CMU School of Drama


Friday, December 09, 2022

Eventbrite Accused of “Campaign of Cancellation” Against Gender-Critical Events

www.ticketnews.com: Eventbrite is being criticised for the removal of several events from its platform, drawing accusations of censoring unpopular voices through its cancellations. The ticketing system’s latest controversy comes on the heels of de-platforming events that planned discussions on gender ideology from the perspective of individuals who disagree with the trend of acceptance of transgender individuals as belonging to the gender of their choice.

2 comments:

Dean Thordarson said...

This is a complex situation. While I personally feel supportive of Eventbrite for this cancellation, the whole situation is very grey. If the organization putting on the event is known for being blatantly transphobic, or using hate speech in their events, then it is a clear cut, no questions asked, understandable cancellation. From the description in the article, however, it seems as if the event is more or a discussion or presentation of scientific study and analysis. This becomes a very grey situation, because where does the line get drawn between this and hate speech. We live in a very progressive society these days, where terms like hate speech are being thrown around more and more, seemingly losing some of its impact. Just to be clear, I absolutely do not support transphobia or hate speech in any way, and while I vehemently disagree with the stated viewpoint of the organization in the article, the grounds on which their event was “cancelled” by Eventbrite is a very grey area, and I feel like I need I need a lot more context on this situation to be able to form a stronger opinion on this situation.

Gabby Harper said...

I was not aware of all the different cancellations tickets for events through Eventbrite. I was unaware of Eventbrite’s policies in regards to hate speech and misinformation, and I’m glad to see that they are standing by their policies. The fact that Women’s Place UK has been described as a hate group by the Labour Campaign for Trans Rights, definitely raises flags. But the fact that they’re trying to make it seem like it’s because they are a women’s group is rather problematic. It does seem that Eventbrite is doing research on the groups that are utilizing their platform, and are doing their due diligence to ensure that they are not promoting hate speech or the spread of misinformation. Part of me wishes that other groups would take the same initiative, but I know people see this as a grey area of censorship. I’ll be curious to see if this accusation actually affects Eventbrite at all.