A Toronto Professor Is Facing Criticism For Saying He Won't Recognize Gender-Neutral Identites

    A nonbinary professor wants him to know they certainly do exist.

    A tenured psychology professor at the University of Toronto has drawn criticism after posting a lecture online in which he dismisses the validity of those who identify as neither male or female.

    Peterson says he thinks the idea that gender identity and biological sex are different is "a proposition not a fact." He also dismisses gender-neutral pronouns like they, them, ze, and hir.

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    "I can envision a student or a colleague insisting that I call them using gender-neutral pronouns," he says.

    "I’m not doing that. I think it’s manipulative and I don’t recognize another person’s right to determine what pronouns I use to address them. I won’t do it."

    But A.W. Peet, a transgender nonbinary physics professor at U of T, is speaking out to say nonbinary folks certainly do exist and are part of the university.

    Peet voiced their complaints on Twitter, saying academic freedom doesn't mean Peterson's behaviour should be acceptable.

    Men like Peterson raise ruckuses like this b/c they suspect we'll come for them when Bill C-16 is law. All the more reason to make it so.

    Academic freedom was never intended to be used as an all-purpose shield against professorial accountability. It is to prevent govt meddling.

    “But: academic freedom!” is the middle-aged cishet abled White male professor version of “But: freeze peach!” Pure bullshit rallying cry.

    I refuse to stand by and just let bigots like Peterson hurt vulnerable genderqueer members of the university community on my watch.

    Peet said they have sent a letter to the university expressing their "displeasure" with Peterson.

    "I feel that as professors, we are held to a higher standard of care for our students, all students, not just the students whose politics we like," they said.

    Peterson told BuzzFeed Canada he hasn't yet had a student request to be addressed with gender-neutral pronouns. But, "if I felt the fundamental motivations were ideological, and a power play, I would refuse."

    University spokesperson Althea Blackburn-Evans told BuzzFeed Canada they have not received any formal complaints regarding Peterson