Producers behind upcoming Us Tv series Work It have come under fire from gay rights advocacy groups for poking fun at cross-dressers.
The comedy, which is set to premiere on 3 January (12), centres around two men who disguise themselves as women to land jobs in a struggling economy as female sales representatives.
But officials at the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (Glaad) organisation have condemned the show's premise and slammed its creators for shooting a series that teaches fans it's OK to mock those with actual gender-identity issues.
Glaad president Mike Thompson tells EW.com, "Transphobia is still all too prevalent in our society and this show will only contribute to it. It will reinforce the mistaken belief that transgender women are simply 'men pretending to be women', and that their efforts to live their lives authentically as women are a form of lying or deception."
And Glaad isn't the only group taking offence to the programme - officials at the Human Rights Campaign are urging supporters to sign a letter addressed to ABC Tv bosses as part of a boycott.
The message reads, "Hundreds of thousands of transgender Americans face very real challenges in the workplace... We have a shared responsibility to ensure the messages about gender identity we send to the public, and particularly youth, are positive ones. It is never appropriate to belittle or mock those who do not adhere to society's gender norms or the struggles they face."
The show stars Lost beauty Rebecca Mader and White Chicks actress Rochelle Aytes.