Netflix On LGBT People: Rhetoric vs. Reality

I was inspired to write this article after the 10/11/2021 resignation of Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden in response to the leaks of racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic emails he wrote a decade ago. Of course, an increasing percent of NFL fans are Democrats and Independents, both of which are groups that currently support the rights of all people. Meanwhile, football players were some of the most vocal supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement all throughout the 2010s. Still, the fact that, of all groups, the National Football League was the one took a stand against all forms of bigotry took me aback.

Personally, I do not believe that employers should have the right to fire people for what they do off the job. However, I do believe that the National Football League’s heart was in the right place when they originally condemned Gruden’s behavior and their willingness to take a stand on this issue is a good sign for the country.

Compare the actions of the NFL — an actually progressive company — to the actions of Netflix, a company that pretends to be progressive. On 10/5/2021, Netflix released Dave Chappelle’s new special The Closer, where Chappelle declared himself “team TERF” and defended J. K. Rowling while attacking both transgender people and those who support their rights.