Twitter Calls Out ‘Cancel Culture’ Double Standards After Trans Netflix Employee Suspended

Netflix Is A Joke/YouTube

October 12, 2021, 1:20 pm*

Netflix has found itself in hot water after releasing a new and highly transphobic comedy special by Dave Chappelle in which he fretted about J.K. Rowling being “canceled” for her own anti-trans stances and declared himself to be on “team TERF,” referring to trans-exclusionary radical feminists. Though previously little more than a reactionary segment of the 3rd wave feminist movement, the term “TERF” has come to be something of a catch-all for anyone who believes in women’s rights but think they get to decide who counts as a woman based on gender essentialism.

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This new movement of bigotry has taken hold in the U.K. to the point that medical appointments to begin a trans person’s transition have ground to a halt and being “gender critical,” as they like to call it, has become a mainstream position, thanks in part to the Harry Potter author. That transphobia is currently being exported to the U.S. mainly though our most hateful conservative politicians and pundits, and now via Dave Chappelle.

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Chappelle did a lot of hand-wringing about so-called “cancel culture” in his special “The Closer” but has already admitted that the outrage against his hateful transphobia has been a boon to him.

“If this is what being canceled is like, I love it,” he told a crowd of fans at a screening of the documentary about his life.

As Chappelle cashes in on the controversy and enjoys newfound support among conservatives and other bigots, a trans woman who spoke out against Netflix’s platforming and defense of the transphobic special has reportedly been suspended from her job with the streaming company. Terra Field, a senior software engineer for Netflix, posted a thread outlining the real harm that transphobia causes to trans people around the world, listing case after case of transphobic murder to counter the narrative that this harm is reduced to nothing more than people being “offended.”

I work at @netflix. Yesterday we launched another Chappelle special where he attacks the trans community, and the very validity of transness – all while trying to pit us against other marginalized groups. You’re going to hear a lot of talk about “offense”.

We are not offended

— Terra Field (@RainofTerra) October 7, 2021

“Promoting TERF ideology (which is what we did by giving it a platform yesterday) directly harms trans people, it is not some neutral act,” she wrote. “This is not an argument with two sides. It is an argument with trans people who want to be alive and people who don’t want us to be.”

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Field was reportedly suspended along with two of her colleagues for attempting to crash a director-level meeting, we assume since having to come face-to-face with a trans woman while defending promoting and financially rewarding transphobia might make them feel uncomfy. A Netflix spokesperson claimed that the suspension had nothing to do with Fields’ Twitter thread, but a whole lot of people have serious doubts about this.

Regardless, losing one’s livelihood for being trans or being outspoken while being trans is a real example of a “cancel culture” that has festered in the world for perhaps as long as humans have existed and that trans people currently have to actually worry about and endure on a daily basis. While right-wing figures are already decrying the supposed cancellation of Chappelle because trans people and allies are condemning his bigotry, Netflix continues to refuse to take down the special for reasons that get flimsier by the minute.

Just watched The Closer and if you’ve been told you need to watch the whole special in order to “understand where he’s coming from” I can assure you that you really don’t. You got it already.

— Paul F. Tompkins (@PFTompkins) October 12, 2021

i don’t think that many people even have a vested interest in “canceling” dave chappelle. he’s just been whining about being called transphobic in every special for the last 5 years now, which is objectively unfunny and annoying . pic.twitter.com/NmDP7t53gp

— kim possible facts (@kimpossiblefact) October 12, 2021

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Dave Chappelle’s special is odd: he says empathy is a two-way thing, but he consistently asks for trans people to understand him fully as he is, while making little attempt to understand them fully as they are. The end of his show feels like the beginning of his understanding.

— Musa Okwonga (@Okwonga) October 12, 2021

So Dave Chappelle gets celebrated for being “canceled”, will probably get more specials while his current one is being being promoted on Netflix, and a trans woman lost her job. So… who is being cancelled here?

— Jessie Earl (@jessiegender) October 12, 2021

“Chappelle is one of the most popular stand-up comedians today, and we have a long standing deal with him,” said Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos. “As with our other talent, we work hard to support their creative freedom — even though this means there will always be content on Netflix some people believe is harmful.”

Apparently, Sarandos isn’t one of those people who think clear transphobia is harmful. Perhaps he should be made to answer how popular David Duke would have to be for Netflix to platform his comedy special.

Meanwhile, folks everywhere are making videos and social media posts explaining to Sarandos and friends why they’re on the wrong side of history.

Dave Chapelle’s recent Netflix special. I just wanted come and offer this up to people who don’t understand, but genuinely want a different take as to why black trans women specifically are not finding the comedy and Mr. Chapelle’s latest work of “art” funny. pic.twitter.com/BlIBFQ5Gqu

— HopeGiselle (@HopeDisguised) October 9, 2021

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*First Published: October 12, 2021, 12:55 pm