Dave Chappelle, in his latest and final comedy instalment on Netflix, Closer, made some comments that have offended the trans community. His temerity to speak about issues he has no tangible connection to. Well-known Netflix stars have now decided to support the mass staff employee walkout in the wake of such comments.
During the special, Chappelle referred to being a part of “team TERF”, AKA trans-exclusionary radical feminist and defended JK Rowling’s critical comments against the trans community and their experiences.
This enraged the community and its allies who branded his jokes and comments as transphobic. Now, stars like Eugene Levy, Jameela Jamil, Jonathan Van Ness and more have spoken up against Chappelle, with Jamil and Van Ness supporting the employee walkout.
The employee walkout was planned after Ted Sarandos defended the show and refused to take it down.
The outrage also follows the impromptu firing of a staff member and the head of the trans employee community in Netflix after they leaked confidential data regarding the show and how expensive the entire deal was.
The walkout has been organised by Ashlee Marie Preston and will take place at Netflix’s headquarters at Sunset Boulevard.
On her Instagram post, the agenda of the walkout has been detailed, including creating a fund to encourage and develop trans and non-binary talent and the urgency to recruit trans employees in leadership positions.
Van Ness, who rose to popularity with his role in Queer Eye, a beloved lifestyle show, identifies as non-binary and will feature in a video message directed to Sarandos where he will urge them to look after the trans interests at the company while pushing for more sensible and inclusive content on the platform.
He will be joined by The Good Place actress Jameela Jamil who identifies as queer. Besides Jamil and Van Ness, Pose’s Angelica Ross and Eureka O’Hara from RuPaul’s Drag Race will be a part of the clip.
Preston, in her Instagram post, emphasised how one must “see this moment to shift the social ecology around what Netflix leadership deems ethical entertainment while establishing policies and guidelines that protect employees and consumers, alike.”