Dave Chappelle
Transgender Netflix employees are speaking out against the streaming giant’s decision to release Dave Chappelle’s latest comedy special, which contains a litany of transphobic material and insensitive commentary.
TV writer Jaclyn Moore, known for her work on Netflix’s “Dear White People” and Peacock’s “Queer as Folk,” and senior software engineer Terra Field both took to Twitter Wednesday to address the anti-trans rhetoric performed by Chappelle and platformed by their employer.
A spokesperson for Netflix declined to comment when reached Thursday by the Los Angeles Times.
In Chappelle’s “The Closer,” the veteran comedian proudly declares himself “team TERF” in solidarity with “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, who has been labeled a trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) for repeatedly expressing anti-trans sentiments.
Throughout the special, the comic makes several other “blatantly and dangerously” transphobic remarks, some of which Moore outlined in her online resignation thread to Netflix.
“I love so many of the people I’ve worked with at Netflix,” she tweeted. “Brilliant people and executives who have been collaborative and fought for important art... But I’ve been thrown against walls because, “I’m not a ‘real’ woman.” I’ve had beer bottles thrown at me. So, @Netflix, I’m done.
“Chappelle was one of my heroes. I was at his comeback show in NYC. But he said he’s a TERF. He compared my existence to someone doing blackface. He talks about someone winning a Woman of the Year award despite never having a period should make women mad and that it makes him mad.”
In recent years, the
“Dear White People” coshowrunner and executive producer has been vocal about her transition on social media and has even filmed content for Netflix’s “The Most” accounts, which spotlight LGBTQ+ talent and characters on the streaming platform.
Chappelle “ended his special with a ‘ but I had a trans friend’ story. He says we don’t listen. But he’s not listening,” Moore continued. “Those words have real world consequences. Consequences that every trans woman I know has dealt with. Bruises and panicked phone calls to friends. That’s real.”