The following message was sent to Core Entertainment’s FirstOntario Concert Hall as a response to their booking of Jordan Peterson to present on July 20, 2018:
The Woman Abuse Working Group (WAWG) is a coalition of more than twenty agencies in Hamilton, Ontario working to end violence against women and their children.
WAWG is writing to express our concerns about FirstOntario Concert Hall hosting Jordan Peterson on July 20th, 2018.
Jordan Peterson presents a point of view that poses a risk to transgender and non-binary people, LGBQ2S communities, women, and racialized groups. Peterson has publically expressed that he doesn’t acknowledge the human rights of transgender and non-binary people. Peterson is also on record rationalizing and justifying gender-based murders: for example, when a man drove a van along Yonge, Peterson said, “He was angry at God because women were rejecting him. The cure for that is enforced monogamy. That’s actually why monogamy emerges.” Further examples that demonstrate his concerning viewpoints are readily available in the media.
We support the public position of Councillor Matthew Green who has reservations about Peterson addressing our Hamilton community. He states, “It will bring attention to the city. I don’t think it’s the type of attention or the type of activities that bolster the reputation and brand we are trying to build here in the city.”
Additionally, as recently as a week ago, Durham City Council issued a statement calling on the Durham community “to reject and resist bigotry wherever we encounter it” in response to Peterson performing at the Durham Performing Arts Centre. The Citadel Theatre in Edmonton also opted to cancel Peterson’s event in Feburary 2018.
While we don’t want to undermine anyone’s freedom of speech, it’s essential to consider how Peterson’s messages promote hate and bigotry.