Polarizing presence Critics say historic theatre no place for Peterson By: Erik Pindera Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Thursday, Jul. 26, 2018 Last Modified: 6:35 AM CDT Friday, Jul. 27, 2018 Updates

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This article was published 25/07/2018 (2347 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Controversial academic Jordan Peterson will be in Winnipeg this weekend to promote his book, but activists are pushing for the venue to cancel his appearance.

Peterson, a University of Toronto professor and clinical psychologist, gained public prominence in 2016 for saying he would refuse to use gender-neutral pronouns. He has become a YouTube celebrity, with a massive following of loyal fans, and is a favourite of some conservatives and the alt-right. His book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, became a bestseller after it was published in January.

He’s been criticized as being anti-transgender and anti-feminist.

"He’s spreading a message that’s really hateful. It’s full of misogyny, transphobia and racism," said local activist Liz Kessler. "It’s actively encouraging people who might believe a woman’s place is in the home, that we’re inferior to men, and it’s encouraging racists to come out of the woodwork."

Kessler and others are calling for True North Sports and Entertainment to cancel Peterson’s lecture, set for Sunday night at the Burton Cummings Theatre. The venue was the site of the famous 1914 mock parliament featuring Nellie McClung, when it was called the Walker Theatre.

The fact Peterson is speaking at the historic venue is particularly grating for Jacob Marks.

“This is the same building where Nellie McClung held her mock parliament for woman’s suffrage. She wasn’t perfect, but that was 100 years ago. Now we’re 100 years later, and we’ve got this guy in here pedalling snake oil that panders to these alienated young men,” he said.

True North, which owns the theatre, said it’s aware of the complaints.

"We work with reputable promoters that provide a variety of events within our venues and recognize that not all of the programming may be popular with all audiences," a spokesman said in an emailed statement.

Peterson’s publicist said he was unavailable for an interview. Late Thursday night, Peterson tweeted about his upcoming appearance and included a link to this article. “Actually, given that the theater (sic) is (almost) sold out, I appear to be quite welcome in Winnipeg, despite the protestors (sic) wishes to the contrary,” he wrote.

Live Nation, the tour promoter that booked the venue, did not respond when the Free Press asked how many tickets have been sold.

Actually, given that the theater is (almost) sold out, I appear to be quite welcome in Winnipeg, despite the protestors wishes to the contrary: https://t.co/sJLyJjgVCm Tickets available at: https://t.co/iaOS1UB9zE pic.twitter.com/CJDIwkSq1n

— Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) July 27, 2018

A Facebook page run by Kessler and others titled Jordan Peterson is not welcome in Winnipeg had about 250 likes Wednesday. On Thursday, an open letter asking the theatre to stop the lecture — signed by nine community groups and Point Douglas city council candidate Kate Sjoberg — was posted.

"Peterson professes to be a psychologist and to offer self-help to young men. However, his ‘philosophy’ implies that women are inferior and should be forced into traditional gender roles," the letter states, adding Peterson allows men to use marginalized groups as scapegoats.

"He prevents them from developing a healthy relationship with masculinity, which results in toxic, unhealthy relationships when men lose their inability to properly engage with their emotions. His teachings are dangerous."

Instead of a protest, an "anti-fascist picnic" will take place in front of the legislature from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The event is open to all, the Facebook page states, but organizers "will be prioritizing space for women, trans people and people of colour."

Drew Eldridge, who is attending Peterson’s lecture Sunday, was drawn to Peterson after he made headlines in 2016.

"I was fascinated by how both sides were interacting with one another," he said.

Eldridge, a Christian, said he then started watching Peterson’s lectures on the Bible. He said he’s come to admire Peterson’s emphasis on moral virtue and his stance on free speech.

Eldrige said he’s trying to organize a meeting Saturday to discuss Peterson’s ideas with supporters and critics. He said he thinks some activists haven’t tried to understand Peterson’s ideas, adding he doesn’t think Peterson is transphobic or sexist.

"If by ‘transphobic’ or ‘homophobic’ they mean something more specific, like that Peterson sometimes talks about these subjects without assuming that every single trans or homosexual person is perfectly fine the way they are, then they’d be on to something," he said.

Eldrige also said he thinks some, but not all, of Peterson’s critics are "just cowards, in the pettiest sense."

"I’m sure many of them are reasonable, decent people with legitimate concerns and arguments," he said.

Cynthia Fortlage, a transgender woman and board president of the Rainbow Resource Centre, was among those who signed the open letter.

“If we cannot accept that people are human beings first and foremost, we can’t have a dialogue about anything else,” she said.

“Unfortunately, the speaker has proven he doesn’t want to have a dialogue, he wants to share his interpretation of the vast amount of information he knows. He’s a highly intellectual man, but he’s taken a whole bunch of ideas from all over the place, and he’s mashed it up into his own personal interpretation and is presenting it as fact.”

Dave Rubin, a commentator and comedian, has been opening for many of Peterson’s shows on the book tour and is scheduled to appear onstage at Sunday’s event. On his website, Rubin describes himself as a former progressive who identifies with classical liberalism. In May, he was profiled in a New York Times opinion piece titled Meet the Renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web, alongside Peterson.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Erik Pindera
Reporter

Erik Pindera reports for the city desk, with a particular focus on crime and justice.

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