TikTok Labels XX-XY Athletics' Pro-Fairness In Women’s Sports Ad As 'Hate Speech'

Last month, OutKick reported that TikTok banned advertising by the clothing and apparel brand XX-XY Athletics. The reason was an ad posted by the company that promoted fairness in women's sports. 

This was the ad that the company posted on the social media platform: 

According to the founder of the company, Jennifer Sey, TikTok did not specify exactly what rule the company violated which led to the advertising ban. 

On Tuesday, Sey posted an update on social media. After weeks of attempting to get in contact with TikTok, Sey finally reached a representative. 

According to Sey, the rep told her that TikTok forbids political messaging in its advertisements. 

When Sey pushed back, suggesting that the ad was not political and did not support any political candidates, the rep told her that they could not talk about the transgender issue because that's considered "hate speech." 

This is fascinating because pushing back against the transgender movement, particularly when it comes to protecting women's sports, is hate speech, but companies can freely promote "pride" and push a pro-LGBTQ agenda with impunity on TikTok. 

TikTok banned an advertisement by XX-XY Athletics that promoted fairness in women's sports and labeled the ad as "hate speech."

(XX-XY Athletics)

Sey went on to say that the rep suggested that the transgender activist community is "loud and powerful" and TikTok doesn't want to upset them for fear of losing their business. 

Again, we have a company that is beholden to a "vocal minority." The majority of Americans – and more than likely the rest of the world – are adamantly in favor of keeping biological men out of women's sports. 

Yet, TikTok is afraid of offending the smaller group because they are more vociferous. That calls to mind the famous Carl Sandburg axiom: 

"If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell."

Sey summarized her conversation with a TikTok representative: 

"Politics are banned except the right politics, those are OK… They don't want to make activists mad. So everyone else needs to either stay quiet or adopt the 'correct' viewpoint." 

This is true. TikTok has no problem allowing a transgender person to market Skittles – a product that is mostly for children – on their platform. 

What XX-XY and Sey experienced should frighten everyone. These social media and tech companies hold incredible power over our society. They're able to control what people see and hear. 

They get to arbitrarily make decisions about what is and what is not acceptable. They are solely responsible for labeling "hate speech." 

Even if you happen to agree with TikTok's position on this issue, you should still be terrified that this exists. 

See, that's the problem. Everyone thinks they love free speech, but many people only love speech with which they agree. That's why people support these wild and arbitrary "hate speech" bans. 

The problem is that people don't realize that it doesn't stop here. Once organizations start down these paths of power, they keep going. Soon, they'll ban speech with which you do agree. Then what? 

Well, then it's too late. That's why the time to stand up is now. 

Defend the speech with which you disagree because soon you're going to be on the other side.