A University of Toronto professor known for his controversial views against genderless pronouns will face off against far-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and others in a race to become the next rector at Scotland’s largest university.
A group of 10 students at the University of Glasgow nominated Jordan Peterson to replace Edward Snowden as the school’s rector in an election to take place among students on March 20-21. As rector, Peterson, Yiannopoulos or one of the 10 other candidates put forward by students would be responsible for representing the student population and bringing their issues to the school’s management in a role that dates to the 17th century.
The clinical psychology professor insists he can represent the entire student population — including the university’s LGBTQ community — despite his refusal to acknowledge his students by pronouns preferred by the trans community.
“I’m a reasonable person and I’m certainly willing to listen to people as long as they don’t babble ideological nonsense at me,” Peterson said. “I would rather talk to a person than a puppet who is possessed by ideas I already understand and isn’t offering me anything of their personal experience.”
Peterson used a lecture posted on YouTube to take a stand against the use of pronouns such as “ze,” “zir” and “they,” arguing that a person cannot be anything but male or female. He said he would not use such pronouns, even if it was requested by a non-binary student, and being forced to do so would rob him of freedom of speech.
As a result, members of Canada’s transgender community continue to protest Peterson’s public appearances, recently vying to have a March 8 appearance at the National Gallery of __canada cancelled.
Yiannopoulos resigned as the editor of Breitbart Tech after a video appeared to show him endorsing pedophilia. He’s also clashed with the trans community, referring to them as “gay men dressing up for attention” during an October speech at the University of Delaware. In the same presentation, he praised the North Carolina laws that deny trans people the ability to use the washroom of the gender they associate with.
If elected rector, the personal views of the two candidates would clash with the university’s equality and diversity policy, which states a “trans person should be referred to by their preferred name and pronoun.” The university also provides students with gender-neutral washrooms and safe spaces.
In a podcast last year, Peterson called safe spaces absurd. “Stay home with your mom.… Don’t come to university if you want to be safe,” he said.
The support at the University of Glasgow surprised him, but Peterson said it could be a sign of displeasure with such policies.
“That’s part of the reason why there are students nominating me, because they’re not so sure those policies are such a good idea,” he said. “I think those policies are ill-advised and dangerous. They certainly pose a threat to free speech.”
The University of Glasgow would not comment on Peterson’s views, saying only that “the election … is a matter for the students themselves.”
Some university students expressed their support for Peterson’s nomination on social media. One told Peterson: “We love ya here in Glasgow!” Another user claiming to be a student asked Peterson to “help us” because the “leftist echo-chamber is growing” at the university.
Ameer Ibrahim, the president of the university’s Student Representative Council, wouldn’t comment on Peterson, but he said students would want a rector who could put forward the school’s ideals of “diversity and social progressiveness.”
Another of Peterson’s opponents is human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar, a university alumnus known for his activism in support of social justice. As a student, he campaigned against racial discrimination in Glasgow and, as a lawyer, he’s taken on high-profile cases involving the murder of immigrants.
“In some sense, I represent one side of the argument and he represents the other,” Peterson said of Anwar. “Although I don’t think it’s as clear as left versus right.”
The role would require Peterson to attend five bimonthly meetings with the university’s governing body, two half-day briefings and one day to discuss school strategy.
Peterson has no ties to Glasgow or its university but admits he’s excited about the prospect of a “ridiculously interesting” adventure. His nomination, Peterson said, suggests his ideas have reached the U.K.
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Protests may very well follow, but Peterson said he is not worried.
“I think the fact students are trained at universities to become activists as the primary way of interacting with the world if they want to make changes is absurd,” he said. “If they want to protest about me, I guess they can do that, too.
“It isn’t obvious why they would.”
• Email: vferreira@postmedia.com | Twitter: VicF77
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