“Stand up,” “Be Honest, Be Brave, Protect women!” This was the message that TikTok decided was too “offensive” to remain on its platform.
XX-XY Athletics founder and CEO Jennifer Sey posted a screenshot of a TikTok censorship notice in an X post. “Your [ads] account has been permanently suspended because it doesn't comply with out advertising policies.” The platform cited that the clothing brand may have violated its policies by featuring so-called offensive content.” Undeterred, Sey told MRC Free Speech America in an exclusive interview that she is applying the same resilience she learned as an elite gymnast to how she approaches her business promoting women’s sports. “I will not be quiet, sit down, be nice,” she said. “We won’t back down because a bunch of bullies call us names or tell us we are violating some unknown policy. We’ll succeed regardless of TikTok’s ban.”
Although XX-XY Athletics is only banned from posting ads and not from the platform entirely, the suspension could have a serious impact on the business and its ability to market to its target customer base. “TikTok is denying my brand the ability to reach the close to 50% of people under the age of 30 who spend time on TikTok,” Sey explained. “They have thrown up a significant barrier to reaching the population of women under 30, a primary target for us. But, I’m not giving up.”
The platform cited no specific policy for why it suspended the activewear company’s account. However, Sey is determined to uncover whether what TikTok did was an intentional act of censorship. “I am an advocate for free speech,” she said. “While public debates are waged on large platforms like TikTok, it’s important for businesses like mine to know if there was a mistake in deciding to ban the content, or if this was a conscious decision made by a human with an agenda who is threatened by viewpoint diversity.”
And here's the notification lest I be accused of lying by my "fans." pic.twitter.com/lUJ6cjuDYQ
— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) June 18, 2024
In recent years the inherently toxic cultural climate has made it increasingly difficult for Americans to freely express opinions that counter the leftist gender narrative. The powerful video ad that led TikTok to suspend XX-XY Athletics’ ad account depicted women and girls encouraging the viewer to “stand up” and defend women’s sports. Sey noted that she chose to include these words in the ad precisely because of the cultural backlash and online censorship she and so many others experience for protecting women’s sports from being infiltrated by biological males.
“We know that as awareness of the issue grows, so does public support. But still, many are too afraid to stand up [and] say so for fear of being called ‘offensive,’ as did TikTok about this video.” She added, “[This] is why I wrote the words in that ad. Stand up. No one is going to do it for us. We have to do it together.”
Sey additionally drew attention to the fact that when censorship impacts business it in turn impacts free markets.
“If only one viewpoint is allowed, we never have the right conversations to reach truth. Rather, truth is dictated by government and corporate propaganda. And it does seem there is always one political ‘side’ that is censored these days,” she said. Sey concluded by ripping apart the dystopian trend plaguing American society:
The requirement for ideological conformity is enforced by both government and corporations and that is extremely problematic in a supposed free country like the US. In the world of business, consumers should be able to find brands that align with their values. If a brand like ours is censored, that isn’t possible. That’s not democracy. That’s not free market capitalism. That’s not freedom.
TikTok did not immediately respond to MRC Free Speech America's request for comment.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on so-called hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable
