The family of Daphne Dorman has defended Dave Chappelle for his transgender jokes in his Netflix special, The Closer. Dorman’s sisters Becky and Brandy told the Daily Beast that they were outraged by the backlash and weren’t offended in the least by the special.
In his new Netflix special, The Closer, Chappelle devotes a large portion of his show talking about his good friend, Daphne Dorman. Dorman was a comedian as well as transgender.
Chappelle’s special was released on Oct. 5, and he quickly received the wrath of some people in the LGBTQ community for some of his material.
One critic was a producer for the show Dear White People, Jaclyn Moore. She demanded that Netflix remove the special and cut ties with Chappelle.
Moore, who is transgender, said Chappelle was transphobic and condemned Netflix for streaming the special. She also tweeted that she would not work with the streaming service otherwise.
I told the story of my transition for @netflix and @most's Pride week. It's a network that's been my home on @DearWhitePeople. I've loved working there.
I will not work with them as long as they continue to put out and profit from blatantly and dangerously transphobic content.
— Jaclyn Moore (@JaclynPMoore) October 7, 2021
Dorman’s sister Brandy said that she was surprised by the backlash and called Chappelle an ally of the LGBTQ community.
“Dave loved my sister and is an LGBTQ ally,” Brandy said.
“His entire set was begging to end this very situation. At this point, I feel like he poured his heart out in that special and no one noticed. What he’s saying to the LGBTQ family is, ‘I see you. Do you see me? I’m mourning my friend in the best way I know how. Can you see me? Can you allow me that?’… This was a call to come together, that two oppressed factions of our nation put down their keyboards and make peace. How sad that this message was lost in translation.”
Dorman’s sister Becky also defended the comedian.
“Daphne was in awe of Dave’s graciousness,” she said. “She did not find his jokes rude, crude, off-coloring, off-putting, anything. She thought his jokes were funny. Daphne understood humor and comedy—she was not offended. Why would her family be offended?”
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I watched the Netflix special, and besides being funny af, I thought Chappelle brilliantly advocated for the LGBTQ community. He highlighted the transgender community to millions of people while using proper pronouns, and his jokes weren’t particularly mean-spirited.
Critics said his jokes were dangerous to trans people, but I don’t see it this way. Chappelle spoke of Daphne at some length and cared about her. The two bonded over comedy, and he became her mentor. She also opened his shows anytime he performed in San Francisco. The comedian spoke fondly of her and told stories about how funny she was. Maybe transphobic people will feel less hostile after seeing the comedy special.
Dorman also publicly defended Chappelle after receiving heat for his 2019 Netflix special Sticks And Stones for his transgender jokes.
Punching down requires you to consider yourself superior to another group. @DaveChappelle doesn't consider himself better than me in any way. He isn't punching up or punching down. He's punching lines. That's his job and he's a master of his craft. #SticksAndStones #imthatdaphne
— Daphne Dorman (@DaphneDorman) August 29, 2019
She was attacked on social media for her stance and tragically committed suicide weeks later. The comedian said that it wasn’t the social media ridicule that killed her but aptly noted that it couldn’t have helped.
“I don’t know what the trans community did for her, but I don’t care,” he said. “Because I feel like she wasn’t their tribe. She was mine. She was a comedian in her soul.”
After her death, some blamed Chappelle, prompting Daphne’s sister Brandy to defend the comedian publicly.
“The man loved my sister and felt empathy towards her human experience and, yes, he makes terrible jokes that are also funny,” said. “News flash, our whole family does that. Our funerals are laughter through tears, we mourn by remembering the times we laughed together, and yes, some inappropriate humor, too… As often as Dave stands up for Daphne, we will be there for Dave. This man is our tribe, and we mourn alongside him.”
Speaking about topics with humor is a comedian’s job, and Chappelle is a master of his craft. We agree with Dorman’s sister. It’s a shame his true message and intention were so lost on some.
