I appreciate your comment and your perspective. Dave Chappelle is a comedian — an edgy and acerbic one at that—and The Closer a comedy special. So, of course, his goal is to make the audience laugh. And, as I’m sure you know, different people find different things funny.

I’m not Chappelle’s proxy. He doesn’t need an old queer like me to fight his battles. I don’t worship him. In fact, there was a lot about his defensive demeanor and his boasting that both surprised and disappointed me.

It’s not difficult for me to understand why you feel that you and people like you are the butt of the joke. And, I’m sorry you and so many others take it that way. But, honestly, it felt to me as if the statement came from a genuinely loving place. And, while Chappelle is completely off base when it comes to his point of view about gender, I don’t think he deserves to be called transphobic. Peace.