In the episode, the boys attempt to change the official definition of the word fag from an anti-homosexual slur to a term describing loud and obnoxious Harley bikers.
Kyle, Cartman, Stan, and Kenny enjoy a nice day outside with the weather being warm until a large group of Harley riders disturb them.
Before the Harley riders take off, Cartman confronts the bikers, explaining that everyone sees them as insecure losers who ride loud motorcycles to draw attention to themselves.
Cartman tells them their attention-seeking behavior makes them look like pathetic "fags" and other children begin referring to the bikers with the same word.
As the riders eat at a diner, Cartman defecates on the seats of their motorcycles while Kyle and Stan spray paint "FAGS GET OUT" on several buildings around town.
The boys are pleased when the bikers temporarily leave town, but the graffiti alarms Big Gay Al and Mr. Slave.
The boys readily admit to the spray painting, and explain to the city council that the word fag is not intended as an insult to homosexuals, and is being used only in reference to a contemptible person who rides a Harley motorcycle, or "an inconsiderate douchebag", as Stan puts it.
Upset by the national attention, Mayor McDaniels wants to resolve the situation, and the boys suggest getting the official dictionary definition updated.
[4] Following the episode's original airing, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) released a statement stating that "Though the writers of South Park attempted to craft a commentary on the shifting meaning of words, the fact of the matter is that the F-word is and remains a hateful slur...".
[4] GLAAD encouraged people to contact the show's creators and Comedy Central to share personal stories of the negative impact of hearing the slur in their life.
On Nov. 6 they issued the following statement:[6] "South Park" is famous for tackling controversial subject matter in thoughtful and hilarious ways.
In the scene where the Harley riders drive past the church, Father Maxi holds up a sign that says "God hates fags".
[3] Ramsey Isler of IGN compared "The F Word" to "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson", an eleventh season episode that contained frequent use of the racial slur "nigger".
[7] James Hibberd, of The Live Feed, said he found the episode "well-intended and funny", and that it forced viewers to face a difficult issue and reexamine their beliefs about it.
[10][11] Gay rights group GLAAD issued a statement claiming, among other things, that "On Wednesday, November 4, Comedy Central aired a new episode of South Park entitled "The F-Word", in which the show's characters repeat the titular anti-gay slur countless times.