A change.org petition to remove the Dave Chappelle comedy special The Closer from Netflix has garnered more than 11,000 signatures.
“Dave Chappelle has a long history of making ‘jokes’ at the expense of the LGBTQ community. In his new special ‘The Closer’ he makes a number of degrading jokes aimed at the transgender community,” the petition said. “This comes at a time when the transgender community faces a hostile environment right across the world.”
The petition was started by a group called LGBT+ and Friends. As of Friday night on Oct. 22, the petition had 11,226 signatures.
If the petition reaches 15,000 signatures it will become one of the top signed on the site according to Change.org.
The petition goes on to talk more about violence against the trans community and its effects.
“2021 is set to be one of the worst years on record, with the Human Rights Campaign already sadly having tracked 38 transgender or non-conforming people in the US who have been fatally shot or killed by other means,” the petition said. “Hate crimes against transgender individuals are on the rise, and celebrating transphobic speech contributes directly to violence.”
This is why so many people are upset at Chappelle – they say his view toward the trans community encourages the cycle of violence against them. The petition also calls out Netflix itself for the same reason.
“Violence – both fatal and non-fatal – being perpetrated against transgender people worldwide, the transgender community is constantly attacked by media outlets, public figures, and politicians,” the petition said. “By providing a platform to Dave Chappelle and his transphobic ‘jokes’, Netflix is perpetuating violence and hostility towards transgender people.”
While Netflix has yet to remove the special, the company recently said it would consider adding a warning to the special, following an employee walkout and demands for more awareness about trans issues.
“We call on Netflix to remove the comedy special and commit to ensure that homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic material is not included within your catalog of films and TV in the future,” the petition said.