Alt-Right 'PizzaGate Expert' Starts GoFundMe for Her Podcast, Internet Revolts
By John Bonazzo • 01/30/17 2:17pm
Conservative activist and "PizzaGate expert" Brittany Pettibone. Twitter
UPDATE 1/30/17 4:30 PM: GoFundMe has removed Pettibone's campaign from the site.
To their credit, @gofundme now deleted this campaign, citing their TOS. My timeline is full of vile trolls but that's OK. https://t.co/HMaGQLm5MA
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) January 30, 2017
GoFundMe has become one of the most popular sites for charity-based crowdfunding, raising money for Paris terrorist attack victims, Indian orphans and the restaurant at the center of the PizzaGate controversy.
But a new campaign from a notable right wing activist (and so-called"PizzaGate expert") has many on social media crying foul.
Today conservative writer and journalist Brittany Pettibone started a GoFundMe in support of a video podcast called "Virtue of the West," which would focus on "traditionalism" and "values that once made Western Civilization great, including but not limited to the glorification of the nuclear family, motherhood, masculinity, femininity, etiquette, traditional gender roles and love of one's own culture, race and country."
Pettibone's views, however, have been more in line with alt-right sensibilities than traditional ones. For example, last month she was a guest on the podcast "This Alt-Right Life" as "one of the leading authorities on PizzaGate," the conspiracy theory that a Washington, D.C. pizzeria was the epicenter of a child sex ring led by Hillary Clinton and her campaign chairman John Podesta.
The episode on which Pettibone appeared focused on topics like "the cluster of pedophile-related businesses in northwest Washington, D.C." and "how the media is trying to protect the pedophiles."
Pettibone's GoFundMe asked for only $400 to cover the cost of "Final Cut Pro, a Skype Call Recorder, some new headphones, etc" and has already exceeded its goal. But the controversy around it is just beginning—as journalist Judd Legum first pointed out, the campaign likely violates GoFundMe's terms of service:
Hey @gofundme:
I'm pretty sure this fundraiser for a podcast hosted by a white nationalist and conspiracy theorist violates your TOS pic.twitter.com/Ufv7JTqgmW
Indeed, GoFundMe's TOS prohibits "the promotion of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, terrorism, or intolerance of any kind relating to race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender or gender identity." Pettibone's emphasis on traditionalism likely goes against this.
Many others on Twitter have also taken up the cause:
She's an "expert" in something that doesn't exist. How cynical do you have to be to ask for $s from deluded chumps?#pizzagateismadeup https://t.co/Ov3ebywdgX
— Honour McMillan ♔ (@HonourMcMillan) January 30, 2017
whoopsie… https://t.co/HEVvR4lhom
— PortableRockArt (@PortableRockArt) January 30, 2017
.@gofundme Ban thishttps://t.co/w0Gnrn2jzh
— Kawsar Ali (@iamkawsar) January 30, 2017
Tell @GoFundMe that is violates their TOS. Shut it down. #NoMoneyForHate https://t.co/WFA6jADtPc
— MadameBeloved (@MadameBeloved) January 30, 2017
GoFundMe has not yet responded to these protests or taken down the campaign.
Filed Under: Innovation, Hillary Clinton, Hilary Clinton, Crowdfunding, Social media, John Podesta, podcast, alt-right
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