Megan Rapinoe says Dave Chappelle's jokes 'directly' lead to violence against transgender people



U.S. women's soccer team star Megan Rapinoe accused comedian Dave Chappelle of "directly" causing violence against transgender people by making jokes about the issue.

Rapinoe made the comments in an interview with Time magazine where she expanded on her support for the transgender agenda.

“I don’t want to mince words about it,” Rapinoe said. “Dave Chappelle making jokes about trans people directly leads to violence, whether it’s verbal or otherwise, against trans people. When Martina or Sage or whoever are talking about this, people aren’t hearing it just in the context of elite sports. They’re saying, ‘The rest of my life, this is how I’m going to treat trans people.’”

She went on to criticize efforts to restrict transgender athletes from competing in some sports.

“It’s particularly frustrating when women’s sports is weaponized. Oh, now we care about fairness? Now we care about women’s sports?" Rapinoe continued.

"That’s total bulls***," she added. "And show me all the trans people who are nefariously taking advantage of being trans in sports. It’s just not happening.”

Chappelle has been lambasted by some in the transgender community over jokes that he has made in several comedy specials. He has responded by asserting that he has many transgender friends and bears no ill will against them.

Elsewhere in the interview Rapinoe said that she would welcome transgender women on the U.S. women's soccer team despite whether such a transgender woman would displace a biological woman from playing.

"‘You’re taking a ‘real’ woman’s place,’ that’s the part of the argument that’s still extremely transphobic," she said.

"I see trans women as real women. What you’re saying automatically in the argument — you’re sort of telling on yourself already — is you don’t believe these people are women," Rapinoe added. "Therefore, they’re taking the other spot. I don’t feel that way."

She has also said that she's retiring after the 2023 soccer season.

Here's more about Rapinoe's trans comments:

Dana Perino responds to Megan Rapinoe: This drives me crazy www.youtube.com

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Dave Chappelle decides to leave his name off of theater at his high school in order to avoid offending anyone



Comedian Dave Chappelle decided that he would leave his name off of a theater at his high school in order to avoid offending anyone after some liberal students protested against him.

Chappelle made the announcement on Monday at the naming ceremony at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, his alma mater.

Chappelle had donated money and helped raise money for the new theater for the school he says was pivotal in his development as an iconic comedian. The school responded by saying it would name the theater after Chappelle.

That honor was soured when some students at the school protested against the decision based on the controversy surrounding jokes he made that offended some in the transgender and LGBTQ communities.

Chappelle addressed those protests on Monday when he announced the decision.

“These kids didn’t understand that they were instruments of oppression," he said according to a Washington Post reporter.

“When you say I can’t say something, the more urgent is it for me to say it. It has nothing to do with what you are saying I can’t say. It has everything to do with my freedom of artistic expression," Chappelle argued.

In November, the school said that they would continue with their plan to name the theater after Chappelle and reject the attempt by some students to cancel the comedian.

We recognize that not everyone will accept or welcome a particular artist's point of view, product or craft, but reject the notion that a "cancel culture" is a healthy or constructive means to teach our students how society should balance creative freedom with protecting the rights and dignity of all its members.

On Monday, Chappelle refused to concede to the students protesting against him and said that they were just acting in support of someone else's political agenda. But he decided against putting his name on the theater.

“The idea that my name will be turned into an instrument of someone else’s perceived oppression is untenable to me," he added.

“The Ellington family is my family,” Chappelle concluded.

The theater will instead be named the Theater for Artistic Freedom and Expression.

Chappelle has given and raised millions of dollars for his high school.

Here's more about the incident:

Dave Chappelle defers Duke Ellington honorwww.youtube.com

Dave Chappelle responds to transgender outrage: 'I am not bending to anybody’s demands'



Legendary comedian Dave Chappelle responded to the outrage against his comments on "The Closer" comedy special in a video he posted to his Instagram account Monday.

The video shows Chappelle addressing the issue during a stand-up comedy session Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee, with a large audience.

"It's been said in the press that I was invited to speak to the transgender employees of Netflix and I refused. That is not true — if they had invited me I would have accepted it, although I am confused about what we would be speaking about," Chappelle said in the video.

"I said what I said, and boy, I heard what you said. My God, how could I not? You said you want a safe working environment at Netflix," he continued.

"Well, it seems like I'm the only one that can't go to the office anymore!" he quipped to loud applause.

