Ricky Gervais’ ‘SuperNature’ Netflix Special Draws Criticism Over Jokes About Trans People
24.05.2022 - 19:01
/ deadline.com
Ricky Gervais’ new comedy special SuperNature was released on Netflix just hours ago, but he’s already getting a lot of heat over his graphic jokes mocking the trans community.
Just four minutes in, Gervais takes aim at trans women. “Oh, women!,” Gervais began. “Not all women, I mean the old-fashioned ones. The old-fashioned women, the ones with wombs. Those fucking dinosaurs. I love the new women. They’re great, aren’t they? The new ones we’ve been seeing lately. The ones with beards and cocks. They’re as good as gold, I love them. And now the old-fashioned ones say, ‘Oh, they want to use our toilets.’ ‘Why shouldn’t they use your toilets?’ ‘For ladies!’ ‘They are ladies — look at their pronouns! What about this person isn’t a lady?’ ‘Well, his penis.’ ‘Her penis, you fucking bigot!’ ‘What if he rapes me?’ ‘What if she rapes you, you fucking TERF whore?’”
TERF stands for “Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist,” a term used to describe feminists who separate the rights of trans women from women’s rights in their advocacy.
At the end of the special, Gervais issued a disclaimer that his jokes aimed at the trans community were solely for shock value: “Full disclosure: In real life of course I support trans rights,” Gervais explained. “I support all human rights, and trans rights are human rights. Live your best life. Use your preferred pronouns. Be the gender that you feel you are.”
Last year, Dave Chappelle’s Netflix special The Closer generated a huge backlash over remarks about the trans and LGBTQ+ communities, which sparked an employee walkout at the streamer.
In an interview with Stephen Colbert on Late Night last week to promote the special, Gervais defended his decision to joke about “taboo” subjects, saying he wants to