About 25 people gathered in the parking lot at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium to protest prominent Canadian psychologist and author Dr. Jordan Peterson’s event in Calgary..“Go home TERFs (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists),” said one protestor at the Sunday event. .“You f*cking incels.” . Peterson protest 2"What constitutes truth? Is it for the government to say?" .Pro-sexual minority advocacy group Drag Me to the Street said on Wednesday it was planning a protest ahead of Peterson’s appearance because his views are dangerous and should not be platformed. .READ MORE: Calgary group plans Peterson protest Sunday.“Jordan Peterson is among the most despicable men in the world and Calgary is giving him a stage this weekend,” said Drag Me to the Street. .“He is a former disgraced psychology professor from Toronto and has rose to world wide fame and fortune by being a loathsome stalking horse for the far-right.". Peterson protest 3The Western Standard tried to interview multiple protestors, but they refused to comment. .Protestors wore pro-sexual minority flags and held signs with messages such as “Hate speech is not free speech” and “Trans is beautiful.” One protestor made a sign with a QR code linking to a video debunking Peterson over the course of three hours. .Protestors spoke among themselves about how Peterson was transphobic, bigoted, and a Nazi. They mocked people for paying hundreds of dollars to go to the show. .One protestor, who stood in the centre of the gathering and started dancing, tried to block journalists from taking photos. .The Western Standard attempted to speak with multiple protestors, but they all declined. Protestors accused it of spreading fake news. . Peterson eventThe show had close to 2,500 people attend. .The show saw about 2,500 people come to listen to him. Tickets had sold out months in advance. .Event attendee Heath Ferguson said Peterson’s work has changed his life. .“To be honest, I was an alcoholic two years ago,” said Ferguson..“I don’t even drink now.” .Ferguson said if he was on the same track he was two years ago, he “probably wouldn’t be here.” He added the psychologist motivated him to stop drinking and figure out why he was doing it. .Event attendee Rupert Michell said he learned about Peterson through Bill C-16. .“Whenever I’m feeling a little lost or whatever, I just go watch some JP stuff and it kind of helps ground me and see clearly again,” said Michell. .Michell said he is from Australia, and all of his friend group back home loves Peterson. He said it is “cool to listen to him, and I think it’s worth listening to him.” .He alleged the people who dislike him have never listened to the full videos of lectures he does. .Multiple community organizations requested on January 16 Peterson’s show at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa be stopped. .READ MORE: Community groups call for Ottawa venue to cancel Peterson show.“The toxic, and often violent, rhetoric touted by Peterson — whose quasi-academic ideas are misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, and racist — led to an increased environment of hate, especially toward the trans community, that has been very present in Ottawa,” said the organizations. .The letter was signed by 33 community groups, including Wisdom2Action, the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity, and the Centretown Community Health Centre..No protestors showed up to the Ottawa event.