He went on to say that he had created a documentary that had been accepted by many film festivals until the controversy over his special, after which they canceled.

"I want everyone in this audience to know that even though the media frames it that it's me versus that community, that is not what it is. Do not blame the LBGTQ [sic] community for any of this s***. This has nothing to do with them. It's about corporate interests and what I can say and what I cannot say," Chappelle said to more loud applause.

Chappelle said the documentary would instead play at select theaters in 10 major cities. He also said he was willing to meet with the transgender community but only under his conditions.

"To the transgender community, I am more than willing to give you an audience, but you will not summon me. I am not bending to anybody's demands. And if you want to meet with me, I'd be more than willing to, but I have some conditions," he said.

"First of all, you cannot come if you have not watched my special from beginning to end. You must come to a place of my choosing at a time of my choosing, and thirdly, you must admit that Hannah Gadsby is not funny!" he added.

Gadsby was one of the comedians who lashed out at Netflix over the controversy.

"For the record, and I need you to know this," Chappelle added, "everyone I know from that community has been loving and supporting, so I don't know what all this nonsense is about."

Here's the video from Dave Chappelle:

Dave Chappelle - Stunted | Addressing the controversywww.youtube.com

Transgender activist who led protest against Dave Chappelle has a troubling history of racist tweets



A transgender activist received a lot of press in the media for leading the protest against Netflix over Dave Chappelle's controversial special, but she has her own history of problematic tweets.

The tweets mocking and insulting Hispanics, Asians, and others were documented at the Post Millennial.

Ashlee Marie Preston does not work at Netflix but she helped organize a walkout by employees in opposition to comments Chappelle made on "The Closer," his latest stand-up comedy special.

Preston, who is a black transgender person, fired off numerous tweets assailing Asians and Hispanics, according to the report.

"Asian hoes act like they wont get karate chopped in they muthaf**n throat. What is this hoe staring at? Mind ya beeswax #B**ch," read one tweet.

"Latino and Asian businesses need 2 stop bein ride & f*kn disrespectful, & I kno its A LOT to ask in CA but speak f*kn English 2* #yahisaidit,' read another tweet.

"Just cussed that Asian b***h clean the f**k out...u mess up my order & THEN blame me?? #englishismyfirstlanguage b***h. Never ordern again," tweeted Preston.

Preston addressed the resurfaced tweets in a statement Monday to her social media account.

"It'll take more than tweets from nearly a decade ago, that y'all already weaponized against me 2 years ago, to stop me from doing the work that'll free us ALL, today," tweeted Preston. "This is so old and I've already taken accountability for it. There's no scandal here."

The activist had previously been criticized for the racist and misogynistic tweets after she was highlighted as a surrogate for the failed 2020 presidential campaign of Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Preston said at the time that the "racially insensitive and homophobic" tweets were a result of her addiction to methamphetamine, and apologized.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has defended the company's decision to keep Chappelle's special on its platform by saying that content doesn't lead to real world harm, a central claim to much of the outrage by transgender activists.

Here's the Reuters video report of Preston's protest:

Netflix protest about 'accountability' not 'cancel culture'www.youtube.com

Liberal comedian lashes out at Netflix over Dave Chappelle special: 'F*** you and your amoral algorithm cult!'



A liberal comedian with two specials on Netflix lashed out over the company's co-CEO over his defense of a controversial Dave Chappelle comedy special.

Chappelle has been under fire from the left over comments he made during a Netflix special criticizing the transgender agenda. Rather than cave to the criticism, co-CEO Ted Sarandos defended the special and said that content doesn't lead to real world harm.

Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby lashed out at Sarandos and claimed that Chappelle's fans were attacking her after Sarandos included her in a list of other comedians to which Netflix has given a platform.

"Hey Ted Sarandos! Just a quick note to let you know that I would prefer if you didn't drag my name into your mess," wrote Gadsby on an Instagram post.

"Now I have to deal with even more of the hate and anger that Dave Chappelle's fans like to unleash on me every time Dave gets 20 million dollars to process his emotionally stunted partial world view," she added.

"You didn't pay me nearly enough to deal with the real world consequences of the hate speech dog whistling you refuse to acknowledge, Ted," she concluded. "F*** you and your amoral algorithm cult."

