Legal action against Eventbrite for unlawful discrimination

[Spero]

On Oct 27 2022, Eventbrite pulled my book launch event for 'Transpositions - personal journeys into gender criticism'. This was a collection of stories from men and women about how they got involved in issues around sex and gender. Some of you may have contributed.

They told me that I was promoting 'violent and dangerous' content. I asked them to explain themselves. They haven't. So I am taking them to court for unlawful discrimination against my gender critical belief.

I wrote about it in the Critic here thecritic.co.uk/why-is-eventbrite-obstructing-my-book-launch/

I am hoping that some people may feel able to do a spot of gardening. I know its dark and miserable and not the best weather for gardening, but I think this could be quite an important piece of digging. There are some really important questions to ask about how private companies, based overseas are allowed to dictate what we think or say.

Off topic but can anyone recommend an alternative platform to Eventbrite? I definitely don’t want to give them our business now.

Interesting public face of Eventbrite here twitter.com/svphillimore/status/1593145284741459968?s=46&t=9RNiR4K8ffrNTBsclERYZg

I am investigating other ticket platform opportunities, I will let you know what I find.

Wow that tweet is massively unprofessional!

Thank you, I’ve been recommended Ticket Tailor as an alternative but don’t know much about them.

Just came to post this about Ticket Tailor twitter.com/nottsw4c/status/1593008790957281280?s=46&t=9RNiR4K8ffrNTBsclERYZg

Looks like possible alternative

Great thank you, will give them a try.

I wonder how many lurkers have had a moutain summit moment thanks to DadJoke.

There is literally no more way of demonstrating how manly you are than getting pregnant right?

Have I really just read on here that not all people who become pregnant are women? I must have because other posters have responded - but wow! I can barely believe it!

I've heard of trans men, but I don't know what defines them as men, because when I ask @DadJoke, dadjoke doesn't know the answer.

They are female.

People who are pregnant go to pregnancy support groups. Pregnancy doesn't make a person a woman. Not all people who are pregnant are women.

So says a male. Just stop.

All people who are pregnant are female. Using the sleight of hand of queered language will not change this.

Woman = Adult Human Female.

Even Clare Fox - who is very suspicious of lawyers and Law Fare - thinks it's time to go to court

twitter.com/gbnews/status/1593167981768343552?s=46&t=zpfCJPyXrAk50x77kt0DiQ

I think that it is certainly time for you all to go to court on this one.

Between your book, the film, and the WPUK event, I think there is more than enough momentum to make significant changes. And hopefully this will ripple through then to crowdfunding platforms and the like.

Thank you for keeping us in the loop Spero.

There's a useful thread here from WPUK about the event that was cancelled and how you can support Karen Ingala Smith's book:
twitter.com/Womans_Place_UK/status/1592929163039899649

Confined opt out of arbitration. Want this as public as possible

This is in the same vein as Cloudflare which prevented the, perfectly legal, Kiwi farms website from operating.

Service providers shouldn't be able to withdraw services based on which legally held viewpoints they find acceptable and which they don't.

We had a hospital cancelling a woman's operation, not because she said she would like a female only care, but because she said that the female only care meant actually female. They withdrew a life-saving operation on the basis that her political viewpoint clashed with theirs.

Clare Fox is right. The power these people have is huge. And they must be subject to the same laws as everybody else.

If they have found a loophole to circumvent discrimination law in this country, then that must be closed.

These companies are curating every single piece of information the public has access to.

Another possible alternative to EB

www.trybooking.com/uk/

Hard agree. If foreign companies can thumb their collective noses at Parliamentary sovereignty, then Parliament needs to take this very seriously.

Clare Fox is right. The power these people have is huge. And they must be subject to the same laws as everybody else. If they have found a loophole to circumvent discrimination law in this country, then that must be closed.

Absolutely, Datun. If these huge, monolithic tech companies are inventing their own rules that allow them to flout the law of this land with impunity, then we need to stop them. One of the things that the TRAs who gloat about this behaviour are too stupid to realise is that if Eventbrite, Twitter etc can ban feminists, they can ban anyone.

One of the things that the TRAs who gloat about this behaviour are too stupid to realise is that if Eventbrite, Twitter etc can ban feminists, they can ban anyone.

Exactly. Any of them can ban anyone. All the layer upon layer of tech companies that the whole world relies on for just about everything have unimaginable power.

This isn't just about cancelling a feminist book launch. You'd have to think that the government itself knows just how reliant they are if they don't force regulations and law adherence.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if this specific case build up a head of steam.

Just donated my Eventbrite refund of original purchase of tickets for Nottingham Women for Change's AHF documentary showing to Spero's crowdfunder. Do they think we're going to run out of outrage or little £20 donations or something?

(P.S. And bought tickets again on Ticket Tailor..)

@Datun Service providers shouldn't be able to withdraw services based on which legally held viewpoints they find acceptable and which they don't.

Yes, they should, and they do. The fact that racist, homophobic and transphobic beliefs don't meet the very low bar of not been literally illegal hate speech doesn't mean that platforms can't ban them. If someone wanted to put on a "Gay people go to Hell" event, Eventbrite could ban them, despite their views being a protected religious belief.

It's not different from the many occasions when gender critical people have been banned from holding events across the country. As to whether it's discrimination, it might well be, but discrimation is permitted if it's legitimate and proportionate.

I don't think this court case will go anywhere, but I do look forward to it happening.

@DadJoke
IANAL, but I think you have misunderstood. Gender critical beliefs are protected under the EA2010 therefore you can't discriminate on that basis. GC beliefs meet the test of being "worthy of respect in a democratic society" (WORIADS is the acronym often used.) The fact that you personally believe them to be transphobic is neither here nor there.

Your remark about discrimination being proportionate and legitimate sounds like a garbled version of the wording from the parts of the act dealing with single-sex exemptions and people with GRCs - is that right?

I do agree that the bar for being WORIADS is low - it includes flat earthism, creationism etc and of course gender ideology.

I repeat, IANAL, so I am happy to be corrected by a qualified person!

@DadJoke
Nice that you would be interested in OP's court case, though. The more people hear about this, the better.

No, that's hate speech. There are laws against that.

You cannot discriminate against someone on the basis of their legally protected belief.

That's why Maya went to court over it. It has to fulfil certain criteria in order to be protected.

And it did.

You could also try Ticketsource?

I’ve booked tickets through them for local events.