A Sonoma County theater is under fire for hosting controversial comedian Dave Chappelle.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community started a petition demanding that the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts cancel plans to host Chappelle, who has come under fire for his jokes aimed at transgender people.
"His brand of comedy has been particularly hurtful to the trans community," said Jennifer Rihl with Translife Sonoma County. "We’re an important part of this community. We feel like this is kind of a slap in the face to us from the Luther Burbank Center."
As of Tuesday evening, more than 500 people had signed the petition urging the Luther Burbank Center to relocate the show.
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"Knowing that the [Luther Burbank Center] is hosting Dave Chappelle and other people like him does not make me feel safe in Sonoma County," petition organizer Joy Anderson said. "It does not make me feel valued or respected or cared for."
In a statement, the Luther Burbank Center said it has carefully considered the concerns, but, "In the end, we determined it is not our role to censor, particularly from an organization renting our facility and one that provides diverse artists."
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San Francisco comedian Debi Durst said she too understands the community’s concern but noted that ruffling feathers and pushing boundaries is part of the business of comedy.
"The further we go on in this century, everybody has either lost their sense of humor or they've become very, very sensitive to what's being said on stage," she said.
Members of Translife Sonoma County said Chappelle's material crosses the line.
Orlando O’Shea, a former transgender suicide hotline volunteer, said he’s seen firsthand how damaging it can be.
"It starts out here and it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but when you’re on the line trying to talk someone out of ending their life because they’re so tired of the discrimination and they're so tired of being the butt of the joke, it isn’t funny anymore," O'Shea said.
