is experiencing a great deal of turmoil as the company made a bad situation worse by doubling down on a mistake. In the wake of airing comedian Dave Chapelle's controversial special The Closer, the company retaliated against employees calling out the transphobia present in the performance - now, a trans rights group is stepping up.
What initially sparked this storm of controversy and disappointing reaffirmation that major media companies are latched onto outdated, bigoted prejudices at the highest levels was the last of six stand-up comedy specials that Dave Chapelle was contracted to produce for streaming giant Netflix.
The Closer had an underlying theme of transphobia throughout its runtime, during which Chapelle jokingly referred to himself as transphobic, defended author J. K. Rowling and referred to the suicide of a trans comedian.
Many were rightfully disappointed and offended by this insensitive and tone-deaf performance, and The Closer drew swaths of criticism online after being aired - from the ranks of Netflix employees as well, for which one was fired and three suspended. The fired program manager, B. Pagels-Minor, is Black, trans, pregnant and led advocacy groups at the company for both Black and trans staff. The suspended employees were all caucasian.
In protest, trans employees of the company organized a protest which many allies have joined. The walkout was over 100 participants strong, and was followed by the Trans* Employee Resource Group releasing a public list of demands towards Netflix so that the company would become a fairer and more inclusive space for trans and non-binary employees.