<p id="thickbox_headline">Netflix has been plunged into America's culture wars by a Dave Chappelle comedy special that raises concerns about free speech and censorship but has been slammed by its own employees as transphobic.</p>.<p>In <em>The Closer,</em> boundary-pushing mega-star Chappelle responds to critics who have accused him of mocking transgender people in the past by asserting that "gender is a fact" and accusing LGBTQ+ people of being "too sensitive."</p>.<p>"In our country you can shoot and kill" a Black man, "but you'd better not hurt a gay person's feelings," says the stand-up comic, who is Black.</p>.<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/we-only-have-each-other-bangladeshs-trans-entrepreneurs-create-safe-work-spaces-1030986.html" target="_blank">'We only have each other': Bangladesh's trans entrepreneurs create safe work spaces </a></strong></p>.<p>While the show has been condemned by LGBTQ+ groups -- including GLAAD, which cited studies linking stereotypes about minorities to real-world harm -- Netflix has so far stood firm, insisting the show will not be taken down.</p>.<p>But the streaming giant finds itself trapped at the center of arguably its most intense controversy yet.</p>.<p>Chappelle remains hugely popular, at a time when Netflix is competing with rivals such as HBO and Disney in the so-called streaming wars. He commanded a $24 million outlay from Netflix on his latest special, highlighting his appeal to the subscribers on whom the platform depends.</p>.<p>And the affair raises broader questions about acceptable speech -- and the role of entertainment giants such as Netflix in policing it.</p>.<p>"Netflix is no longer a little company that mails out DVDs, it's a vast maker of content that last year spent something like $17 billion," said Stephen Galloway, film and media arts dean at California-based Chapman University.</p>.<p>"This is [Netflix's] first really visible test case. And they stuck their flag in the grounds of free speech versus limiting speech," he added.</p>.<p>In <em>The Closer, </em>Chappelle describes a US rapper who "punched the LGBTQ community right in the AIDS," compares trans women to the use of Blackface, and jokes about threatening to kill a woman and stash her body in his car.</p>.<p><strong>Reda more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/with-laughter-and-slang-buddhist-monk-proves-a-hit-with-lgbt-thais-1029132.html" target="_blank">With laughter and slang, Buddhist monk proves a hit with LGBT+ Thais </a></strong></p>.<p>In a leaked memo, content chief Ted Sarandos wrote that "content on screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm," and so the principle of free speech outweighs any offense taken -- including by its own employees.</p>.<p>Still, a group of Netflix employees plans to walk out this week over their bosses' handling of the furore, while one worker was fired for leaking internal data about Chappelle's high fee.</p>.<p>"We understand this employee may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix, but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company," Netflix said in a statement to <em>AFP</em>.</p>.<p>Sarandos also sought to defend Chappelle's presence on Netflix by pointing to other performers it features such as Hannah Gadsby, whose acclaimed <em>Nanette</em> special recounted her horrific experiences of homophobic violence as a lesbian woman.</p>.<p>That earned him an expletive-laden response from Gadsby on Instagram, who labelled Netflix an "amoral algorithm cult."</p>.<p>"You're seeing the Netflix leadership going head-to-head with some of their employees," said Galloway.</p>.<p>"When does Ryan Murphy say this is unacceptable?" he asked, referring to the creator of LGBTQ+-themed smash hits such as <em>Pose</em> who is on a reported $300 million deal to make shows for Netflix.</p>.<p>Chappelle's case is more complicated still because, while he is accused of hounding one vulnerable minority, the comic repeatedly points out during the show that he is speaking as a member of another.</p>.<p>"The special draws its energy from one of the hottest debates in popular culture, about competing claims to victimhood," wrote Helen Lewis in <em>The Atlantic</em>.</p>.<p>There are parallels with the uproar sparked by <em>Harry Potter</em> author JK Rowling last year, when she asserted "the reality of biological sex", which many called out as transphobic.</p>.<p>While Rowling spoke about the importance of "protecting the safety of girls and women", Chappelle discusses his experiences as a Black man.</p>.<p>He claims that white gay people "are minorities until they need to be white again," and that LGBTQ+ communities have made progress in a few years that Black people have not enjoyed in decades.</p>.<p>"There are multiple fault lines here," said Galloway. "Any one could split open and create an earthquake."</p>.<p><strong>Check out the latest DH videos:</strong></p>
