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.
âThey canceled J.K. Rowling â my God,â Chappelle said in the show. âEffectively, she said gender was a fact, the trans community got mad as shit, they started calling her a TERF.â
Chappelle continued: âIâm team TERF. I agree. I agree, man. Gender is a fact.â
The comments have sparked backlash, especially amidst the LGBTQ community.
In the wake of the specialâs release and subsequent controversy, Netflix then fired an employee for leaking information about the special.
As reported by Verge, the employee, who wasnât 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 Netflixâs 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 Netflixâs 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 Chappelleâs 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 Chappelleâs remarks about the trans community, reading: âSeveral of you have also asked where we draw the line on hate. We donât allow titles Netflix that are designed to incite hate or violence, and we donât believe The Closer crosses that line.â
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