It was a shocking moment on Wednesday night's episode of Survivor, CBS's long-running reality show about strangers marooned in a deserted location.
A gay contestant, Jeff Garner, in order to save himself from elimination, turned to another contestant and asked, "Why haven't you told anyone you are transgender?"
In this moment, Garner had outed a trans person, Zeke Smith, on national television, accusing Smith of "deception" in front of the other members of the Tribal Council.
The act backfired on Garner. The other contestants, rightly outraged by what had transpired, voted him off the island for his dastardly deed.
Nick Adams, director of GLAAD's Transgender Media Program, spoke out against the outing in a statement.
"Zeke Smith, and transgender people like him, are not deceiving anyone by being their authentic selves, and it is dangerous and unacceptable to out a transgender person," he said.
"It is heartening, however, to see the strong support for Zeke from the other people in his tribe. Moments like this prove that when people from all walks of life get to know a transgender person, they accept us for who we are."
Likewise, LGBT folks on Twitter were disgusted by what Garner had done. They outlined why outing a trans person is dangerous and unforgivable, and expressed admiration for how the group and Smith handled the ordeal.
See their reactions below.
When the episode aired, Varner posted an apology to Twitter.
