Transgender Netflix Employees to Plan Walkout Over Chappelle Special

By Kelton Brooks Published: October 15, 2021

Transgender Netflix Employees to Plan Walkout Over Chappelle Special

In this Oct. 27, 2019, file photo, Chappelle arrives at Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the 22nd Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor presented to Dave Chappelle, in Washington. Chappelle has found himself at the center of criticism following comments made in his latest Netflix special "The Closer." He has since been uninvited from a fundraiser being held in his honor at his former high school. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File)

In Summary

The streaming giant and Dave Chappelle have received heavy backlash for releasing the comedian’s special that contains incendiary jokes about the transgender community.

Transgender Netflix employees do not see Dave Chappelle’s special The Closer as a laughing matter and are planning a walkout to illustrate their disapproval of the streaming giant’s stand-up release.

The Closer by Chappelle pushes buttons, steps on toes and contains a litany of provocative and incendiary jokes about several communities, including the transgender community.

The special aired on Oct. 5, where the Emmy Award-winning comedian declared himself a trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF), who said he stands in solidarity with author J.K. Rowling. Rowling was labeled a TERF for anti-trans comments.

The walkout will take place on Oct. 20 and will include members of the Netflix employee resource group Trans*. The protest is considered a “day of rest.”

Critics wanted Netflix to pull the show from its platform, including one of their employees, queer and trans software engineer Terra Field. Netflix suspended Field and two other employees, but they have since been reinstated.

Longtime comedian and one of the pioneers of comedic skits, Damon Wayans, said Chappelle “freed the slaves.”

“I feel like Dave freed the slaves,” Wayans said. “Yeah, the comedians. We were slaves to PC culture and he just, you know—as an artist he’s Van Gogh. He cut his ear off. He’s trying to tell us it’s OK.”

In a Slack message reviewed by the LA Times, an employee prompted members of the trans community and allies to stage the walkout.

“I encourage all [members of] Trans* and allies not to work for Netflix that day. … As we’ve discussed through Slack, email, texts and everything in between, our leadership has shown us that they do not uphold the values for which we are held,” the employee said. “Between the numerous emails and non-answers that have been given, we have been told explicitly that we somehow cannot understand the nuance of certain content. I don’t know about you, but asking for us to show the whole story and not just the pieces that harm trans and [LGBTQ+] people is not an unreasonable ask.

“So, I encourage us all to state clearly that we, as Netflix employees are stunning not simply when we are doing the work that our roles demand of us but also when we challenge the very principles of our company.”