Last Saturday, November 19th, the University of Toronto held a debate on human rights and free speech between Professor Peterson and two other professors from Trinity College and The University of British Columbia. There has been no update on Professor Peterson after the debate at the time this article was published, but the debate itself was the result of a series of lead-up events, which ignited active discussions around topics such as free speech and gender identities.
Here’s a brief timeline of what’s been happening since the beginning of the controversy:
September 27: Professor Peterson posted a three-part lecture video on YouTube titled “Professor against political correctness.”
According to The Varsity, Professor Peterson mentioned in his videos: “I don’t recognize another person’s right to determine what pronouns I used to address them. I won’t do it.”
He continued: “I can’t help but manifest the suspicion that that’s partly because our current Premier is lesbian in her sexual preference and that in itself doesn’t bother me one way or another…”
“I don’t think it’s relevant to the political discussion except insofar as the LBGT [sic]community has become extraordinary good at organizing themselves and has a fairly pronounced and very, very sophisticated radical fringe.”
October 5: A rally was held on-campus as a response to Professor Peterson’s video and his remarks regarding his refusal to use non-binary pronouns.
“In addition to the educational aspect, we want to draw attention to and call out the university for supporting and enabling people who are causing harm to trans people,” said Cassandra Williams, University of Toronto Students’ Union Vice-President of University Affairs to The Varsity.
Addressing concerns regarding Professor Peterson’s remarks, rally organizer Lane Patriquin responded “some of the things [Peterson] says in his video are actually non-factual. You’re not talking about something that’s an academic opinion, you’re talking about something that is falsehood and is validated by your emotional relationship to it, and that is what makes it hate speech.” (The Varsity).
Photo Credit: Nathan Chan, The Varsity
October 11: A rally in support of Professor Peterson was held on-campus outside Sidney Smith Hall.
According to The Varsity, Professor Peterson, present at the rally, remarked that “With Bill C-16 and surrounding legislation, it’s the first time I’ve seen in our legislative history where people are attempting to make us speak their language.”
Professor’s Peterson’s presence also attracted trans activist groups and ‘anti-free speech’ individuals to the rally. The Varsity reported that “white noise disruptions” and violence broke out at the rally. Campus Police were called to sort out the disturbances.
Speaking to The Varsity, Qaiser Ali, one of the organizer of the rally, addressed the noise interruptions, saying that they were “a tactic that has been used before, is not to suppress anyone’s free speech but rather not to take some speech lying down. These people were yelling homophobic slurs, transphobic slurs, referring to us as ‘things’ and ‘its’ — we were hoping to make that a little harder to hear.”
Photo Credit: Steven Lee, The Varsity
October 18: The University of Toronto administration sends a letter to Professor Peterson reminding him of the Ontario’s Human Rights Code and the potential effects that his comments might have on the campus community.
The letter, co-signed by David Cameron, Dean of Arts and Science Faculty and Siobhan Nelson, Vice-Provost of Faculty and Academic Life, reads:
“Your statements that you will refuse to refer to transgendered persons using gender neutral pronouns if they ask you to do so are contrary to the rights of those persons to equal treatment without discrimination based on their “gender identity” and “gender expression”.
We trust that these impacts on students and others were not your intention in making these remarks. However, in view of these impacts, as well as the requirements of the Ontario Human Rights Code, we urge you to stop repeating these statements.”- reported by The Varsity.
October 24: Student unions across the three University of Toronto campuses agreed to oppose Professor Peterson and challenge his views in open letters.
According to The Varsity, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) said that:
“The UTSU stands with oppressed members of the U of T community, and those who are further marginalized by this Professor’s actions.”
In a joint letter to the University, shared with The Varsity, the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU), the Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students (APUS), and the Black Liberation Collective (BLC) all agreed to take actions against Peterson, stating that:
“Hateful comments should never be tolerated, especially not from someone who is considered to be an educator. No student should have to endure a two-hour lecture where their gender identity, existence, and realities are being debated and refused. Ultimately, Peterson’s comments erode the safe campus learning environment to which the University states a commitment,”
A letter from Scarborough Campus Students Union (SCSU), shared with The Varsity, reads:
“Discrimination like this is hurtful, unprofessional, and needlessly provocative. Non-binary individuals shouldn’t feel devalued by the very people they rely on to provide them with education,”
November 19: A formal debate and forum was held at U of T with Professor Peterson, Law Professor Brenda Cossman, UBC Education Professor Mary Bryson, with Trinity College Provost Mayo Moran monitoring the discussion.
As reported by The Varsity, here are some comments made by each of the three professors who participated in the debate:
Professor Peterson: “There is a natural gender divide that occurs automatically and without compulsion […] We have to be unbelievably careful about infringing upon that because we’re infringing upon the process in which we keep chaos and order balanced,”
Professor Cossman: “[…] do these provisions in anyway criminalize the use or misuse of pronouns? Not even close,”
Professor Bryson: “Although this man is making these claims as Dr. Jordan Peterson, as a professor, as a clinical psychologist employed at a great Canadian university, the claims are not being made in relations to any publicly accessible peer-reviewed scholarship,”
Photo Credit: Nathan Chan, The Varsity