What began as a light-hearted night out at Neptune Theatre in Halifax, turned into a "dehumanizing" experience for members of the transgender community who took issue with one of the show's running jokes.

Ky Greyson, a transgender man, thought attending the opening night of Shrek: The Musical would be a safe bet for entertainment. The show started and Greyson thought "it was a really good production."

But in the first act, the character of the Big Bad Wolf is called a "tranny" — a derogatory word for a transgender person — for wearing a dress. Greyson stood up and walked out.

"It was really a good production, but I remember hearing the word used and the entire crowd bursting out laughing and just my heart dropping," he said.

In repeating what happened, Greyson has trouble saying the word — referring to it only as the "T-slur."

The wolf was constantly made fun of for "cross dressing," Greyson said. "Just in general, very dehumanizing jokes with regards to not conforming to gender roles and being a masculine person femininely."

'Perpetuating self-hate'

Greyson says the word stirs deep-seated emotions for transgender people, in particular transgender women.

Ky Greyson is a 20-year-old transgender man who met with Neptune Theatre staff to explain why a running joke in Shrek: The Musical was so offensive to members of the trans community. (Ky Greyson/Facebook)

"If we're teaching kids in the audience that if this is to be mocked, this is to be ridiculed, we're perpetuating self-hate in people who may be trans women or trans feminine people at a young age and also continuing this myth and misunderstanding of what trans people are."

Greyson says it took a week of attempts to contact Neptune's general manager. When they did sit down face to face, Greyson and few supporters attempted to explain "insight into the root of these jokes, why the comedy of it hurts so much."

In an emailed statement to CBC News, Neptune spokeswoman Jennie King said the theatre is proud to be an active supporter of the LGBT community.

"We were upset to learn that one of our productions created a feeling of distress among members of the LGBTQ community in Halifax and changes were made immediately to remove content once we became aware of the situation," King wrote.

"Neptune has spoken and met with these members of the LGBTQ community to express our apologies and to learn from this experience."

Promoting change

For Greyson, the core thematic message of the Shrek story is about body acceptance and being happy in one's own skin, which is partially why he and others were so hurt.

If nothing else, he hopes Neptune staff will be more critical when choosing their next show.

"I know that me and the friends who'd seen the show in the trans community were so taken off-guard that those were the words that were used in a situation that was supposed to theoretically promote acceptance," he said.

"I just hope for more of an improvement in the future. I look forward to seeing those shows because I really do love Neptune."