious gamers to play with.
  • Strong Woman (and PC Principal as well). They are all for trans women to be allowed to join women’s sports, but Strong Woman is understandably horrified when her abusive ex (who was a man two weeks before competing) joins the contest as Heather and beats up every woman competing. Strong Woman has wanted to make women’s sports possible for both cis and trans women, but with people like Heather in the world, that mission becomes a lot harder. (PC Principal, as well, having to rethink and agonize over his entire philosophy so that his children won't get upset/will accept him makes him very sympathetic).

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