(CNN)Hundreds of Netflix employees and supporters are expected to instrumentality portion successful a objection connected Wednesday.
The employees are protesting the streaming giant's handling of contention surrounding Dave Chappelle's caller drama special, "The Closer."
Chappelle's comments astir transgender radical successful the peculiar person been wide criticized arsenic transphobic by aggregate employees and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.
The comedian made the jokes during a historical twelvemonth for anti-transgender legislation, introduced successful astatine slightest 33 states, and little than a twelvemonth aft a record-high fig of transgender people, astir of them trans women of color, were killed.
Netflix employees and organizers calling themselves Team Trans* person scheduled a rally adjacent the company's offices successful Los Angeles. They program to stitchery to contiguous Co-Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos with a "list of asks."
"We shouldn't person to amusement up quarterly/annually to propulsion backmost against harmful contented that negatively impacts susceptible communities," organizer Ashlee Marie Preston wrote successful a societal media post. "Instead, we purpose to usage this infinitesimal to displacement the societal ecology astir what Netflix enactment deems ethical entertainment."
The employees taking portion successful the walkout, according to The Verge, privation much trans and non-binary individuals successful enforcement level positions astatine Netflix and privation the institution to make a money to enactment trans and non-binary talent.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has not addressed the objection but did archer Variety successful an interrogation published Tuesday that helium "screwed up" erstwhile it came to however helium has handled disapproval of the special.
"I screwed up that interior communication," Sarandos told the publication. "I did that, and I screwed it up successful 2 ways. First and foremost, I should person led with a batch much humanity. Meaning, I had a radical of employees who were decidedly feeling symptom and wounded from a determination we made. And I deliberation that needs to beryllium acknowledged up beforehand earlier you get into the nuts and bolts of anything. I didn't bash that. That was uncharacteristic for me, and it was moving accelerated and we were trying to reply immoderate truly circumstantial questions that were floating. We landed with immoderate things that were overmuch much broad and matter-of-fact that are not astatine each accurate."
After Chapelle's peculiar debuted connected Netflix connected Oct. 5, Sarandos acknowledged Chappelle's provocative connection successful an emails to unit obtained by Variety, but defended the platform's committedness to creator state and said the peculiar didn't transverse the enactment to incite violence.
"We person a beardown content that contented connected surface doesn't construe into real-world harm," Sarandos wrote.
CNN has not independently verified the emails from Sarandos. When reached by CNN past week, a spokesperson for Netflix said: "Our employees are encouraged to disagree openly and we enactment their close to bash so."
GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organization, voiced interest astir Chappelle's comments "The Closer" and pushed backmost connected the presumption Sarandos took successful his notes to staff.
"GLAAD was founded 36 years agone due to the fact that media practice has consequences for LGBTQ people. Authentic media stories astir LGBTQ lives person been cited arsenic straight liable for expanding nationalist enactment for issues similar matrimony equality," GLAAD said successful a connection to CNN past week. "But movie and TV person besides been filled with stereotypes and misinformation astir america for decades, starring to existent satellite harm, particularly for trans radical and LGBTQ radical of color. Ironically, the documentary Disclosure connected Netflix demonstrates this rather clearly."
Comedian Hannah Gadsby besides criticized the effect from Sarandos, which referenced her ain Netflix specials.
"Hey Ted Sarandos! Just a speedy enactment to fto you cognize that I would similar if you didn't resistance my sanction into your mess," she tweeted. "Now I person to woody with adjacent much of the hatred and choler that Dave Chappelle's fans similar to unleash connected maine each clip Dave gets 20 cardinal dollars to process his emotionally stunted partial connection view."
Three Netflix employees were suspended amid the contention for attending an executive-level gathering without permission. They were subsequently reinstated. One worker was fired past week for sharing "confidential, commercially delicate information" astir the peculiar to Bloomberg.
"We recognize this worker whitethorn person been motivated by disappointment and wounded with Netflix, but maintaining a civilization of spot and transparency is halfway to our company," a Netflix spokesperson said.
CNN's Scottie Andrew and Lisa France contributed to this story.
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