It’s not too often that so many people come together to absolutely hate something but it looks like Netflix is on the receiving end of some focused anger right now. Dave Chappelle’s latest comedy special The Closer has been labeled as hate speech by subscribers, publically denounced by Netflix employees, and now even the National Black Justice Coalition is asking for the company to remove it from their streaming service.
The National Black Justice Coalition’s executive director David Johns told Deadline that, “Netflix should immediately pull The Closer from its platform and directly apologize to the transgender community.”
“It is deeply disappointing that Netflix allowed Dave Chappelle’s lazy and hostile transphobia and homophobia to air on its platform.
With 2021 on track to be the deadliest year on record for transgender people in the United States — the majority of whom are Black transgender people — Netflix should know better. Perpetuating transphobia perpetuates violence.”
The National Black Justice Coalition isn’t the only major group to have called out Netflix for platforming Dave Chappelle in this way. GLADD, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, also called him out on Twitter. They mentioned the 38 violent hate-related deaths of transgender people — some of them of Black and people of color — that have already been reported this year.
Johns seemed to agree with this sentiment, also stating:
“Make no mistake: Black LGBTQ+ and same gender people exist – and have always existed. The fight against oppression is not a zero sum game, and the pervasiveness of white supremacy in the United States is not an excuse for homophobia or transphobia.”
In The Closer, Dave Chappelle calls himself a TERF — trans-exclusionary radical feminist — while defending J.K. Rowling’s transphobic views. He also said these words which have been the focus of most of the outrage:
“Gender is a fact. Every human being in this room, every human being on Earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on Earth. That is a fact. Now, I am not saying that to say trans women aren’t women, I am just saying that those pussies that they got… you know what I mean? I’m not saying it’s not pussy, but it’s Beyond Pussy or Impossible Pussy. It tastes like pussy, but that’s not quite what it is, is it? That’s not blood, that’s beet juice.”
There is no word yet on if Netflix will actually remove The Closer from their platform.