Dave Chappelle’s latest Netflix comedy special, The Closer, has been getting a lot of criticism since its release on October 5th. That’s because a number of jokes in the standup are about trans people and are being called transphobic. This prompted some Netflix employees to stage a walkout on Wednesday in protest of the special but also because the company continues to stand by the content and the comedian.
Imara Jones is a journalist and founder and CEO of TransLash Media. She explains why The Closer is so enraging, why Netflix’s defence of Chappelle may come at a cost to the company and why she thinks the content in the special could cause real-life harm to trans people.
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