Arizona teen Republican group: ‘Eventbrite is sending the message that we should not talk about cultural issues’

Arizona Teenage Republicans, an organization of 13- to 19-year-olds that engages in outreach and activism, posted a fundraising page on Eventbrite for a movie screening event only to face opposition. 

Eventbrite removed the group’s event page and said in a message, “We have determined that your event is not permitted on the Eventbrite platform as it violates our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service, specifically our policy on Hateful, Dangerous or Violent Content and Events.  As a result, your event has been unpublished. Please be aware that severe or repeated violations of our guidelines may result in the suspension or termination of your Eventbrite account.”          

Arizona Teenage Republicans (TARS) initially responded on Twitter, Jenna Rayne, the group’s youth advisor, told Grand Canyon Times.

“This is the first major event that TARS has held since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the first time that we’ve used an outside company for ticketing,” Rayne said. “Hence, Eventbrite is the first to show such bias against us as an organization.”

The group said in a follow-up tweet that it is still moving forward with the event and shared details on how to get in touch and get tickets. “In spite of @eventbrite’s attempt to silence Gen Z conservatives, our Movie, Dinner & More Fundraiser will STILL go on!” the tweet said.

Eventbrite “is sending the message that we should not talk about cultural issues, and to just go along with the status quo,” Rayne said. “They want us to keep quiet if we have a dissenting voice. We will not be deterred and will continue to advocate for open dialogue on topics that are important to our society. We will also continue to be a voice and a platform for young conservatives in Arizona, in spite of any setbacks we face.”

The College Fix reported that the popular fundraising platform repeatedly has removed events hosted by conservative groups and individuals.  Last year, the Young America Foundation (YAF) at Stanford University set up an Eventbrite page for an event at which political commentator and author Matt Walsh would be speaking, and Eventbrite took down the page for allegedly violating its policies.

YAF said in a statement that Eventbrite not only removed the page, but “hundreds of registered attendees were surprised to receive emails from the company informing them that their tickets had been canceled.” 

Eventbrite has “also taken down pages advertising independent screenings of his documentary by conservative campus groups and a community parent association,” YAF said.