An unpopular, unapologetically Black opinion
Allison Gaines
Dave Chapelle’s new Netflix series The Closer struck a nerve. Of course, he has always been known for his unique perspectives about American culture. But his recent statements have some folks claiming he is transphobic, and while some of his jokes were off-color, I think many people are missing the point behind his latest comedic performance.
“I have never had a problem with transgender people. If you listen to what I’m saying clearly, my problem has always been with White people (Dave Chapelle).”
First things first, Dave Chapelle never said that LGBTQ people don’t exist in the Black community. But there is a difference between our movement as Black people and the movement for LGBTQ rights. After all, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, my friend, a gay Black man, said he wouldn’t fight for our rights until all Black people accepted LGBTQ people — an impossible feat since every community has homophobia.
While I respected his opinion, I was left feeling discouraged. After all, Black men permit misogynoir to spread within our communities, but as a Black woman, I’m not giving up on Black men. Still, each person gets to decide for themselves who they are, what they stand for, and what matters to them.
Now that the long-cherished goal of marriage equality has been achieved, Craig says white LGBT activists should reach out to Black Americans (Interview by NPR).
Anyone working in social justice will recognize the historical distinctions between the Black Power movement and the LGTBQ movement. We have different social and legislative priorities, but it doesn’t make us natural-born enemies. On the contrary, someone in both of these communities benefits from both movements.
And there are moments when our movements overlap. For instance, we have brilliant gay men like James Baldwin, who “dared write about black gay men and from a black gay perspective.” Notice he wasn’t just speaking as a gay man, but as a Black man too. But, despite his advocacy and brilliant commentary on America’s racist condition, Baldwin wasn’t universally praised. He faced discrimination from within the Black community — the Black Panthers taunted him for his sexuality. Black power movements in America have been largely focused on Black men seeing issues through a heteronormative lens.
We should call folks out when they get it wrong, but we need to deal with this subject with the nuance it deserves. Of course, the Black community will always have LGBTQ people and, yes, my dears, All Black Lives Matter. But, let’s not pretend that White people didn’t funk up the conversation about race, sex, and identity in America because they absolutely did this — divided us, creating social standings that marginalized us.
Dave Chapelle addressed the primarily white attempts to cancel Black celebrities for offending the LGBTQ community, even as White pockets in those communities “punch down” at Black people. That being said, Dave Chapelle made some pretty shocking statements about sex and gender politics. For example, “Sex is assigned at birth” and “Gender refers to how someone self-identifies.” So, in that respect, I think it’s wrong for the trans community to insist that he is inherently transphobic in identifying these distinctions (which we use in the medical community). It’s not our differences that are problematic — it’s the way people treat us for them that is problematic. These accusations only close the door to a conversation we need to have.
All I ask of your community, with all humility: Will you please stop punching down on my people? (Dave Chapelle)
White people often refer to Black people as racist for talking about race, and it seems that now White people are calling Dave Chapelle transphobic for discussing the trans community. Yet, he never made a statement diminishing their lives, their worth in the community, or their plight. People need to wake up and realize we can’t live in a race-neutral society just because folks don’t want to talk about race, and we can’t live in a gender-neutral society because folks feel uneasy about the conversation. Instead, we need to embrace our differences and fight against the ignorant messaging out there.
I can’t help but see the irony here because as a Millenial, I’m old enough to remember when White people made a movie called “Team America” in which the characters sang the song “Everybody Has Aids.” At the time, no one accused them of being homophobic which is why I raised an eye-brow when DaBaby’s statements about HIV/AIDS were automatically assumed homophobic.
Society is shifting and I believe it’s doing so for the better. But, I’m seeing a lot of ignorance being labeled as cruelty and that actually serves to diminish the point that marginalized folks are making. In other words, “don’t cry wolf because when the real hateful person comes along, everyone will tune out.” They will be effectively desensitized to the violence that we experience for being Black, gay, disabled, or just different.
America is an odd show to watch. Somehow, White people can joke about things Black people can’t. When we do it, we’re homophobic, and when they do it, everyone laughs. I think that there is a double standard here, and that’s what Dave Chapelle was trying to bring to the forefront. Too bad the loudest voices on this issue want us to believe that Dave Chapelle hates gay people.
Chapelle can joke about Whiteness, Blackness, conservativism, progressivism, poverty, crime, but not the gay community. That makes no sense to me. So, while many people are jumping on the bandwagon to cancel or punish Dave Chapelle, I’m not on board because he never said anything hateful about the community. He only exposed his bias towards heteronormativity, which could provide an opportunity for his continued education and growth. Sadly, White folks are just out to cancel him.
Jaclyn Moore, an executive producer of Netflix’s show Dear White People, announced that she will no longer be working with Netflix after Chappelle’s special, arguing that the company “continue[s] to put out and profit from blatantly and dangerously transphobic content”.
“Dear White People” shouldn’t have such a “show runner,” White executive producer like Jaclyn Moore anyway because Black people are fully capable of telling our own stories. But, that’s a discussion for another day. She’s out here trying to cancel Dave Chapelle, all the while proving his point about White people.
When Nick Cannon got “cancelled” for speaking about Black Israelites, I felt like White people and Jewish people as well missed the point. Anyone who understands Black conspiracy theorists will know where he got these ideas from. We’re trying to chop off the tips instead of pulling at the problem by its roots.
Like many Black people, Dave Chapelle sees the LGBTQ community as untouchable and beyond reproach, and that’s not right. None of us should be beyond refinement. And while uncouth, I don’t think that talking about the difference between sex and gender makes someone transphobic. We can’t fight ignorance without an interest in educating the public.
A phobia is an irrational fear, but it doesn’t seem that Dave Chapelle fears transfolk. Instead, he wants to discuss our different movements, how they work together, and how they fail to have each other’s backs. I think that’s a worthwhile discussion, and I’m sure White folks will cancel him, but frankly, I’m okay with it. His brand of comedy was never meant for them anyway — it was unapologetically for Black people.
Comedians talk about sex all the time, but the critique of Chapelle shows society won’t tolerate this brand of comedy from Black men. But, maybe there’s hope because not everyone feels that way. Recently, the family of Daphne Dorman, a late transgender comedian, gave their support to Chapelle during the controversy saying, “he’s an LGBTQ ally and meant the world to her.”
What he’s saying to the LGBTQ family is, ‘I see you. Do you see me? I’m mourning my friend in the best way I know how. Can you see me? Can you allow me that?’… This was a call to come together, that two oppressed factions of our nation put down their keyboards and make peace. How sad that this message was lost in translation (The Daily Beast).