Netflix Employees Protest Dave Chappelle’s Special Calling It ‘Transphobic’

Organizers said they wanted to present Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos with a series of employee demands, which included the creation of a fund to help develop trans and nonbinary talent, recruitment of trans executives for leadership roles, and the placement of disclaimers on any potentially harmful content on the streaming service. Organizers also said they wanted the streaming service to agree to release more content reflective of the LGBTQ community.

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Despite the heated criticism, Netflix officials are standing behind the special, claiming that it’s not meant to cause harm.

In a memo sent out to Netflix employees by Co-CEO Ted Sarandos, which was obtained by Variety, Sarandos said that Netflix’s goal is to “entertain the world, which means programming for a diversity of tastes.”

“With ‘The Closer,’ we understand that the concern is not about offensive-to-some content but titles which could increase real-world harm (such as further marginalizing already marginalized groups, hate, violence, etc.) Last year, we heard similar concerns about 365 Days and violence against women. While some employees disagree, we have a strong belief that content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm,” Sarandos wrote.

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“Adults can watch violence, assault, and abuse – or enjoy shocking stand-up comedy – without it causing them to harm others,” he continued.

Infoexpert24 understands that since Netflix employees have been working remotely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s unclear how big the impact of the “virtual work stoppage” will actually have.