In her column on the controversy, Christie Blatchford of the National Post reported that Shepherd is thinking of leaving Wilfred Laurier University. And how gender should maybe not be part of the language. There was also a debate on the public broadcaster TVOntario (TVO) where they talked about pronoun usage. WATERLOO, Ontario, December 21, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) Wilfred Laurier University has cleared grad student Lindsay Shepherd of any wrongdoing. How can it continue in its mission without free speech? Not when she needed to clean out her entire place and make sure every single container was recycled. WATERLOO, Ontario, November 20, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) Communications student Lindsay Shepherd has committed a thought crime: she presented students with opposed points of view in an evenhanded fashion. Critics have warned that under Bill C-16, Canadians who deny gender theory could be charged with hate crimes, fined, jailed, and compelled to undergo anti-bias training. Peterson, one of the debaters, is a tenured professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto. (Not him or her.) Finlay is trans and non-binary, a term used when ones gender identity is neither male nor female. If you are interested in this . Joel told Shepherd that she had caused harm and violence to trans folk by presenting Petersons position that the government should not force Canadians to use recently coined pronouns to describe transgender people. Adria Joel has been working as a Group and Workshop Coordinator for Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region for 1096 days. And the thing is, when you start off with This guy sucks, dont believe anything he says, there are people right there [in class] who wont say anything now. But no one knew that at the time so Finn stayed home the day of the free speech rally. "The best way to predict the future is to create it!". Joel tells her trans folks.. People gatering for a counter demonstration at the November 24 rally. The video of students and faculty opposing the press went viral. Joel Jorquera ha posat el tercer empenyent a gol una bona passada des de la lnia de fons. Two were speaking out against Peterson, while the other two were standing up for Petersons point of view. I dont expect or desire for her agreement. For starters, hes sad. Swiss-Italian duo, Joel Camathias (27) and Davide Rigon (21), driving the BMS Scuderia Italia . Tensions were obviously rising, Leibold says. But his small mistake has now resulted in constant death threats, threats of violence and his name being dragged through the mud, says Jonathan Finn, the former chairof the department of communication studiesat Laurier. So is Milas Hewson, a fellow member of the Rainbow Centre, who also uses they/them pronouns. When someone is attacking you on a basis that is personal and that you cant change about yourself, that is political, Matte says. Shepherd agreed, and was greeted at the meeting by Rambukkana, Pimlott and Adria Joel, the acting manager for gendered violence prevention and support at Laurier. You are our people. It puts a shudder in my heart as a Canadian that we could even possibly be in a situation like that.. Also, make sure to secretly record all meetings or they won't take you seriously. The Rebel reporter is now busy interviewing someone else so she opts to head back to campus until another student stops her for a few questions. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. A sign hangs in their window of the Rainbow Centre at Laurier: Trans people deserve an apology. It remains there because members feel trans voices have been silenced throughout this entire conversation. Toby Finlay, right, and Milas Hewson, transgender students and spokespeople for the Rainbow Centre at Wilfrid Laurier University. I feel generally uncomfortable on campus., Neither Finlay nor Hewson is opposed to freedom of speech. Shepherd writing her speech before the rally, November 24, 2017. [] At no point should your discussion devolve into should gender fluid and trans peoples identity come into question., Rambukkana could have handled the meeting with Shepherd better, even his own colleagues will acknowledge. When a Rebel Media reporter tries to jump in with an interview, Shepherd cuts him off. Trans people are also 14 times more likely to have thoughts of suicide. People gathering for a rally in support of Lindsay Shepherd on the campus of Wilfrid Laurier University, November 24, 2017. The Rainbow Centre was getting constant threats. During the disciplinary interview, which Shepherd secretly taped, the professors likened an objective presentation of the Peterson debate to objectively presenting a speech by Adolf Hitler. This is unacceptable behaviour for employees of any institution of higher-learning, which are supposed to foster critical thinking from a position of neutrality, not filter the reality that their students are exposed to in order to further their personal