Ricky Gervais’ Netflix special draws criticism for trans jokes – Deadline

Advertisement

Ricky Gervais' Netflix special draws criticism for trans jokes - Deadline

Ricky Gervais’ new comedy special super nature was released on Netflix just a few hours ago, but he’s already getting a lot of buzz for his graphic jokes mocking the trans community.

Just four minutes later, Gervais targets trans women. “Oh, women!” Gervais began. “Not all women, I mean the old-fashioned ones. The old-fashioned women with wombs. Those damn dinosaurs. I love the new women. You are great, aren’t you? The new ones we’ve seen lately. The ones with beards and tails. They are as good as gold, I love them. And now the old-fashioned are saying, ‘Oh, they want to use our toilets.’ “Why shouldn’t you use your toilets?” ‘For ladies!’ “They are ladies – look at their pronouns! What about that person who isn’t a lady?’ “Well, his penis.” ‘Your penis, you bloody fanatic!’ ‘What if he rapes me?’ ‘What if she rapes you, you fucking TERF whore?’”

TERF stands for Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist, a term used to describe feminists who advocacy separate trans women’s rights from women’s rights.

At the end of the special, Gervais issued a disclaimer that his jokes aimed at the trans community were only shock value: “Full disclosure: In real life, of course, I support trans rights,” Gervais explained. “I support all human rights, and trans rights are human rights. live your best life Use your favorite pronouns. Be the gender you feel for.”

Last year Dave Chappelle’s Netflix special The nearer caused a huge backlash over comments about the trans and LGBTQ+ communities, prompting a staff strike at the streamer.

In an interview with Stephen Colbert further late night Last week, to promote the special, Gervais defended his decision to joke about “taboo” subjects, saying he wanted to take “smart” audiences somewhere they’d never been before. “I think people get offended when they confuse the subject of a joke with the actual goal, and smart people know you can handle anything, especially when it involves something like irony,” he told Colbert.

Social media reaction to super nature was fast.

“Ricky Gervais has a new standup show on Netflix today,” one trans woman tweeted. “5 minutes later he’s joking about trans women attacking and raping people in public restrooms. To him, we only exist as a punch line, as a threat, as something less human.”

Another wrote: “If you’re a comedian and supportive of trans people, it’s your responsibility to speak out against Dave Chapelle and the new Ricky Gervais special. At this point, one cannot call oneself an ally unless one publicly opposes it. It’s the bare minimum.”

Another canceled his Netflix membership: “In honor of Ricky Gervais and his 2-4-1 rant about trans people and abort culture, I’m actually quitting. Thanks @netflix #TransRightsAreHumanRights”

Below is an example of additional reactions:

You May Also Like