Dave Chappelle’s fundraiser for his alma mater has reportedly been postponed after woke students complained about the transgender jokes the comedian told in his latest Netflix special The Closer.
Students at The Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown were threatening to walk out if administrators didn’t accede to their demands, according to a report from Politico. The November 23 fundraiser will now take place April 22.
The money raised would have reportedly gone toward a new theater at the school named after Chappelle.
“We recognize that not everyone will accept or welcome a particular artist’s point of view, product, or craft, but reject the notion that a ‘cancel culture’ is a healthy or constructive means to teach our students how society should balance creative freedom with protecting the right and dignity of all of its members,” the school said in a statement, according to Politico.
The threat of a walkout reportedly arose when students had “a heated debate” with faculty over an exhibition honoring Chappelle that would have been unveiled on the same day as the fundraiser.
The postponement seems to be a compromise after the school originally chose to cancel the fundraiser. Chappelle has raised millions of dollars for the school over the years, according to Politico.
Watch below (Warning: Strong language):
To assuage the angry students, the school is reportedly holding listening sessions and expanding the social studies curriculum to include “content related to political activism, civic engagement, arts activism, and the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality.”
The dispute is the latest fallout from Chappelle’s Netflix special, which has angered transgender activists and 2SLGBTQQIA+ groups. Some of those groups have demanded Netflix pull the show from its service — a move that the streamer has so far refused to entertain.
Last month, transgender Netflix employees and their allies walked off the job to protest Chappelle, calling on Netflix to commit to producing more transgender and “non-binary” shows and hire more trans employees at the highest levels of the company.
Chappelle has refused to apologize for his jokes, reportedly saying he will mount a U.S. tour if Netflix caves to pressure and pulls the show.
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