back to top
Monday, February 10, 2025
HomeShowNetflix employees protest 'transphobic' Dave Chappelle comedy show

Netflix employees protest ‘transphobic’ Dave Chappelle comedy show

2 Min Read

Daily US Times: About 100 people have protested outside the streaming giant Netflix’s headquarters over the release of a comedy special by Dave Chappelle, which they say was transphobic.

Transgender activists and Netflix staff staged the walkout outside the streaming giant’s Los Angeles offices.

Protesters urged on Netflix to fund more trans and non-binary talent, and other measures to avoid “transphobia and hate speech”.

In a statement ahead of the rally, Netflix support of the activists.

A video was also released featuring several Netflix stars, including The Good Place actress Jameela Jamil and Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness thanking people for taking part in the demonstration.

Other LGBT celebrities, including Lilly Wachowski and Elliot Page, voiced their support on social media.

Netflix has been mired in controversy over The Closer, in which Dev Chappelle says “gender is a fact” and that LGBT people are “too sensitive”.

The comedy star has laughed off the backlash, recently saying: “If this is what being cancelled is about, I love it.”

Netflix staff called for the rally, though it is not clear how many employees of Netflix were among the protesters outside the offices.

In an interview with AFP news agency, rally organizer Ashlee Marie Preston said: “We are here today not because we don’t know how to take a joke. We’re here because we’re concerned that the jokes are taking lives.”

She accused companies like Netflix of “[capitalising] off of tension” using “algorithmic science to manipulate and distort our perceptions of ourselves and one another”.

You may read: Lawmakers vote to hold Steve Bannon in contempt

Must Read

Related News