最新蜜桃影像

The Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown is the only public school in the District of Columbia to offer a pre-college education combined with immersive arts training. It is also the alma mater of famed comedian Dave Chappelle, who recently steeped the school in controversy with the release of his new Netflix special, 鈥淭he Closer.鈥�

Chappelle premiered the comedy special in his hometown of Washginton, D.C. as a fundraising event for the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where big donors contributed to the , a charitable arm of the school that makes up for funding not provided by the D.C. Public School System. It was also announced at the event that the school would later honor Chappelle by renaming its historic theater in his name. However, all this took place before the special hit Netflix and reached a wider audience. Since then, a nationwide debate has risen over the special鈥檚 contents.聽

Throughout more than half of the 70-minute special, Chappelle wielded joke after joke at the expense of the LGBTQ+ community, which is a community widely represented in the student body of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

He joked about being transphobic and argued that White LGBTQ+ people have over-sensitized the community. Chappelle yearned for a time when 鈥淪tonewall gays” dominated the community, but what he failed to understand is that a was one of the prominent figures in the Stonewall Riots of 1969.

最新蜜桃影像 spoke with several parents of Duke Ellington students about the controversy and how it has affected their children. This publication agreed to withhold the parents’ names to protect the privacy of their families.

One mother of a bisexual student said her son returned home from school one day and told her that he and his friends had discussed Dave Chappelle over their lunch break, where one of his friends was visibly upset about Chappelle’s relentless jokes.

鈥淢y priority was making sure that my son was okay and his feelings were okay,鈥� the parent told 最新蜜桃影像.聽

She said despite the students being “very fluid” about gender issues, the school administration made no effort to contact parents or offer guidance to students amid the controversy surrounding Chappelle, leaving her alone to navigate a delicate conversation with her son.

Chappelle has championed the students of Duke Ellington School of the Arts since early in his lauded career through financial support, routine visits and even donating his 2017 to the school. Chappelle got his start in comedy after graduating from the school in 1991. The students remained starstruck by Chappelle鈥檚 celebrity and generosity over the years. However, his obsession with making fun of the LGBTQ+ community has altered Chappelle鈥檚 image in the eyes of some students and parents alike.

鈥淓veryone deserves respect,鈥� the parent with a son at the school said. 鈥淎nd if you don鈥檛 like someone because of their sexuality, everything doesn鈥檛 need to be said. Keep it to yourself.鈥�

And yet, despite being disappointed by Chappelle鈥檚 brand of comedy and the school鈥檚 inability to communicate with students and parents, she said the school should not reject Chappelle鈥檚 fundraising efforts.

In 2017, the school completed a three-year that went $100 million over budget. The renovation resulted in new performance spaces, including an 800-seat theater and smaller black box theater, as well as dance studios, art studios and vocal labs.聽

鈥淭his money is used for the betterment of the school so these kids can have what they need to grow. Even though this is a public school, they get limited money from D.C., and everything else has to be raised,鈥� the parent said.

Another mother of a recent graduate said the school is reliant on the Ellington Fund.

鈥淚t would be hurting the students to turn that money away, in a way that they may not realize right now,鈥� she said.

But she also could not deny the toll that the controversy has taken on the students.

鈥淗e was a real hero at the school, and now he鈥檚 a pariah,鈥� she said of Chappelle.

The parent told 最新蜜桃影像 that the student population is 鈥渟o openly out on gender issues鈥� that it is hard for her to imagine being a parent at Duke Ellington and not talking about the controversy. But she still receives emails from , the Duke Ellington parent and teacher association, and none of the emails mention the fallout among students that resulted from Chappelle鈥檚 special.

鈥淚f I was in a position to do something about this, I would have Chappelle come in and listen to the students. I think if someone did a facilitated closed door with him, that would probably change him,鈥� she said.

Administrators at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts did not respond to repeated requests for comment and interviews from 最新蜜桃影像 over the past two weeks.聽

Mark Chalfant, the artistic executive director for the Washington Improv Theater (WIT), said comedy has gone through a reckoning over the last decade about what it means to聽 punch-up and punch-down and who鈥檚 the target.

The WIT takes a strong anti-oppressive and anti-racist approach to their comedy and actively works to create an inclusive atmosphere in their classroom spaces and performance venues.

鈥淚f people are talking to you and telling you they feel targeted by your comedy, then I think you need to listen to them and not sort of avoid dialogue or just double down on your own attitude,鈥� Chalfant said.

Chalfant has not seen 鈥淭he Closer,鈥� but he is familiar with Chappelle鈥檚 work and his association with the Duke Ellington School of聽 the Arts.

鈥淭he trajectory of his career, and what he鈥檚 managed to achieve, I think is hugely important as a sort of example of what鈥檚 possible. And I think you can celebrate that, and name your theater after this person, and still manage to have an open dialogue. I don鈥檛 think you have to gloss over the flaws in somebody鈥檚 career,鈥� Chalfant said.

Many of Chappelle鈥檚 jokes in 鈥淭he Closer鈥� are pointed toward the transgender community, where he pokes fun at the physicality and lifestyle of trans people for laughs.聽

At Netflix in California, staffers staged a walkout in response to the streaming giant鈥檚 support of Chappelle.聽

A spokesperson for Netflix sent an email statement to The聽 Wash, stating: “We recognize the hurt and pain caused to our trans colleagues over the last few weeks. But we want to make clear that Netflix has not taken any action against employees for either speaking up or walking out.”

However, a transgender employee was suspended for releasing private financial information concerning Chappelle鈥檚 association with Netflix.

But not all members of the LGBTQ+ community are up in arms over the comedy special.

Mia Mason, a U.S veteran and the first transgender congressional nominee for the state of Maryland, said her interpretation of 鈥淭he Closer鈥� was that Chappelle is going through his own transitional phase.

She said Chappelle took the time to educate himself about the LGBTQ+ community and that he was exploring that education on stage in the best way he knows how, through comedy.

鈥淓ven with the walkout at Netflix and everything else, it鈥檚 kind of an over-censorship. But at least this person is giving his video autobiography of his life鈥檚 lessons, and it鈥檚 up to us to understand that this is part of his transition and this is how comedians do it,鈥� she said.

Mason said Chappelle鈥檚 comedy allows for the LGBTQ+ community to reflect upon itself and grow stronger in it鈥檚 fight for equality.聽

鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 a reimagination of my life in Dave Chappelle鈥檚 shoes, because I got to see where he made his mistakes, why he鈥檚 still making his mistakes, and what he can do to help others from his mistakes,鈥� she said.

Mason, who is an advocate for equality rights, said the Duke Ellington School of the Arts could benefit from hearing her voice and her interpretation of the Chappelle special.