Human Rights Campaign Shares Support for Trans Staff at Netflix, Calls for Leadership to Listen to LGBTQ+ Voices

Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, issued the following statements in support of transgender and allied employees at Netflix:

Words matter. History has shown time and time again that creative works can inspire us, bring us joy, and change hearts and minds - and they can also stoke stigma, fear, and hate. Netflix and its CEO need to do more to recognize this truth and meaningfully amplify the lived experience of transgender and non-binary people. In a year that’s on track to have the highest level of fatal violence against trans people and anti-trans lawmaking, media platforms must reckon with the role they have played and could play in reducing stigma against us.

The Human Rights Campaign joins in solidarity with the brave people at Netflix who are speaking truth to power. We call on Netflix’s leadership to listen to the voices of their LGBTQ+ staff and to the voices of the trans community, especially Black trans community members, in order to learn from this experience and prevent future harm to marginalized people.

Jay Brown, Senior Vice President of Programs, Research, and Training

When people with power stoke hate and fear against transgender people, it’s almost always Black trans women who pay the price - far too often with our very lives. This year is on track to be the deadliest on record for trans people, and to insinuate that the ways our culture talks about LGBTQ+ people doesn’t factor into that violence is dangerously ignorant.

We at HRC support the staff at Netflix who are making their voices heard. Their concerns need to be heard so that leadership can understand the harm they have caused.

Tori Cooper, Director of Community Engagement for HRC's Transgender Justice Initiative

In 2020, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation released “Dismantling a Culture of Violence: Understanding Anti-Transgender Violence and Ending the Crisis,” a report examining the root causes of violence against transgender and non-binary people. Among its conclusions was that “marginalization is often rooted in a lack of awareness of transgender identities and in long-held beliefs dictating gender norms and behavior. It can further be perpetuated by a history of stereotypes and invisibility of transgender individuals in media and politics.” Additionally, Over half of transgender or gender non-conforming youth report being mocked by their family for their identity. Media representation and its role in perpetuating stigma and stereotypes about the transgender community is well-proven.

In the pursuit of greater accuracy and respect, HRC offers guidelines for journalists and others who report on transgender people. HRC, Media Matters and the Trans Journalists Association have also partnered on an FAQ for reporters writing about anti-trans violence. For more information about HRC’s transgender justice work, visit hrc.org/transgender.

The Human Rights Campaign reports on news, events and resources of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation that are of interest to the general public and further our common mission to support the LGBTQ+ community.