The marketplace of Eventbrite, a prevalent event management and ticketing website, was recently the center of controversy after removing a listing for an event led by ex-NCAA swimmer, Riley Gaines. Garnering attention for her vocal stance on transgender men not competing in women’s sports, Gaines also heads up the Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute and had numerous engagements aligned over the course of November for the Speak Louder Campus Tour, a project of the Leadership Institute.
First on Gaines’ itinerary was planned to be the University of California, Davis, where she would lead the event titled “Protecting Women’s Sports with Riley Gaines.” This endeavor, however, was derailed when Eventbrite exited the listing from its platform. Eventbrite Trust & Safety justified its decision by indicating that the proposed event contravened the company’s “community guidelines and terms of service.”
The statement by Eventbrite read, “We have determined that your event is not permitted on the Eventbrite marketplace as it violates our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service, with which all users agree to comply.” The announcement ominously added that recurrent infringements of their policies could culminate in the offender’s account being eradicated from their system.
Gaines, adding to the discourse, was explicit in pointing at the apparent contradiction in Eventbrite’s policies, espousing a belief that an alleged pro-trans stance in women’s sports is intrinsically anti-woman. She further expressed her concerns about the message these actions portray about the company’s stance on women’s rights, criticizing the platform for standing against women’s basic human rights by allowing events hosted by what she termed “pro-terrorist and anti-Semitic groups,” while curtailing discussions on the safety, fairness, and equal opportunities for women.
