Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has decided to sever ties with Eventbrite after the platform removed women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines’ event listing while allowing posts for anti-Israel events. Youngkin stated that “when companies take these kinds of stances, the customers can fire them,” and he has indeed fired Eventbrite. He declared that his political committee and the governor’s office will no longer use Eventbrite and urged others to stop using the platform as well.
The controversy arose when Eventbrite took down the listing for Riley Gaines’ Speak Louder Campus Tour, citing its policy against events that discriminate based on factors such as gender identity. Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer and known advocate for excluding biological males from women’s sports, thanked Youngkin for his support.
The boycott against Eventbrite is gaining traction, with Senator Ted Cruz also voicing his disapproval. Eventbrite has not made any public comments about the backlash, but co-founder Kevin Hartz defended the company on Twitter, stating that accusing Eventbrite of being pro-Hamas is “egregious and moronic.”
Eventbrite removed two pro-Palestinian events, a New York City panel and a London rally, after facing pushback on social media. Youngkin justified his decision to cut ties with Eventbrite by highlighting the recent attack on Israeli civilians by Hamas and stating that Eventbrite’s decision to remove Riley Gaines’ event while allowing events related to Hamas is “beyond belief.”
It is worth noting that this is not the first time Eventbrite has faced criticism for taking issue with those challenging the transgender movement. In July, the company unpublished a forum in Austin, Texas, called “Let Women Speak” for violating its policy against “hateful, dangerous, or violent content and events.”
Senator Eric Schmitt has written a letter to Eventbrite’s CEO, Julia Hartz, expressing concern about the platform selectively applying its community guidelines and terms of service to promote a liberal-progressive agenda and silence conservative viewpoints.
