How did Daphne Dorman die? Kin of trans woman calls Dave Chappelle 'LGBTQ ally'
The family of Daphne Dorman, a trans woman who killed herself in 2019, has defended Dave Chappelle over his comments on the trans community. Chappelle has faced a lot of criticism in recent times following some 'transphobic' jokes that he cracked. The references were made by Chappelle in his new Netflix stand-up special 'The Closer'. In the show, he was also seen supporting Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who was also recently slammed for her controversial comments on the trans community.
“They canceled J.K. Rowling — my God,” Dave Chappelle said in the show. “Effectively, she said gender was a fact, the trans community got mad as s**t, they started calling her a TERF. I’m Team TERF. I agree. I agree, man. Gender is a fact.”
RELATED ARTICLES
Eden Torres: Texas trans woman called 'sir' by Sonic Drive-In staffer in viral video
Is Asian Doll transphobic? Rapper mockingly misgenders Nikita Dragun
Chappelle was also seen misgendering Dorman in the show while discussing her suicide. But in a text message to Daily Best, Dorman’s sister Becky Kugler wrote: “Daphne was in awe of Dave’s graciousness. She did not find his jokes rude, crude, off-coloring, off-putting, anything. She thought his jokes were funny. Daphne understood humor and comedy — she was not offended. Why would her family be offended?” Dorman's other sibling, Brandy, told The Daily Beast: "Dave loved my sister and is an LGBTQ ally."
"Just from the word 'go' she was always very funny," Becky Kugler told DailyMail.com. "She could make the sentence, 'The dog took a crap' hysterically funny. It's just the way she can use her descriptive words and how she worded things." She added, "In her mind, he wasn't giving (the LBGTQ community) lack of support, nor was he giving them support. He was making jokes because that's what comedians do. In her opinion, you make jokes about everything."
What happened to Daphne Dorman?
Daphne Dorman, comedian and trans activist, died by suicide at the age of 44, after posting a message on Facebook saying goodbye to those she loved. Dorman's sister Becky Kugler confirmed her death, writing on social media, "Sweet, sweet Daphne. I so wish we could all have helped you through your darkness. We’ll always love you, fly high sweet angel.”
Dorman was born William Richard Brown Jr. on April 30, 1975, and had a 'very traumatic childhood' as she grew up in Pennsylvania, said Kugler. Dorman was criticized after she defended Chappelle's show 'Sticks and Stones', which took a jab at gay and trans people.
In a tweet on August 28, 2019, Dorman had written, "Punching down requires you to consider yourself superior to another group,' she tweeted, "@DaveChappelle doesn't consider himself better than me in any way. He isn't punching up or punching down. He's punching lines. That's his job and he's a master of his craft." Following Dorman's suicide, which she committed after being allegedly bullied for defending Chappelle, Chappelle claimed that she was basically hounded to death for defending his jokes in 2019 in a Netflix show.
“After she committed suicide, all I saw all over social media was Dave Chappelle-bashing,” Becky Kugler said. “I commented on so many posts, which is something I do not do. I commented to defend Dave. No one knows what life was like for my siblings and me."
“We are products of how we were brought [up]. Dave was the biggest bright spot for Daphne; she was enamored for the first time. Blaming Dave is beyond the wrong thing to do. He helped her and let her be comfortable while talking with him. She had many demons; Dave Chappelle was NOT one of them,” she added.