*The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) has called on Netflix to remove Dave Chappelle’s “The Closer” amid backlash over his jokes about the trans community.
The NBJC is an American civil rights organization serving primarily lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
In Netflix’s “The Closer,” which premiered on Tuesday, Chappelle took aim at the trans community, which triggered strong reactions on Twitter.
“Gender is a fact. Every human being in this room, every human being on earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on earth. That is a fact,” Chappelle said in “The Closer.”
“Now, I am not saying that to say trans women aren’t women, I am just saying that those p—ies that they got… you know what I mean? I’m not saying it’s not p—y, but it’s Beyond P—y or Impossible P—y. It tastes like p—y, but that’s not quite what it is, is it? That’s not blood,” he said. “That’s beet juice.”
READ MORE: Dave Chappelle Catches Heat for Transgender Remarks in Netflix Special ‘The Closer’ [VIDEO]
“It is deeply disappointing that Netflix allowed Dave Chappelle’s lazy and hostile transphobia and homophobia to air on its platform,” NBJC executive director David Johns said in a statement to Deadline. “With 2021 on track to be the deadliest year on record for transgender people in the United States — the majority of whom are Black transgender people — Netflix should know better. Perpetuating transphobia perpetuates violence. Netflix should immediately pull The Closer from its platform and directly apologize to the transgender community.”
“Dave Chappelle’s brand has become synonymous with ridiculing trans people and other marginalized communities,” GLAAD tweeted about the controversy Wednesday. “Negative reviews and viewers loudly condemning his latest special is a message to the industry that audiences don’t support platforming anti-LGBTQ diatribes. We agree.”
As reported by PEOPLE, actress and director Taylor Ashbrook tweeted, “As a trans woman, I have usually defended Dave Chappelle’s specials because I think they’re hilarious and his jokes about trans women never felt intentionally malicious.
“The Closer changed my mind on that. That special felt so lazy and disingenuous and I’m really disappointed.”
Another moment during the set, Chapelle addresses DaBaby’s homophobic comments.
“Now, you know I go hard in the paint, but even I saw that sh*t and was like, ‘Goddamn, DaBaby,’” Chappelle said. “He pushed the button, didn’t he? He pushed the button, punched the [LGBTQ] community right in the AIDS. Can’t do that, can’t do that. But I do believe—and I’ll make this point later—that the kid made a very egregious mistake. I will acknowledge that. But, you know, a lot of the [LGBTQ] community doesn’t know DaBaby’s history. He’s a wild guy.”
Chappelle then noted that when fans learned the rapper killed a man in Walmart the crime didn’t garner the same reaction as his recent homophobic comments.
“In our country, you can shoot and kill a n***a but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings,” he said.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