<p id="thickbox_headline">Netflix has been plunged into America's culture wars by a Dave Chappelle comedy special that raises concerns about free speech and censorship but has been slammed by its own employees as transphobic.</p>.<p>In <em>The Closer,</em> boundary-pushing mega-star Chappelle responds to critics who have accused him of mocking transgender people in the past by asserting that "gender is a fact" and accusing LGBTQ+ people of being "too sensitive."</p>.<p>"In our country you can shoot and kill" a Black man, "but you'd better not hurt a gay person's feelings," says the stand-up comic, who is Black.</p>.<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/we-only-have-each-other-bangladeshs-trans-entrepreneurs-create-safe-work-spaces-1030986.html" target="_blank">'We only have each other': Bangladesh's trans entrepreneurs create safe work spaces </a></strong></p>.<p>While the show has been condemned by LGBTQ+ groups -- including GLAAD, which cited studies linking stereotypes about minorities to real-world harm -- Netflix has so far stood firm, insisting the show will not be taken down.</p>.<p>But the streaming giant finds itself trapped at the center of arguably its most intense controversy yet.</p>.<p>Chappelle remains hugely popular, at a time when Netflix is competing with rivals such as HBO and Disney in the so-called streaming wars. He commanded a $24 million outlay from Netflix on his latest special, highlighting his appeal to the subscribers on whom the platform depends.</p>.<p>And the affair raises broader questions about acceptable speech -- and the role of entertainment giants such as Netflix in policing it.</p>.<p>"Netflix is no longer a little company that mails out DVDs, it's a vast maker of content that last year spent something like $17 billion," said Stephen Galloway, film and media arts dean at California-based Chapman University.</p>.<p>"This is [Netflix's] first really visible test case. And they stuck their flag in the grounds of free speech versus limiting speech," he added.</p>.<p>In <em>The Closer, </em>Chappelle describes a US rapper who "punched the LGBTQ community right in the AIDS," compares trans women to the use of Blackface, and jokes about threatening to kill a woman and stash her body in his car.</p>.<p><strong>Reda more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/with-laughter-and-slang-buddhist-monk-proves-a-hit-with-lgbt-thais-1029132.html" target="_blank">With laughter and slang, Buddhist monk proves a hit with LGBT+ Thais </a></strong></p>.<p>In a leaked memo, content chief Ted Sarandos wrote that "content on screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm," and so the principle of free speech outweighs any offense taken -- including by its own employees.</p>.<p>Still, a group of Netflix employees plans to walk out this week over their bosses' handling of the furore, while one worker was fired for leaking internal data about Chappelle's high fee.</p>.<p>"We understand this employee may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix, but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company," Netflix said in a statement to <em>AFP</em>.</p>.<p>Sarandos also sought to defend Chappelle's presence on Netflix by pointing to other performers it features such as Hannah Gadsby, whose acclaimed <em>Nanette</em> special recounted her horrific experiences of homophobic violence as a lesbian woman.</p>.<p>That earned him an expletive-laden response from Gadsby on Instagram, who labelled Netflix an "amoral algorithm cult."</p>.<p>"You're seeing the Netflix leadership going head-to-head with some of their employees," said Galloway.</p>.<p>"When does Ryan Murphy say this is unacceptable?" he asked, referring to the creator of LGBTQ+-themed smash hits such as <em>Pose</em> who is on a reported $300 million deal to make shows for Netflix.</p>.<p>Chappelle's case is more complicated still because, while he is accused of hounding one vulnerable minority, the comic repeatedly points out during the show that he is speaking as a member of another.</p>.<p>"The special draws its energy from one of the hottest debates in popular culture, about competing claims to victimhood," wrote Helen Lewis in <em>The Atlantic</em>.</p>.<p>There are parallels with the uproar sparked by <em>Harry Potter</em> author JK Rowling last year, when she asserted "the reality of biological sex", which many called out as transphobic.</p>.<p>While Rowling spoke about the importance of "protecting the safety of girls and women", Chappelle discusses his experiences as a Black man.</p>.<p>He claims that white gay people "are minorities until they need to be white again," and that LGBTQ+ communities have made progress in a few years that Black people have not enjoyed in decades.</p>.<p>"There are multiple fault lines here," said Galloway. "Any one could split open and create an earthquake."</p>.<p><strong>Check out the latest DH videos:</strong></p>