Eventbrite removes women-led rally opposing biological men in female bathrooms, prisons

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Friday, July 21, 2023

A popular online event management and ticketing website removed the listing for a conservative women's group's upcoming rally calling for protecting sex-segregated spaces for women and girls, such as bathrooms and prisons. 

The Aug. 12 Let Women Speak Austin event hosted by the Independent Women's Network aims to provide a platform for community members and women to advocate for "sex-based protections." During the rally, advocates plan to call on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to "protect women's only spaces."

Eventbrite, a website that allows users to promote events, unpublished the Let Women Speak Austin rally, informing the group in an email earlier this month that the event violated its community guideline policy on "hateful, dangerous, or violent content."

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In a statement, Independent Women's Forum President Carrie Lukas called it "disgusting" that a platform founded by and run by a woman would "smear" other women by labeling their concern for the loss of women's spaces "hate speech."

"This assault on women — on female prisoners, athletes, sexual assault victims — is what is hateful," Lukas stated. "Eventbrite's actions and lack of response is the epitome of cancel culture and showcases bigotry and hatred towards women. Independent Women's Network is dedicated to standing up for women's rights and for free speech across the board. This censorship must end." 

Likewise, IWN Austin's chapter leader, Michelle Evans, accused the platform of "capitulating to the trans ideologues," which she called the "loud minority" that opposes women speaking out about protecting female sports and other spaces.

"A simple demand — Let Women Speak — has been intentionally misrepresented by Eventbrite as hate speech," Evans continued. "The idea of adult human females gathering in the public square to openly discuss sex-based rights has been deemed by the ticketing platform to be a danger to society and worthy of cancellation."

Eventbrite did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment. 

In a letter to Eventbrite, Evans and Lukas called the platform's decision "sexist" and vowed the rally would proceed as planned. The event will feature stories from sexual assault survivors who fear being forced to change in front of men. 

According to the letter, the rally will highlight the female athletes who have suffered physical harm or lost awards by having to compete with biological men. In addition, the women-centered rally seeks to raise awareness about female inmates and abuse victims living in shelters who have been forced to share a space with biological men. 

"Your team of 'Trust and Safety experts' insults every woman in America by labeling events like these 'hateful,'" the letter reads. "Stop silencing women. Reverse this decision immediately." 

In November 2022, a group of trans activists disrupted a Let Women's Speak event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The event featured Standing for Women Founder Kellie-Jay Keen, who has hosted multiple free speech events called "Speakers Corner" to address the issue of gender ideology across the United Kingdom. 

"This is about letting women speak, not necessarily about large crowds," she told CP. "It's not necessarily about the opposition we face, but those are always the stories to tell. It really is about creating a space in which women can speak so that they can talk about the things happening to them."

Protestors waved flags representing the trans movement and chanted slogans to disrupt the event. At one point, a demonstrator held a siren next to the speakers' ears until threatened with arrest by the U.S. Parks Police. 

The activists did not have a permit to protest, and police ordered them to another section of the memorial grounds. In a statement provided later to The Daily Signal, Parks Police confirmed the arrest of at least one adult individual in the area of the Lincoln Memorial.