Survivor caused controversy last night (April 12) as a contestant was outed as transgender by a fellow player.
During tribal council in the latest Survivor: Game Changers episode, Jeff Varner attempted to save himself by outing Zeke Smith. "There is deception here. Why haven't you told anyone you're transgender?"
The cruel move rightly saw the contestants support Zeke and criticise Jeff for making the announcement.
Jeff apologised during tribal council but was still voted out, following up his apology with a post on Twitter saying that he knew he was wrong and he "makes no excuses for it".
"Let me be clear, outing someone is assault. It robs a strong, courageous person of their power and protection and opens them up to discrimination and danger. It can leave scars that haunt for a lifetime. I am profoundly sorry," he wrote.
Zeke has also thanked everyone for their support with a touching post on Instagram, referring to the fact that he has been waiting for this episode to air.
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"I cannot adequately express how touched and honored I am for the overwhelming love and support I've received tonight. It's been a long nine months awaiting this night," Zeke explained.
"I couldn't have made it through the journey without Nick Adams, Director of @glaad's Transgender Media Program. He's been a guide, mentor, and friend over these tumultuous months. I love you, Nick!"
Orange Is the New Black's Laverne Cox has praised Zeke for his reaction to the episode.
The current series of Survivor marks Zeke's second time on the show and in an interview with PEOPLE, he explained that he didn't plan on sharing that he was transgender.
"I didn't want to be the 'first transgender Survivor contestant'. I'm not ashamed of being trans, but I didn't want that to be my story," Zeke noted.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
