Elliot Page is the latest celebrity to voice his support of the Netflix employees currently protesting Dave Chappelle’s stand-up special The Closer.
The comedian labelled himself a “TERF” in his set, after he addressed the controversy surrounding Harry Potter author JK Rowling.
“They canceled J.K. Rowling – my God,” Chappelle said in the show. “Effectively, she said gender was a fact, the trans community got mad as shit, they started calling her a TERF.”
Chappelle continued: “I’m team TERF. I agree. I agree, man. Gender is a fact.”
The comments have sparked backlash, especially amidst the LGBTQ community.
In the wake of the special’s release and subsequent controversy, Netflix then fired an employee for leaking information about the special.
As reported by Verge, the employee, who wasn’t named for fear of online harassment, was reportedly a leader of the trans employee resource group who was organising a walkout on October 20 in protest of Netflix’s handling of the Chappelle special.
A number of stars associated with Netflix have voiced their support of the walkout, including Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness and actor Jameela Jamil.
Now Page – who stars in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy – has joined those protesting the special.
“I stand with the trans, nonbinary, and BIPOC employees at Netflix fighting for more and better trans stories and a more inclusive workplace,” he wrote on Instagram.
Last week (October 11), Netflix boss Sarandos defended Chappelle’s controversial stand-up special in a memo addressed to staff members.
A part of the memo addresses rumours that some Netflix employees spoke out internally against Chappelle’s remarks about the trans community, reading: “Several of you have also asked where we draw the line on hate. We don’t allow titles Netflix that are designed to incite hate or violence, and we don’t believe The Closer crosses that line.”
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