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CNN’s Chris Cuomo suggested Dave Chappelle’s comedy special called “The Closer” was “transphobic.”
Cuomo began a discussion with HBO’s Bill Maher by claiming Chappelle has a “long history of going after trans people.”
He added that “the homophobia is not much of a push against him as what he says against trans people.”
Fox News notes that critics label Chappelle as “transphobic” over remarks he made in support of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.
In his jokes, Chappelle says gender is based in fact. He declared himself on “team TERF,” which stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.
Netflix refused to remove the comedy special despite backlash from its employees and talent.
Maher responded that he’s on “Team Dave.”
“Well, you say ‘going after.’ You use terms like ‘homophobia,'” Maher said. “I was speaking recently about ‘phobia.’ There’s a word that has traveled quite a bit from its original meaning.”
“This trans stuff is very new,” Maher said. “I don’t think he or myself or any other right-thinking person thinks there aren’t such things in the world as people who are trans, who are born in a body that doesn’t align with what their brain is telling them.”
“So don’t put it into this category of ‘This is settled science.’ Anything that deviates from the one true opinion on this means you’re some horrible bigot or transphobic,” Maher said.
“That’s not what’s going on here,” Maher continued. “And I don’t think Dave Chappelle is transphobic… It’s like — can we take a breath?”
Watch the clip:
Later in their convo, Cuomo brought up Dave Chappelle and the trans controversy in his last special. "I'm Team Dave and free speech," Maher declared. Maher was also against pushing transgenderism on children. "Kids should not be really making decisions about their gender." pic.twitter.com/c3Xrk7sT0W
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) November 18, 2021
“Maybe we are going too far with the children part of this. You know, kids should not be really making decisions about their gender.”
“I mean, Mario Lopez was almost canceled for suggesting that maybe 3-year-olds shouldn’t decide their gender. This is not crazy stuff that makes you a bigot.”
“But,” Cuomo responded. “His choice to make jokes about them — now, this is the argument… that I don’t think he handled well, I will say that – you’re punching down at this group.”
Cuomo continued, “This is a discreet minority. They’ve got a lot of problems of being targeted and hurt.”
“You are a powerful voice. And you making fun of them empowers the people who want to hurt them whether you know that or not. Now that we’ve told you that, stop doing it. Is that a bad suggestion?”
Maher concluded about Chappalle, “I think as a Black man in America, he’s sees… nobody in America, except for the Indians, have had it anywhere near like the Black folks have had it in America. So I can see why that would get under the skin.”
