For whatever reason, Dave Chappelle has made himself an icon for anti-trans bigots in recent years.
Even when a Trump-supporter rushed on stage to attack him a few months ago, Chappelle cracked a quick “joke” to blame the transgender community.
He has only been rewarded by lucrative Netflix deals and stomach-turning unannounced guest appearances.
Until now, that is.
First Avenue is a Minneapolis venue.
If it sounds familiar, it should — Prince featured it in Purple Rain back in the ’80s.
Presumably, the management was fully aware of who Dave Chappelle has chosen to be when they booked him.
Despite working so hard to receive backlash for his anti-trans routines, Chappelle still has fans.
From contrarians to bigots to people who just don’t care, the show scheduled for Wednesday night sold out in minutes.
Then, hours before his scheduled performance, the venue made an announcement.
“The Dave Chappelle show tonight at First Avenue has been canceled,” the venue wrote on social media.
“And,” the post announced, his show “is moving to the Varsity Theater.”
The post also included an apology.
“To staff, artists, and our community, we hear you and we are sorry,” the venue wrote.
“We know we must hold ourselves to the highest standards,” they acknowledged.
“And,” the venue admitted, “we know we let you down.”
“We are not just a black box with people in it,” First Avenue acknowledged.
“And we understand that First Ave is not just a room,” the venue wrote, “but meaningful beyond our walls.”
The statement acknowledged: “The First Avenue team and you have worked hard to make our venues the safest spaces in the country.”
“And we will continue with that mission,” First Avenue affirmed.
“We believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression,” they wrote.
“But in honoring that,” the statement acknowledged, “we lost sight of the impact this would have.”
“We know there are some who will not agree with this decision,” the venue accurately predicted.
First Avenue concluded their statement: “You are welcome to send feedback.”
The venue is receiving positive feedback, negative feedback, and nuanced replies that are a mix of both.
The positive feedback is simple: people are tired of seeing businesses reward bigots with lucrative platforms.
Meanwhile, negative replies come from people who think that bigotry is just another “opinion.” It’s not.
But both the uncritical praise and the foaming-at-the-mouth freeze peach enthusiasts are missing something.
First Avenue management knew exactly who Chappelle was and, presumably, the hateful things that he has said.
They knew it when they booked him. The venue didn’t suddenly find out about Chappelle’s scandals this week.
Instead, First Avenue staff, patrons, and other performers took a stand.
Obviously, Dave Chappelle is not the only millionaire who has tainted his once-secure legacy with anti-trans bigotry.
(In fact, he has given a shoutout to J.K. Rowling, once best known for writing Harry Potter, declaring that he is “team TERF”)
But because Chappelle is still actively participating in the comedy world, he has deliberately blended transphobic rhetoric with his profession.
A couple of months ago, comedian John Mulaney betrayed many members of his own audience by bringing out Chappelle as a surprise opening act.
Meanwhile, coverage of Chappelle’s Varsity Theater show revealed that he called protesters “transgender lunatics.”
Even if First Avenue didn’t choose to cancel Chappelle without a lot of encouragement, they clearly made the right call.
You know what’s really interesting? Chappelle’s apologists often try to frame his bigotry as a “joke.”
But if his statement of gender being a “biological fact” is a joke, it’s not the kind that you laugh with.
And what is the punchline of calling his critics “transgender lunatics” exactly? His excuses are awfully thin.