Headline RoundupOctober 16th, 2021

Perspectives: Dave Chappelle's Controversial Netflix Special

Summary from the AllSides News Team

Dave Chappelle’s latest Netflix comedy special has been at the epicenter of controversy due to a series of jokes about gender issues and the LGBTQ community. Chappelle quipped that a trans woman's genitalia is "not quite what it is" and declared himself as "team TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist)." "Gender is a fact," Chappelle said during the special. "Every human being in this room, every human being on Earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on Earth. This is a fact." The comedian has "said repeatedly that he supports trans people." Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos responded to the backlash by saying he and his team "work hard to support" the creative freedom of their talent and that comedy "exists to push boundaries." Some transgender Netflix employees and allies are planning a walkout on Oct. 20 in protest of Chappelle's special. The group criticized the streaming service in an internal organizing message for "continually failing to create content that represents and uplifts Trans content."

Most entertainment outlets, which generally tend to lean left, criticized Chappelle's comments as well as how Sarandos responded to the controversy. Outlets across the spectrum prominently featured articles about the news on their home pages, including how Netflix just fired an employee for leaking confidential financial data to Bloomberg. Right-rated voices were more likely to argue that "free speech won and the mob lost," emphasizing how "the whole woke project changes artistic decisions and misshapes art." Left-rated voices were more likely to label Chappelle's latest special as "dangerously transphobic content," with some saying the comedian "blurs the line between victim and bully." 

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