Eventbrite, a popular event management website and ticketing platform, is under fire for threatening a boycott. The platform told former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, whose speech was scheduled at UC Davis on April 15, that it violated the terms of its service.
Gaines tied Will “Lia Thomas” of UPenn, a man who “identifies”, as a female, at the NCAA championships in last year. However, she was not awarded a trophy and instead, Thomas received it. She has been a vocal advocate since graduating for women and girls to not be robbed of their opportunities or dignity because they are forced to compete with and share locker rooms with men who claim to be women.
Eventbrite has removed the listing for the event “Protecting Women’s Sports” scheduled to take place in November. The listing was removed on Tuesday after it was alleged that the “Community Guidelines & Terms of Service” of the website were violated.
Hello,
We’re contacting you regarding your event listing Protecting Women’s Sports With Riley Gaines.
Your event has been removed from the Eventbrite marketplace because it violates our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service, and all users must comply with them. We do not permit content or events that discriminate, harass, disparage, or threaten individuals or groups on or off the platform based on race, ethnicity, or religion. Your event was therefore unpublished. Please be aware of the possibility of suspension or termination of Eventbrite accounts for serious or repeated violations.
If you have further questions, please reply to this email. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Best,
Eventbrite Trust and Safety
Gaines announced the news via X/Twitter. This prompted many of her followers to delete Eventbrite.
Gaines tweeted on Thursday: “I love the people who have deleted their Eventbrite accounts.” Give ’em a Bud Light treatment.
She added, “Newsflash: Being a woman and advocating such causes is not a hate crime.”
I love all the people in my comments saying they’ve deleted their Eventbrite account. Give ’em the Bud Light treatment
🚨Newsflash: being a woman and advocating for such isn’t a hate crime.🚨 pic.twitter.com/EQmh2JbcF1
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) October 26, 2023
Bud Light was infamously associated with Dylan Mulvaney, an activist who poses as a woman. This partnership caused a major backlash towards the brand. The company’s market value has plummeted by billions and sales have dropped. Target and Disney are two other companies that have had similar boycotts and similar results. They have pandered to the transgender movement by promoting products and content that groom children.
It is not the first instance that Eventbrite has taken a side in the transgender controversy against the safety and privacy of women. In July, the company removed “Let Women Speak Austin,” a conference focusing on the protection of sex-specific areas like lockers and bathrooms, citing their hateful content policy.
Eventbrite was criticized for removing pro-woman events, such as Gaines’s address, citing their hateful content policy. Listings of pro-Hamas rally listings remained on the website – though they were removed eventually after OutKick reported.
Gaines, speaking to OutKick, said that Eventbrite sent a message to everyone by allowing anti-Semitic and pro-terrorist groups to continue their events on Eventbrite while canceling those promoting safety, equality, and fairness for women. “Eventbrite represents organizations that are taking a stance against women and their basic human rights. Pro-woman sports are deemed antitrans. Being pro-trans sports in women’s sports is therefore anti-women. Eventbrite took this stance. Next month, the event at UC DAVIS will still take place. “My speech will not have to be muzzled.”
Eventbrite doesn’t seem to support women or girls being denied opportunities by men, or having their privacy violated. Should they be given “the Bud Light Treatment”, as Gaines suggested? Absolutely.
