Netflix suspends 3 employees amid Chappelle’s transphobia controversy

Netflix has suspended three employees for allegedly trying to attend a meeting of top executives.

According to Variety, the trio was suspended for attending the QBR, Netflix’s quarterly business review that convenes the top 500 employees at the company, without being invited or notifying those who run the meeting.

Among those suspended was Terra Field, a queer senior software engineer who criticised ‘The Closer’ on Twitter.

Last week, Field put out a Twitter thread that criticized the TV series by Dave Chappelle for attacking “the trans community, and the very validity of transness — all while trying to pit us against other marginalized groups.”

“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,” Field’s tweets read in part.

“People who look like me aren’t being killed. I’m a white woman, I get to worry about Starbucks writing ‘Tara’ on my drink. Promoting TERF ideology (which is what we did by giving it a platform yesterday) directly harms trans people, it is not some neutral act.

“This is not an argument with two sides. It is an argument with trans people who want to be alive and people who don’t want us to be.”

Chappelle had also come under fire for jokes about trans people in previous Netflix specials. His material about trans people in ‘The Closer’ included a joke comparing trans peoples’ genitals to plant-based meat substitutes.

But according to Rolling Stone, Netflix denied that Field’s suspension was connected to her criticism of the show.

“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 rep was quoted as saying.