Hundreds join in Netflix protest rally over Dave Chappelle's The Closer

The Hollywood Reporter

Today's rally in front of Netflix's Vine Street offices in Hollywood drew not only trans Netflix employees and their supporters, but also Dave Chappelle fans. The protest was originally planned for Netflix's headquarters on Sunset Blvd, but was moved nearly a mile away to accommodate more people. Transparent creator Joey Soloway was among the protesters, calling on a trans person to be added to "the Netflix f*cking board." “This is gender violence. Sharing his outrage as comedic humiliation in front of thousands of people, and then broadcasting it to hundreds of millions of people, is infinitely amplified gender violence,” Soloway said of Chappelle's special. “I want trans representation on the Netflix board. A trans person on the f*cking Netflix board this f*cking week.” B. Pagels-Minor, the Black, trans and pregnant former employee whom Netflix fired last week for allegedly leaking internal data, also spoke at the rally. “As most of you know, I’m 33 weeks pregnant. And when I thought about why I was participating in, it’s that my son does not grow up with content that hates me,” Pagels-Minor said. “I want my child to grow up in a world where they see that their parent, a Black trans person — because I exist, contrary to what the special says, contrary to what many people say — that I am valued and I am an important person as well.” Meanwhile, Chappelle fans carrying signs like “Jokes are funny” and “Dave is funny,” squared off with walkout participants with posters that read “Support, uplift, protect trans voices” and “Gender is NOT a fact. Educate yourself.” Elliot Page, Dan Levy, Sara Ramirez, Lilly Wachowski, Billy Eichner, Our Lady J, Angelica Ross and Jonathan Van Ness were among the big names expressing support for protesters, but not in person. ALSO: Protesters release a "list of asks," including removing Dave Chappelle imagery from offices.