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Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos doubled down on “free speech” as the corporate continues dealing with criticism from LGBTQ activists over content material deemed offensive towards the transgender group.
The corporate has confronted criticism since final fall from LGBTQ advocates who took situation with jokes in a particular from comic Dave Chappelle. These considerations have been reignited this month after a brand new present from comic Ricky Gervais additionally featured offensive remarks towards the transgender group, once more touchdown Netflix on the heart of discourse surrounding the stability between free speech and respecting the rights of marginalized teams.
Sarandos defended Netflix towards the backlash in an interview with New York Instances columnist Maureen Dowd that was printed Saturday, and defined that he believes the one manner comedians can study what content material is offensive is by “crossing the road each now and again.”
“I believe it is essential to the American tradition usually to have free expression,” he stated.
He defended the content material by saying the corporate is producing content material for “lots of various individuals who have totally different opinions and totally different tastes and totally different types” and that “all the things’s not going to be for everyone.”
Final October, transgender Netflix workers staged a company-wide protest over Chappelle’s particular, accusing the corporate of “releasing content material that harms the Trans group and frequently failing to create content material that represents and uplifts Trans content material.”
Nevertheless, the corporate’s higher-ups have consolidated assist round Chappelle. In an inside memo earlier this month, the corporate suggested that workers who can not work on the “breadth” of their content material, “Netflix might not be the perfect place for you.”
“As workers we assist the precept that Netflix provides a variety of tales, even when we discover some titles counter to our personal private values,” the memo, first reported by Selection, learn.
Sarandos informed Dowd his resolution to assist Chappelle “wasn’t laborious.”
“It was a chance to take any person, like in Dave’s case, who’s, by all measure, the comic of our technology, the most well-liked comic on Netflix for positive,” he stated. “No person would say that what he does is not considerate or sensible. You simply do not agree with him. “
His newest remarks have been met with some criticism on social media, the place advocates for transgender rights continued pushing for adjustments to the best way the corporate handles offensive content material.
“I am positive that if it was @netflix CEO Ted Sarandos’s youngsters being bullied, attacked, or murdered by transphobes that he would change his tune on permitting Netflix content material to assist bigotry in a heartbeat,” tweeted sociologist Dr. DaShanne Stokes.
“For folks in again, freedom of speech IS NOT proper to a platform. If Gervais & Chappelle need yell their transphobic bigotry right into a void, positive. Additionally, screw you Netflix. Continuously supporting transphobes is a s***** hill to die on. And you might be dying,” wrote Youtuber Jessie Earl.
Sarandos has beforehand defended the controversial content material from Netflix. In October, he informed The Hollywood Reporter that he believes “the inclusion of the particular on Netflix is in step with our comedy providing, it is in step with Dave Chappelle’s comedy model and that is…a type of instances when there’s one thing on Netflix that you just’re not going to love.”
Newsweek reached out to Netflix for remark.
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