Is Dave Chappelle transphobic? Protesters and show-goers give their thoughts

• By Ezra Levant

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This past Saturday a protest advertised as “Protest Dave Chapelle Transphobia” was scheduled to meet out front of the main entrance of Vancouver’s Rogers Arena where thousands of people eagerly attended stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle’s, “Dave Chapelle and Friends” show.

The long time comedian and actor has proven himself to be “un-cancellable” after continuing to thrive in his profession even after receiving backlash from some in the LGBTQ community for his Netflix Special “The Closer”. The special bought smiles and laughter to many, even though it included jokes about the LGBTQ community, and ended on a more serious note where the comedian opened his heart up about his dear friend Daphne Dorman. The late Dorman identified as a transgender women and committed suicide after reportedly being cyber bullied relentlessly for standing up for Chapelle’s art.

Dorman’s family and other trans artists, including transgender comedian Blaze Monroe, have also publicly come to the comedian's defence. Meanwhile Chapelle, who says he’s open to talking about his Closer special with the LGBTQ community but won’t be “bending to anybody’s demand”, continues to pack out comedy shows and has even signed on with Netflix to produce four more shows.

So with such popularity, and such controversy, Rebel News was on sight as friends of Chappelle lined up to see his show and only two individuals came to attend the protest against them. I interviewed the two activists holding signs reading “hate speech is not a joke” and “I just want to pee without fearing for my life,” as well as feminist activist Amy Hemm and child protection activist Billboard Chris, who were there in support of Chappelle’s show.

You never know what could happen at certain protests, and because a transgender activist aggressively tried to grab my microphone away from me when I covered a protest calling for an end to medical transitioning of children in Canada, Rebel News hired two bodyguards to keep myself and our B.C. producer safe while bringing you this report. Please help us recoup the costs to do so by donating at JournalistDefenceFund.com.