The biggest red flag to me was the lack of dissenting voices in the backlash aftermath of Dave's special. I was shocked that seemingly every critic had the exact same opinion. That literally never happens, and when it does, we should all take note. That usually means people are not sharing their honest opinions, but ones that are controlled. It felt like they all sought safety in numbers and decided to have an opinion that wouldn't get them in trouble.

It reminded me of when I was stuck in China during the Swine Flu outbreak. The state news quoted American businessmen quarantined inside their hotel against their will as saying, "We know this is for the best." Yeah, that sounds just like an American man.

Anyway, back to Dave. I had no idea he came across as transphobic until I read the reviews. That conclusion was not something I came to as a simple viewer. I thought his message was spot on and his delivery was masterful. It was also incredibly tragic. There's shelter from dark realities inside dark humor. Sometimes people only laugh at you when you refuse to laugh at yourself.

I randomly met Dave one night in New York standing outside of a comedy club. He showed up unannounced. I did not get to see him perform, as I had tickets for a show next door. Major bummer. However, after the show, he came out to mingle on the street and I happened to still be there drunkenly eating falafel. He was incredibly generous and gracious with his time, mingling with a few late-nighters before heading out. He "shot the shit" with complete strangers on a street corner and I'll never forget how natural and kind he was. The general public is weird, and they get even weirder after midnight. He's the definition of cool for giving back to them in a way that will never get him headlines.

So no, I don't think he's transphobic. I think he highlights blind spots in society, and that is a dangerous business for a black man. Your unpopular opinion, Allison, is what is missing from the avalanche of suspiciously one-sided discussion bouncing around since his special aired. Thank you.