WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) applauds U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Sen. Ted Cruz’s investigation into several Big Tech companies’ viewpoint discrimination and the silencing of women, citing instances where Independent Women’s Forum and Independent Women’s Network (IWN) have been wrongfully censored and “canceled” by Eventbrite and Bonterra platforms.
The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee this week released its investigative report showing how online service providers are weaponizing their terms of service to deny certain organizations access to essential business technology. Senator Cruz described how “woke companies” are targeting organizations by using “policies like their terms of service to ban conservative organizations from the infrastructure services they need to operate.”
Investigation Highlights:
- Slack’s removal of Libs of TikTok’s workspace from its platform;
- Eventbrite’s removal of listings for events featuring Riley Gaines and showings of Matt Walsh’s ‘What Is a Woman?’ documentary;
- Eventbrite’s cancellation of a “Let Women Speak Austin” Independent Women’s Network event; and
- How a major nonprofit technology services provider, Bonterra, terminated its contractual CRM service relationship with Independent Women’s Forum.
READ THE FULL INVESTIGATIVE REPORT
In response to the release of this investigation, Riley Gaines, an ambassador with Independent Women’s Forum, said: “Last fall, Eventbrite removed my events from their platform, saying I violated their ‘Community Guidelines & Terms of Service’ for saying women don’t have a Y chromosome. Thanks to Senator Ted Cruz’s investigation, we know this was part of a targeted campaign to silence debate on issues like protecting women’s sports.”
“Bonterra and Eventbrite unfairly canceled our organizations for standing up for women’s rights. Being pro-woman is not anti-trans, nor does it run counter to the rights of the L-G-B-T-or Q communities,” said Independent Women’s Forum Vice President of Communications Victoria Coley. “Until now, Big Tech platforms have been engaging in harmful bigotry without accountability. Thanks to Senator Cruz, now there is sunlight on woke brands’ intolerance.”
In July 2023 Eventbrite deemed the Independent Women’s Network sponsored event “Let Women Speak Austin”, which intended to enable mothers and other female community members to come together in defense of sex-based protections, as violating community guidelines for perpetuating “hateful, dangerous, or violent content.” The event was planned to give women the opportunity to share their opinions and lived experiences, and to advocate for women’s rights and sex-based protections.
“Hear this, Eventbrite: women will not be silenced. The event will go on as scheduled and the crowd of women ready to give a public record of their dissent grows with every retweet about the deplatforming. Your team of “Trust and Safety experts” insults every woman in America by labeling events like these “hateful.” Stop silencing women,” stated Independent Women’s Forum President Carrie Lukas and Independent Women’s Network Austin Chapter Leader Michelle Evans in a July 2024 letter to Eventbrite following the cancellation of this event.
In a grassroots effort to pressure Eventbrite to reject bigotry and stop the cancellation of women, Independent Women’s Network created an Action Center: Eventbrite, Stop Silencing Women.
The investigation into censorship, led by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, is one step in the right direction. IWF is keeping the pressure on Eventbrite and other woke companies to stop viewpoint discrimination and the silencing of women.
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