Transgender group issues list of demands to Netflix as dozens protest outside HQ

Netflix trans employees, public figures and allies staged a walkout on Wednesday outside Netflix’s 13-story Sunset Boulevard offices in Los Angeles.

The protest was prompted following the controversy surrounding Dave Chappelle’s, The Closer, which has been criticised as being transphobic. During his sixth comedy special, Chapelle said, “gender is a fact.” He also added that everyone had to be born from a woman to “be on earth.”

According to The Verge, the trans employee resource group released a list of demands ahead of the protest.

“We want the company to adopt measures in the areas of content investment, employee relations and safety, and harm reduction, all of which are necessary to avoid future instances of platforming transphobia and hate speech,” they said.

The list consisted of investing in transgender creators “specifically develop trans and non-binary talent”, eliminating references/imagery of transphobic titles and talent inside of the workplace, “including but not limited to murals, posters, room names, swag”, and acknowledging the harm that Netflix has caused through its transphobic content toward the Black trans community.

Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter

People headed to Twitter to show their support and solidarity for the trans community.

Just last week, Netflix fired the organiser of the trans walkout. The company terminated the employee, who remains anonymous, on suspicion of leaking metrics to the press. In an official statement, a Netflix spokesperson said:

“We have let go of an employee for sharing confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company,”

“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.”

Before the walkout, a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement: “We respect the decision of any employee who chooses to walk out, and recognize we have much more work to do both within Netflix and in our content.”