(CNN)Netflix is defending Dave Chappelle's caller drama peculiar aft it has been criticized arsenic transphobic by immoderate LGBTQ+ advocates, artists and employees.
Chappelle's special, "The Closer," which debuted connected Netflix past week, includes respective minutes of jokes astir trans people. The comedian says successful the peculiar helium is "team TERF," referencing the word for "trans-exclusionary extremist feminist."
"Gender is simply a fact," Chappelle says. "Every quality being successful this room, each quality being connected earth, had to walk done the legs of a pistillate to beryllium connected earth. That is simply a fact."
He talks astir backlash helium received aft making jokes astir Caitlyn Jenner and different trans radical successful erstwhile specials, criticizes cancel civilization astir writer JK Rowling and references his relationship with Daphne Dorman, a trans pistillate and chap comedian who opened for him astatine 1 of his San Francisco shows. Dorman died by termination successful 2019, which Chappelle addresses successful "The Closer."
In an October 8 email to employees from Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and obtained by The Verge and Variety, the enforcement defended the special.
"Several of you person besides asked wherever we gully the enactment connected hate. We don't let titles connected Netflix that are designed to incite hatred oregon violence, and we don't judge The Closer crosses that line. I recognize, however, that distinguishing betwixt commentary and harm is hard, particularly with stand-up drama which exists to propulsion boundaries," Sarandos wrote to staff. "Some radical find the creation of stand-up to beryllium mean spirited but our members bask it, and it's an important portion of our contented offering."
CNN has not independently verified the email.
Netflix has suspended 3 employees for attending a virtual gathering of directors and vice presidents past week without notifying the gathering organizer successful advance, according to a root with cognition of the matter.
One of the suspended employees is Terra Field. Field, a elder bundle technologist who identifies arsenic queer and trans, had publically criticized "The Closer" connected Twitter past week. Her suspension is owed to her attendance astatine the gathering and not her tweets, according to the source.
"It is perfectly untrue to accidental that we person suspended immoderate employees for tweeting astir this show. Our employees are encouraged to disagree openly and we enactment their close to bash so," a Netflix spokesperson told CNN erstwhile asked astir the suspensions.
Field, tweeted past week that Chappelle's peculiar ridiculed the beingness of trans people.
"Promoting TERF ideology (which is what we did by giving it a level yesterday) straight harms trans people, it is not immoderate neutral act," Field wrote. "This is not an statement with 2 sides. It is an statement with trans radical who privation to beryllium live and radical who don't privation america to be."
Field ended her thread with the names of 37 trans and sex non-conforming radical who've been killed passim 2021.
GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organization, besides condemned the comments made successful "The Closer."
"Dave Chappelle's marque has go synonymous with ridiculing trans radical and different marginalized communities," GLAAD tweeted past week. "Negative reviews and viewers loudly condemning his latest peculiar is simply a connection to the manufacture that audiences don't enactment platforming anti-LGBTQ diatribes. We agree."
CNN has reached retired to representatives of Chappelle.
In "The Closer," Chappelle says the peculiar volition beryllium the past clip helium volition remark connected trans radical oregon issues.
CNN's Scottie Andrew and Lisa France contributed to this story.
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