• Pat Brown, a criminal profiler from Prince George’s County, Maryland, created an event called “White Women Yoga Meetup.”
  • The event was created on a platform called Meetup, which aims to “create thriving communities” based on shared interests, according to its website.
  • On her blog, Brown said that she created the event after finding herself “locked [out] of many dozens of groups” that were intended for people of color, which she feels are “a way of keeping white people from joining.”
  • On Twitter, people have called the event racist and questioned why Meetup is allowing the group to advertise on its site.
  • Speaking to INSIDER, Brown said that she never intended to carry out the event, and was actually trying to “bring forth the racism and separatism promoted by Meetup.” In a separate statement sent to INSIDER, a Meetup representative that the event has been removed from its site.

Pat Brown, a criminal profiler from Prince George’s County, Maryland, is facing backlash on social media after creating a yoga event that’s only open to white women.

The event, called “White Women Yoga Meetup,” appears to be scheduled to take place in Washington, DC on March 2.

“This MeetUp group is to allow space for White women to gather in the name of yoga, surrounded by the supportive community of White people, White yoga instructors, and all around safe White spaces,” the meetup’s description reads.

So far, seven women including Brown appear to have RSVP’d online.

Women doing yoga

Foto: The event, which is not pictured, was said to be only open to white women.sourceReuters/Blair Gable

The event was created using an online platform called Meetup

On Meetup's website, users are encouraged to "create thriving communities" based on shared interests. For example, groups are available for people to learn how to cook, try scuba diving, and make crafts, among other options.

While many of the groups on Meetup are open to anyone who's interested, some are restricted to specific groups, like the "Mocha Girls Read" group that is only open to black women, and the The Divorcing Man's Support Group that's only open to divorced men.

People on Twitter are outraged by the event

While some have called the meet-up racist, others have questioned Meetup for allowing the event to be advertised on its site.

https://twitter.com/wiselightwell/status/1096824018093658112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/crookedlilhouse/status/1096800611582980096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Before creating the event, Brown took to Twitter to ask Meetup why she wasn't allowed in groups created for women of color

In her tweets, Brown asked Meetup why they are "allowing this blatant racism which is against policy" on its site.

Meetup then responded, saying that groups are allowed to be created based on connections such as race, and that it would help Brown find a group that suits her needs.

Brown responded with more tweets, asking if she would be allowed to create groups that would only allow white women to join.

When Meetup did not respond to her follow-up tweets, Brown reached out to the platform over email, as stated on her blog in a post titled "White Women Yoga: Meetup, Racism and the Growing Separatism in the United States of America."

Meetup allegedly told Brown that she is allowed to use the platform to create groups only open to white women

In her blog post, Brown shared an email she allegedly received from Meetup. In their alleged response, the platform said that "There is nothing wrong with people wanting to meet with other people and create a private space with others who share the same culture or identity."

"If you feel the need to have a private space to connect with other white folks, you are allowed to do so," Meetup allegedly told Brown in an email. "Now bear in mind, and this applies to all groups regardless of their identities, within your description we recommend refraining from mentioning who you do not allow. Rather, we recommend focusing on who you do allow."
According to Brown's post, Meetup then allegedly said that she shouldn't speak with anyone who might criticize her group.
"Regarding members who complain against you, I highly recommend refraining from engaging them, and instead remove them from your group," Meetup allegedly told Brown.

Brown called Meetup 'both the disease and the symptom of what is happening to our country' in her blog post

"Meetup is an organization that promotes separatism and racism and has been doing so for over a decade," Brown said on her blog.

The criminal profiler continued to say that, as a mother of two biracial children and one black son, she's worried for their futures.

"I worry about my children and my grandchildren and my friends, Black and White and Asian and Hispanic, having to choose which group to belong to and who they dare not associate with," Brown said on her blog.

"Ramping up racism, refusing to associate with people of a different color, and claiming to need 'safe spaces' because even being near a person of another race is emotionally destructive," Brown said. "This should not be happening in America."

Speaking to INSIDER, Brown said that she never intended to hold the 'White Women Yoga Meetup'

"I never intended to have any events," Brown told INSIDER. "I don't approve of the group I set up. I only did so to bring forth the racism and separatism promoted by Meetup and some members of our society."

She continued to say that she believes in inclusion and would "never refuse anyone of any race, religion, or sexual orientation in any real group" that she is part of.

Brown also questioned why so many people have called her a racist.

"It is interesting how many people call me a racist and stirring up hate when my point is exactly the opposite," Brown told INSIDER. "Few seem to be upset with Meetup for allowing one-race only groups and discrimination."

Despite Brown's intentions, Meetup removed the event from its website

Speaking to INSIDER, a representative for Meetup said that the event did not match the platform's policies.

"Meetup takes the integrity and safety of our community very seriously," the Meetup representative said. "We expect that every Meetup group follow our Community Guidelines. This group was removed when we determined it did not adhere to these policies."

To read Pat Brown's full blog post, visit her website.