The trans sex workers you can encounter, with their garish makeup and prominent penis bulges, seem calculated to be ridiculous and repulsive to players who bring their pre-existing transphobia to the game with them. It’s as if they’re designed specifically so that some players could relish hurting and killing them because they are trans.
And they’re situated in a world that overflows with transphobic “jokes” that you can’t escape. As just one small example, in the game’s world you see vehicles belonging to a UPS-style delivery service called Post OP, a company which first appeared in GTA IV. The trucks bear the slogans “No Longer Just Mail” and “your package is safe in our hands.” Hilarious.
