Several celebrities have filmed a public service announcement in support of trans employees of Netflix who are planning to walk off the job Wednesday to protest the network's reaction to Dave Chappelle's most recent stand-up comedy special on the video streaming service.
Variety reported Monday that celebrities Angelica Ross, Jonathan Van Ness, Jameela Jamil, Eureka O'Hara and Colton Haynes filmed a PSA that is part of a ''Stand Up in Solidarity'' rally planned for Wednesday in which Netflix employees will reportedly walk off the job to protest Chappelle's controversial special ''The Closer,'' which is airing on the network.
The PSA, according to the report, will be given to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos and include ''firm asks'' from trans employees and their supporters ''to underscore the importance of responsible content offerings that prioritize the safety and dignity of all marginalized communities,'' according to the announcement of the event by organizer and activist Ashlee Marie Preston.
The event is scheduled to take place at the Netflix Epic Building at 10:30 a.m. in Hollywood, California.
The rally is the result of backlash from employees of the service that objected to Chappelle's stand-up comedy special, in which he mocked the trans community and gender fluidity in general.
In the show, Chappelle said that all humans come to Earth through a woman, and that it is a fact that there are only two genders.
Sarandos defended the special amid the backlash last week, saying: ''While some employees disagree, we have a strong belief that content on-screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm.''
Three employees, including Terra Field, who identifies as trans and put out a post on Twitter criticizing the network for airing the special, and two others were temporarily suspended from their jobs for allegedly ''crashing'' an executive meeting, Variety reported.
They have since been reinstated, according to Sarandos, because they had ''no ill intent'' for going to the meeting uninvited.
An unidentified employee was reportedly fired, however, on Oct. 15 for sharing ''commercially sensitive information'' outside the company, Bloomberg reported.
The walkout was planned after that most recent event.
''We shouldn't have to show up annually to push back against harmful content that negatively impacts vulnerable communities,'' the Instagram announcement reads. ''Instead, we aim to use this moment to shift the social ecology around what Netflix leadership deems ethical entertainment, while establishing policies and guidelines that protect employees and consumers, alike.''
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