Transgender Hollywood writers and their supporters struck out against Netflix offices in Los Angeles on Thursday. The action was in part of the Writers Guild of America’s ongoing work stoppage against the movie studios. Demonstrators carrying signs that bore messages such as, “They/Them Causing May/Hem”, “Give us Trans TV, not ChatGPT” and “My pronouns are pay/me” made their presence to be known.
The event was attended by GLAAD and members of IATSE, a union that represents movie crews. The strike began after the movie studios and the Writers Guild did not agree on a new contract. This is the first time writers walked off of the job since the strike of 2007-2008.
Writers are demanding better pay in response to the streaming revolution which has taken over the industry. The Writers Guild mentioned that the shorter seasons that streaming services prefer, with most shows having ten or fewer episodes per season, have been damaging to writers who frequently must find gigs on different shows to make ends meet. There is also fear that artificial intelligence will eventually replace writers.
The aforementioned protest was also sparked by an incident involving Netflix’s partnership with Comedian Dave Chappelle. Chappelle regularly jokes about trans lifestyle, but has resisted apologizing or pulling back when the “woke mob” has attacked him for it.
Netflix is a company founded in 1997. It was first a DVD rental service which used to mail its customers discs of their wanted movies, but it quickly grew into streaming service which developed its own content. Netflix has been pivotal in the streaming revolution that has taking over Hollywood.
Dave Chappelle is renowned American comedian, actor and writer. He rose to fame in the 90s for his role in Home Improvement and his shooting comedy special Chappelle’s Show. In later years, he has become famous for his stand-up specials and his politically incorrect jokes about trans lifestyle, which have started controversies in the past.
