Following the fallout of Dave Chappelle’s controversial comedy special The Closer, which many are accusing contains hateful speech against trans and LGBTQ+ people, a walkout and rally of Netflix was held today in Hollywood, gathering more than 100 protesters and allies in attendance, Deadline reports.
That includes a new “list of asks” to the company, including eliminating references or imagery of Chappelle in the workspace, acknowledging the harm the special causes to the trans community, an investment into trans and non-binary content, putting trans people in higher-up positions at the company and putting a disclaimer at the beginning of The Closer to warn viewers of its offensive language. Check out the entire list below:
Asks for Trans Walkout – 10/20/21
- Eliminate references/imagery of Chappelle inside of the workplace, including but not limited to murals, posters, room names, swag;
- Acknowledgement that the special causes harm to the trans community and Netflix’s responsibility on it so we keep the conversation around transphobia evolving internally;
- Trans and non-binary content investment
- Investment in trans or non-binary content on Netflix comparable to our total investment in transphobic content, including comparable investment in the promotion of content
- The comparable class of investments should include but not be limited to works produced by Dave Chappelle (such as the investment in “The Closer” and “Sticks and Stones”), Ricky Gervais’ After Life, etc.
- Investment in multiple trans creators to make both scripted and unscripted programs across genres;
- Revisit internal processes on commissioning and/or releasing potential harmful content, involving numerous and diverse parties that can speak on its harm, including consultation on 3rd party venders;
- Revisit the ERG role in conversations around potential harmful content and develop materials to ensure we have the best in class regional support on complicated diversity issues
- Hire transgender content executives in leading positions and promote and inclusive environment for them;
- Recruit trans people for leadership roles in the company (director, VP, etc) and promote and inclusive environment for them;
- The ability for Trans* employees and allies to be able to remove themselves from company promotional content (e.g. allyship videos, etc.);
- A disclaimer before The Closer specifically saying it contains transphobic language, misogyny, homophobia, and hate speech;
- Boost promotion for Disclosure and other trans-affirming titles in the platform
While celebrities such as Elliot Page and Lilly Wachowski offered support for the walkout, the special was initially defended by Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.
