Eventbrite canceled our ‘Let Women Speak’ event — calling those advocating female safety ‘hateful’

Big Tech’s latest suppression over political differences comes from Eventbrite, which believes in silencing women’s voices in the high-stakes national conversation on protecting female safety in sports, prisons and battered women’s shelters.

I help lead a chapter of Independent Women’s Network, a group giving women the tools to make a positive difference in our neighborhoods and country.

IWN hosts 23 chapters nationwide and an online community of more than 32,000 members.

We create events and post content on topics like running for school board, writing an op-ed, speaking with civility in today’s fractious political environment and submitting a Freedom of Information Act request.

Eventbrite banned our page “Let Women Speak Austin,” organized by Michelle Evans, IWN Austin chapter leader.

Eventbrite deemed the IWN-sponsored event violated community guidelines for perpetuating hate speech.

In fact, the session will give women the opportunity to share their opinions and lived experiences and advocate for women’s rights and sex-based protections.

Eventbrite Trust & Safety emailed: “We have determined that your event is not permitted on the Eventbrite platform as it violates our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service, specifically our policy on Hateful, Dangerous, or Violent Content and Events. As a result, your event has been unpublished. Please be aware that severe or repeated violations of our guidelines may result in the suspension or termination of your Eventbrite account.”

IWN sent Eventbrite a response and petitioned for a reversal.

Eventbrite follows our communications director on Twitter. She sent a message requesting a response. We’ve heard nothing back.

Raising awareness of how female inmates are being forced to share cells with convicted sex offenders and sometimes raped and violently assaulted is not hateful — it’s empowering.

Hearing stories of abused women who seek safety in a “women’s shelter” only to be forced to share space with a biological male is not hateful — it’s empowering.

Inviting survivors of sexual assault to share their concerns about being forced to undress in front of biological males is not hateful — it’s empowering.

Enabling female athletes who suffer lasting physical harm and lost awards and who were passed over for scholarships when forced to compete against biological males to share their stories is not hateful — it’s empowering.

It’s disturbing that platforms like Eventbrite are smearing women, including sexual-assault survivors, sharing their concerns about the loss of safe spaces as “hateful” speakers.

This assault on women — on female prisoners, athletes, sexual-assault victims — is deeply troubling. Eventbrite’s action is the epitome of cancel culture and, along with its refusal to respond, demonstrates bigotry toward women.

Eventbrite’s female co-founder and CEO, Julia Hartz, tweets, “Let’s keep celebrating women. In this curated collection, @Eventbrite’s experts showcase virtual events made for anyone to learn, celebrate, inspire change, and empower women everywhere. #WomensHistoryMonth.”

Such a platform should celebrate the mission of the Aug. 12 “Let Women Speak Austin” event.

It comes as no surprise that the public company’s major shareholders include the Vanguard Group (9.33%) and BlackRock (6.95%) — firms promoting and adopting progressive environmental, social and governance goals.

It’s also no shock that Eventbrite employees and related PACs give almost exclusively to Democrats and progressive causes.

In fact, last year 100% of Eventbrite employee donations to congressional candidates went to Democrats.

Eventbrite dominates its industry — controlling 52% of the reservation-online-booking market and means for people to share invites with one another.

Now it joins our long list of companies who have discriminated against conservative women and viewpoints — silencing and cutting us out.

We can’t let companies get away with this.

We invite everyone to join us in contacting Hartz to demand Eventbrite reverse its decision.

Of course, Eventbrite is just one node in a much broader constellation of Big Tech companies exhibiting anti-conservative bias.

Legitimate disagreements on issues like protecting women’s rights are no grounds for Eventbrite to censor IWN this way.

Full disclosure: I’m a fan of Eventbrite and find it otherwise user friendly. I hope it’ll do better going forward.

It’s time to “Let Women Speak.”

Carrie Sheffield is a senior policy analyst at Independent Women’s Voice and a leader of the northern Virginia chapter of Independent Women’s Network.