As the Netflix walkout in response to the company's continued support of Dave Chappelle's special The Closer was underway at the streamer's Los Angeles headquarters Oct. 20, a video that includes activists and Netflix talent alike was released, Variety reported.
"Stand Up in Solidarity With Team Trans* at Netflix!" includes appearances by Ashlee Marie Preston, Jonathan Van Ness, Angelica Ross, Jameela Jamil, Mason Alexander Park, Kate Bornstein, Our Lady J, Sara Ramirez, Peppermint and Colton Haynes.
Trans actor Elliot Page, the Oscar-nominated star of Netflix's The Umbrella Academy, also shared the video on Twitter, writing, "I stand with the trans, nonbinary, and BIPOC employees at Netflix fighting for more and better trans stories and a more inclusive workplace #NetflixWalkout."
In an Oct. 20 statement, Netflix officials said that they respected the decision of any employee who'd chosen to walk out and admitted the organization had "much more work to do" in terms of representation within its content, Deadline reported.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos also told Deadline that he botched the streamer's messaging in the wake of the backlash against The Closer.
The actual walkout and rally had more than 100 protesters and allies attend and present their "list of asks" to the company in the wake of the controversy, Deadline noted in a separate piece.
The list of demands included, among other things, eliminating references/imagery of Chappelle inside of the workplace; implementing trans and non-binary content investment; investing in multiple trans creators to make both scripted and unscripted programs across genres; and hiring transgender content executives in leading positions and promote and inclusive environment for them.
B. Pagels-Minor, the Netflix employee fired last week from the streamer for allegedly leaking financial information to the media about Chappelle's comedy special, was among those participating at the company's Vine Street offices near its Sunset Boulevard headquarters. Pagels-Minor told Deadline on the sidelines of the rally that they did not leak information to the media.
Also, Netflix is dealing with another anti-LGBTQ situation, according to Yahoo! News. Leaked documents show that Netflix investigated one of its top executives for "aggressive and intimidating" anti-LGBTQ behavior. The internal investigation was triggered by claims made against vice president for original content in Spain and Portugal, Diego Avalos, via an anonymous tip line. However, Netflix decided to allow Avalos to remain in his position. The same letter said Netflix would give Avalos a chance to "change his communication and leadership style," and provide "tough feedback" and coaching to support this.
