Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin announced Monday that he is boycotting Eventbrite after the live-events company removed former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines’s event on protecting women’s sports from its platform, while allowing events celebrating Hamas terrorism to remain.
“The fact that, first of all, Eventbrite continues to carry events around Hamas is unbelievable. But then, on top of that, to proactively terminate an event with Riley is beyond belief,” Youngkin said on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.
“As governor, I’ve told our political committee that we will no longer use Eventbrite and the governor’s office is no longer using Eventbrite. And I would ask your listeners: do not respond or RSVP to an invitation from Eventbrite. Just stop using ’em,” he continued.
Eventbrite announced Thursday that it would no longer sell tickets for a speaking series on defending women’s athletics from male intrusion, featuring former University of Kentucky swimmer Gaines, claiming that the topic violates the company’s hateful-conduct policy.
“We have determined that your event is not permitted on the Eventbrite marketplace as it violates our community guidelines in terms of service, with which all users agreed to comply,” the notice to Gaines read.
Eventbrite removed the talk — “Protecting Women’s Sports with Riley Gaines,” part of a college speaking tour headlined by Gaines — from its website. Gaines was set to speak at the University of California, Davis in November. When Gaines spoke at Penn State earlier this month, a skirmish broke out between protesters and attendees. Some protesters flipped a table. Police arrested two people.
“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, veteran status, age, or disability,” Eventbrite wrote in an email to Gaines that she later posted on X.
In his announcement, Youngkin cited Eventrbrite’s willingness to host events that celebrate Hamas terror. On October 7, the terrorist group invaded Israel and perpetrated the most brutal massacre against Jews since the Holocaust.
Eventbrite has, however, deplatformed at least one event celebrating Hamas. A group titled “Tempest NYC,” for instance, published a “Stop the Genocide! Free Palestine!” event, which was visible on Eventbrite as of Wednesday. On Thursday, amid backlash over the Gaines news, the Eventbrite link to the event showed: “this event is currently not available.”
“Early on Saturday, October 7th, Palestinian resistance fighters broke through Israel’s siege of Gaza,” initial information for the event read on Eventbrite. “In response, Israel has declared total war against the people of Gaza, completely cutting off access to food, water, and electricity, while bombing the Strip and killing entire families,” they posted on Eventbrite. “This attack on Gaza takes place after 75 years of settler-colonial violence conducted by the Israeli state.”
Youngkin said Eventbrite providing a space for events that condone terrorism prompted him to ditch them.
“More of this????????,” Gaines wrote on X in response to Youngkin’s move. “On behalf of all sensible people, thank you for your stance!”