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Dave Chappelle’s special “The Closer” will not cross “the line on hate,” a Netflix executive announced despite backlash over the comedian’s remarks about transgender communities.
Ted Sarandos, co-CEO, wrote in an internal memo that the company will not remove the show because “some talent” may join third parties in calling for it.
The memo, as reported by Variety on Monday, was not commented on by Netflix.
Terra Field, who tweeted criticism of Chappelle’s special, was suspended despite news reports that three employees had been suspended. Identified as trans by her Twitter profile, Field is a senior software engineer at Netflix.
“It is absolutely untrue to say that we have suspended any employees for tweeting about this show. Our employees are encouraged to disagree openly and we support their right to do so,” Netflix said in a statement.
An individual familiar with the matter claims the three employees were sneaking into a company meeting without authorization. The person, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the situation, said a worker was suspended following an investigation.
Whether the other two workers would be disciplined or not was unknown.
A comment from Field was not immediately forthcoming. As she said in her posts, Chappelle’s comments were being criticized not because they are offensive but because they cause harm to the trans community, especially to Black women.
Response to a comment request from Chappelle was not received.
According to GLAAD, “anti-LGBTQ content” violates Netflix’s policy to reject programs that incite hate or violence. GLAAD called on Netflix executives to “listen to LGBTQ employees, industry leaders, and audiences and commit to living up to their own standards.”
The group said that when Chappelle’s special was released last week, the comedian’s “brand has become synonymous with ridiculing trans people and other marginalized communities.”
Jaclyn Moore, who was a writer and producer on the Netflix show “Dear White People,” tweeted that she worked with executives and others at the service who “fought for important art” and that she told “the story of my transition for @netflix.”
Moore said she faces hate and attacks because she does not fit the definition of a “real woman”.
“I will not work with them as long as they continue to put out and profit from blatantly and dangerously transphobic content,” she tweeted.
The original version of this article was published on the Associated Press