Elliot Page and Dan Levy lead celebrities standing with Netflix employees walking out over Dave Chapelle transphobic backlash

Elliot has voiced support for Netflix employees protesting against Dave Chappelle (Picture: Getty/Netflix)

Elliot Page and Dan Levy are among the stars standing with Netflix employees who staged a walkout over the Dave Chappelle transphobia controversy.

The comedian sparked outrage with his comments in his new special The Closer, in which he said he was ‘team Terf’ – the acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist – while also saying ‘gender is a fact’.

In addition, Dave shared his backing for JK Rowling following her own backlash regarding the transgender community. 

Page, who stars in Netflix’s Umbrella Academy, voiced his support for those protesting at Netflix headquarters in Los Angeles.

‘I stand with the trans, nonbinary, and BIPOC employees at Netflix fighting for more and better trans stories and a more inclusive workplace,’ he penned alongside a video of Ashlee Marie Preston, who organised the rally.

Schitt’s Creek creator and star Levy also backed the movement. It comes just one month after he signed a major deal with Netflix to create original TV and films.

He wrote: ‘I stand with every employee at Netflix using their voice to ensure a safe and supportive work environment.

‘I’ve seen first-hand how vital television can be when it comes to influencing the cultural conversation. That impact is real and works both ways: positively AND negatively.

‘Transphobia is unacceptable and harmful. That isn’t a debate.’

Comedian Mae Martin, whose comedy series Feel Good is available to stream on the streaming giant, stood by Netflix employees too.

‘I don’t think it’s very difficult to be funny without ridiculing marginalised groups and contributing to a culture of transphobia that directly results in disproportionate levels of violence, suicide, and discrimination,’ they wrote.

Dan Levy signed a major deal with Netflix in September (Picture: Netflix)

‘As a trans/non-binary person who works with Netflix this has been a true bummer, but I’m hopeful for positive and thoughtful reflection moving forward. And los, am I right? Remember lols?’

Netflix boss Ted Sarandos recently admitted he ‘screwed up’ in his defense of Chappelle’s highly controversial special, saying he should have ‘led with a lot more humanity’.

‘First and foremost, I should have led with a lot more humanity. Meaning, I had a group of employees who were definitely feeling pain and hurt from a decision we made. And I think that needs to be acknowledged up front before you get into the nuts and bolts of anything,’ he told Variety.

Mae Martin stresses it’s not hard to be funny without ridiculing marginalised groups (Picture: Rex)

‘I didn’t do that. That was uncharacteristic for me, and it was moving fast and we were trying to answer some really specific questions that were floating. We landed with some things that were much more blanket and matter-of-fact that are not at all accurate.’

Sarandos added that because Netflix supports ‘creative freedom and artistic expression among the artists’ that work with the firm, ‘sometimes, there will be things on Netflix that you dislike. That you even find harmful’.

He said that the company ‘draws the line’ when something has made a ‘call for physically harming other people or even remove protections’.

Sarandos said that he doesn’t believe The Closer falls under the definition of hate speech, adding that he doesn’t think there have been ‘many calls’ to take it down.

More: Netflix

Earlier this week, Netflix confirmed that the company fired an employee for allegedly leaking internal data about the special, saying in a statement: ‘We understand this employee may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix, but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company.’

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