Protestors rally at Netflix over Chappelle special's 'transphobia'

A small counter-protest also gathered

Protestors gathered outside Netflix in Los Angeles on Wednesday, angry over a new Dave Chappelle comedy special that has sparked accusations the streamer is trampling transgender rights and profiting from hate speech.

A few dozen staff walked off the job and were joined by a similar number of trans activists and their supporters for a demonstration calling for better representation at the Hollywood giant.

Netflix has scrambled to respond to the unusually public controversy it is facing over Chappelle's "The Closer," in which the stand-up star insists "gender is a fact" and accuses LGBTQ people of being "too sensitive." 

Rally organizer Ashlee Marie Preston, an LGBTQ activist, said the rally was intended to more broadly highlight that jokes such as those made by Chappelle were directly harmful to the minority community.

Companies including Netflix "capitalize off of tension" and use "algorithmic science to manipulate and distort our perceptions of ourselves and one another," said Preston.

- 'I screwed up' -

While LGBTQ groups have cited studies linking on-screen stereotypes to real-world harm, Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos wrote in a leaked memo to staff last week that "content on screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm," and emphasized the importance of defending "artistic freedom."

"I should have first and foremost acknowledged in those emails that a group of our employees were in pain, and they were really feeling hurt from a business decision that we made," he told The Hollywood Reporter.

"This group of employees felt a little betrayed because we've created such a great place to work that they forgot that sometimes these challenges will come up," said Sarandos.

- 'Pain and hurt' -

David Huggard -- known to "Ru Paul's Drag Race" fans as Eureka O'Hara -- attended the rally to highlight "the pain and the hurt that comes with living in this world as a non-binary individual."

"And that goes for anyone in this country, specifically people of power in the entertainment industry," they added.

A small counter-protest gathered on Wednesday in support of Chappelle, with some carrying signs saying "Jokes Are Funny."

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