Transgender staffers and Netflix and their supporters are planning a "virtual walkout" on Wednesday in protest of the special and Sarandos' defense, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Chappelle has responded to the furor by hammering the mainstream media and Twitter during a stand-up performance in Los Angeles, California.

Gadsby celebrated the election of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in November 2020 on another Instagram post.

"Today is a great day for democracy," she wrote. "And coherent speech."

Here's more on cancel culture versus Dave Chappelle:

DAVE CHAPPELLE CONTROVERSY: "Sticks & Stones" Offends the Masseswww.youtube.com

Netflix suspends three employees, including a queer transgender person, for crashing executive meeting over Dave Chappelle



Netflix suspended three employees, including a person who identified as queer and transgender, for crashing an executive meeting to express their opposition to comedian Dave Chappelle's comments about transgender people.

Terra Field, the trans queer person, had also criticized the popular video streaming service in a lengthy diatribe on Twitter.

Netflix said Monday that the company suspended the employees for interrupting the executive meeting of about 500 people, and not for voicing opposition to the controversial comedy special.

"It is absolutely untrue to say that we have suspended any employees for tweeting about this show. Our employees are encouraged to disagree openly and we support their right to do so," a Netflix spokesperson told Variety.

Field claimed in the Twitter tirade that comments like those from Chappelle led directly to transgender people of color being murdered.

"What we object to is the harm that content like this does to the trans community (especially trans people of color) and VERY specifically Black trans women. People who look like me aren't being killed," tweeted Field.

Field went through a list of 38 transgender murder victims before adding, "These are the people that a callous disregard for the lives of trans people by our society have taken from us, and they all deserved better."

Despite the uproar from some on the left, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos defended the special.

"Chapelle is one of the most popular stand-up comedians today, and we have a long standing deal with him. His last special 'Sticks & Stones,' also controversial, is our most watched, stickiest and most award-winning stand-up special to date," Sarandos wrote in a memo obtained by Variety.

"As with our other talent, we work hard to support their creative freedom — even though this means there will always be content on Netflix some people believe is harmful," he added.

Here's more about the Chappelle comedy special:

Dave Defends Women: Chappelle Says Gender Is a Fact! | You Are Herewww.youtube.com

'Dear White People' showrunner quits Netflix to protest Dave Chappelle's transgender jokes, but its backfiring badly online



A white transgender showrunner is leaving Netflix over comments made by iconic comedian Dave Chappelle on his stand-up comedy special, but the boycott backfired badly on social media.

Jaclyn Moore said on Twitter that Chappelle had been one of her heroes but that his controversial comments on his latest special have forced her to leave the network.

"Chappelle was one of my heroes. I was at his comeback show in NYC," tweeted Moore. "He compared my existence to someone doing blackface. He talks about someone winning a Woman of the Year award despite never having a period should make women mad and that it makes him mad."

Moore said she could not work for a company that allowed Chappelle to "misgender" people.

"I just can't... I can't be a part of a company that thinks that's worth putting out and celebrating," Moore added.

What was the reaction?

Moore's protest, however, was met with bewilderment by many black users on Twitter who were surprised and upset to discover that the show, "Dear White People," was written in part by a white transgender woman.

"Wait a f***in minute. The show 'dear white people', which is supposedly about black ppl's struggles & has a 90s soundtrack has a lead producer that is non-black??? & wants to boycott a black man???" read one popular tweet.

"I'm so happy that the trans woman who is behind "Dear White People" tried to virtue signal against Dave Chapelle, and now people are finding out this person is white. Talk about backfiring. lol," replied another critic.

"The showrunner of Dear White People is not only a white woman, but a person who spent the majority of her life enjoying the privilege of a white man. And now she calls for boycott of a black man because he doesn't acquiesce to her world view," read one tweet.

"White trans woman who profited off Black trauma via a show called Dear White People trying to get Dave Chappelle canceled for calling out racism within the LGBTQ community? That's interesting," read another tweet.

"Netflix Dear White People showrunner may get canceled for trying to get someone else canceled," responded another detractor.

"People are just now finding out that white Liberals control black content because Dave Chappelle pissed off the Dear White People showrunner. Wait until they find out they control black politics," quipped another Twitter user.

Chappelle's comedy special, "The Closer," has a 96% positive audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. All three critic reviews are negative.

Here's an interview with Moore about the show:

Justin Simien and Jaclyn Moore on Dear White People Season 4 and the End of the Serieswww.youtube.com