Eventbrite gets ‘the Bud Light treatment’ after de-listing Riley Gaines event

The decision to cancel Riley Gaines isn’t working out well for Eventbrite.

Calls to boycott Eventbrite surged on social media after the company dropped a listing Tuesday for Ms. Gaines’ Speak Louder campus tour, saying that her stance against male-born athletes in female sports violated its anti-discrimination policy.

“Specifically, we do not allow content or events that — through on-or-off platform activity — discriminate against, harass, disparage, threaten, incite violence against, or otherwise target individuals or groups based on their actual or perceived race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation [and others],” the company said in a notice to Ms. Gaines.

It turns out, however, that Eventbrite had previously listed at least two events extolling the perpetrators of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israeli civilians, as flagged by OutKick, where Ms. Gaines hosts the “Gaines on Girls” podcast.

Those whipping up support for an Eventbrite boycott include Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, who said Thursday that “Americans need to stop giving money to woke corporations that hate them.”

Eventbrite’s “idiotic policies allow pro-Hamas rallies but ban people who hold the radical belief that women exist. They should get the FULL Bud Light treatment,” Mr. Cruz posted on X.

Ms. Gaines was all for it. “I love all the people in my comments saying they’ve deleted their Eventbrite account. Give ’em the Bud Light treatment,” she posted.

The platform listed a “Stop the Genocide! Free Palestine!” panel discussion hosted by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City, centered on the “Palestinian resistance fighters [who] broke through Israel’s siege of Gaza.”

The San Francisco-based ticketing and event management company also cleared a post advertising a Nov. 7 rally at Queen Mary’s School of Law in London titled “Carnage in Palestine: Oppression, Complicity and Ethical Responsibility.”

“Eventbrite Prohibits Riley Gaines’ Pro-Female Event But Allows Pro-Hamas Listing,” OutKick said in Wednesday social media post.

Eventbrite co-founder Kevin Hartz hotly denied the claim, responding: “I am the Co-Founder and Chairman of Eventbrite and to accuse Eventbrite of being Pro-Hamas is egregious and moronic. How could you make an unsubstantiated slander that I support these genocidal maniacs?”

Mr. Hartz added: “Please go f—- yourself!”

After OutKick founder Clay Travis produced links to the events, however, they were removed without comment from the Eventbrite platform. The company has not commented on the removals.

“Kevin, appreciate you responding to @outkick so eloquently. Can you explain why you allow pro-terrorist ticketing at your company & not a pro-women’s event with @Riley_Gaines?” Mr. Travis asked on X. “And while you’re here, do you believe men should be able to win women’s sports championships? Thanks.”

Americans need to stop giving money to woke corporations that hate them. @eventbrite’s idiotic policies allow pro-Hamas rallies but ban people who hold the radical belief that women exist.

They should get the FULL Bud Light treatment. https://t.co/6GHa7WIlRm

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 26, 2023

The episode prompted calls for an Eventbrite boycott among Ms. Gaines’ supporters, including former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Paula Scanlan.

“Why is everyone so afraid of women speaking the truth?” Ms. Scanlan said on X. “Do better. And for people trying to sell tickets to events let’s use something else. They don’t deserve our business.”

Sen. Joni Ernst, Iowa Republican, posted Friday: “Suppressing women and promoting terrorists. Not a good look, @eventbrite.”

Will Hild, executive director of Consumers’ Research, called Eventbrite’s position “the very definition of woke.”

“What does it say about Eventbrite’s corporate ’values’ that they choose to cancel a female athlete for defending women’s rights in sports, a view that significantly more than half the country agrees with, but would help facilitate support of Hamas, a terrorist organization that just killed thousands of civilians?” Mr. Hild asked.

George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley called Eventbrite’s decision to drop Ms. Gaines unhelpful to the national debate over whether male-to-female transgender athletes should compete with women.

“Transgender policies raise difficult and divisive issues for our nation. We need to be able to discuss these issues and seek common answers or approaches,” said Mr. Turley in a Thursday blog post. “Many citizens are divided. We can only reach a consensus through dialogue and debate.”

The Washington Times has contacted Eventbrite for comment.