Bob The Drag Queen on Dave Chappelle Controversy

[phantasmas 9,954]

Deadline spoke with We’re Here co-star Bob the Drag Queen about the Selma episode and the Chappelle special. He felt it was unfair to base most of a special on the comic’s limited association with the trans community. Most of that was negative, save for Chappelle’s touching story of Daphne Dorman, a trans woman and a fellow comedian from the San Francisco area that he befriended and asked to open some of his shows. She died by suicide in 2019 and Chappelle said he established a trust fund for Dorman’s daughter.

“At one point he talked about his friend Daphne and his audience had a human experience, but it feels like it didn’t take,” Bob told Deadline. “It didn’t take because he was not acknowledging other people just like Daphne who are also having these human experiences. He seems to see the validity of trans people through whether or not they support him.

“I understand that Dave Chappelle is a comedian and his main goal is to get people to laugh,” said Bob. “But there was maybe a lack of acknowledgement that there are Black queer people. He would talk about the Black movement versus the queer movement, as if they are not intertwined, as if there are not a lot of queer people who are part of the Black Lives Matter movement. As we know, Black Lives Matters was started by a lesbian. He talks about the queer movement as if there are no Black people in it, but what about Marcia P. Johnson and Dr. Angela Davis? They are all big parts of moving the needle forward.

“The conversation about Black people and queer people is particularly exhausting for Black queer people, because there seems to not be any real acknowledgment that we exist, or are navigating these spaces,” Bob said. “At one point during Dave Chappelle’s special he mentions the anti-trans bathroom bill in North Carolina, and the audience just cheered. I think the reason they did that is they felt they were in a safe place where they could openly acknowledge they’re happy there are laws against trans people. Dave Chappelle says, ‘No, no, I’m not happy about that.’ But it has become unclear what Dave Chappelle is interested in. He calls himself a transphobe several times in the special. He is an undeniably talented comedian who is very good at making people laugh. There are times he will get very close to providing insight, without making fun of queer people or trans people. And then he ends his special with, stop punching down on my people, as if trans people were somehow punching down on the Black community, and as if there were not Black people within that community. It’s just really odd false equivalency.”

“Dave Chappelle is clearly trying to be salacious and that definitely worked, in that it is pushing a conversation in the public eye about what it means to poke fun at trans people.” Bob said. “I’m really intrigued by that and I will say that in the past year this probably has done the most to advance this conversation, quite frankly.”

Asked whether this was something Chappelle planned, Bob sounded doubtful: “I don’t think I have the ability to comment on Dave Chappelle’s intelligence or his IQ. He is smart, but I don’t think this was what he was trying to do. Dave Chappelle is a very honest comedian who says what he is feeling. If his aim was to [create conversation about trans issues], he probably would have said it. He also openly brags about beating up women in this special…it is a really odd special. He openly jokes and brags about beating up a woman in a nightclub.”

Full article: https://deadline.com/2021/10/bob-the-drag-queen-dave-chappelle-were-here-selma-episode-hbo-1234858639/

[COOOK 76,406]

Give👏Roberta👏ha own👏show👏

[SpiritBunny 3,469]

Way too much time and intelligence spent on a washed up rat like Dave Chapelle.

[phantasmas 9,954]

9 minutes ago, SpiritBunny said:

Way too much time and intelligence spent on a washed up rat like Dave Chapelle.

Please don't compare people to animals (especially minorities) 

There are other words you can use to use to express your disdain 

[Cameltoe Chariot 14,386]

Just now, phantasmas said:

Please don't compare people to animals (especially minorities) 

There are other words you can use to use to express your disdain 

...calling people rats is problematic now? 

@Rat Boy, are you aware of this? 

[phantasmas 9,954]

6 minutes ago, CameltoeKween said:

...calling people rats is problematic now? 

@Rat Boy, are you aware of this? 

It's problematic when the metaphor is used to transfer one's disgust felt towards an animal to a person. 

You can call someone a sheep for being a follower or call them a sloth for being slow-paced.

Calling someone a cockroach or a rat because you find them repulsive implies you believe the person is subhuman.