political agendas. campus. As much as people criticize students for being snowflakes, it turns out it was the professors, she said. Shepherd writing her speech ahead of the rally, November 24, 2017. Centas findings come as a relief to Shepherd, she told the Toronto Globe and Mail. Although Centas full report wont be released because it concerns personnel issues, Shepherd also lauded MacLatchey for publishing the conclusions. She says there have been others standing patiently for a long time, and perhaps he can wait. Williams also wrote an open letter to Lauriers president, Deborah MacLatchy, saying trans people deserve an apology from her and Nathan Rambukkana, the communications studies professor and Shepherds TA supervisor, for failing to acknowledge trans-related violence in either of their apology letters to Shepherd. But for me, thats the spirit of the university.. I dont subscribe to the wasteful consumerist culture that we live in and I didnt want my children to watch all the advertising, says Jennifer Shepherd, Lindsays mom and a school teacher in Coquitlam, B.C. Shepherd looks out of place. She played Dorothy Gale in the Oz book adaptation Emerald City (2017), Anathema Device in the TV adaptation of Good Omens (2019), and Bix Caleen in Andor (2022). The National Post reports Shepherd's supervising professor Nathan Rambukkana, professor Herbert Pimlott, and Adria Joel, manager of Gendered Violence Prevention and Support at Laurier, can be heard in the clip berating Shepherd for her decision to present the Peterson debate video without condemning Peterson's perspective. As counter-protesters leave as a group, Shepherd waits patiently as fansmostly young menqueue up for a chance to exchange a few words with her, and maybe take a selfie. The free speech proponents, meanwhile, have redoubled demands that the administration adopt the Chicago Principles. WATERLOO The president of Wilfrid Laurier University has apologized for its treatment of a teaching assistant who was reprimanded for showing both sides of the debate about gender-neutral. Let us know. Copyright 2023 St. Joseph Communications. The online headline read: Thought police strike again as Wilfrid Laurier grad student is chastised for showing Jordan Peterson video. As the story gained national attention, Shepherd released the audio to multiple media outlets so everyone could hear what happened in that room. People can disagree with me., McEwin is standing towards the back of the crowd. In November 2017, the two men, accompanied by Adria Joel, then the universitys manager of gendered and sexual violence prevention, grilled Shepherd about her decision to play part of a government-funded television program featuring a debate with Peterson to students. Its been a hard month for both at the Rainbow Centre, a service within the schools diversity and equity office that supports education and advocacy for queer and trans students. Don't have an account? When reached by phone byMacleans, Rambukkana immediately hung up. Outside the theatre, Joel provides IT & Web consulting services to a number of national clients. Shepherd finds herself at the epicenter of a debate that has erupted at universities, in online chatrooms and newspaper editorials across the continent; where Laurier has been pulled into disrepute and its academics brought to the edge of paranoia. No one deserves that., Finn worries about Shepherd advocating for secretly recording meetings with professors, as she did on Twitter, and how she handed it to the media at the first sign of transgression. A bulletin board on campus at Wilfrid Laurier University on November 24, 2017. Some of the freedoms we have, have to be limited to ensure the protection of all of our membersespecially the most marginalized groups in our societies.. Rambukkana said there were concerns about the content of her tutorial. But the professors are arguing that if their remarks hurt Peterson, the blame must fall upon their former student. One thing her mother worried about was her daughters confidencethat is, until Lindsay reached university. She tells Shepherd she doesnt want to be recorded. So where does the university go from here? The group of several dozenwent to their back-up plan: a silent protest to visually represent the silencing of trans voices. 4 Family Life Lane We were informed there would be other folks attending the freedom-of-speech side, including fascists who had been violent in other demonstrations, says Finlay, from Lauriers Rainbow Centre. Over the next week, every major newspaper in the country had opinion-editorials offering every possible take on Shepherds case. Even then, ambiguous about free speech. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. Politicians have weighed in in too, such as federal Conservative leader Andrew Scheers campaign promise to deny federal funding to universities that dont allow free debate. Shepherd agreed, and was greeted at the meeting by Rambukkana, Pimlott and Adria Joel, the acting manager for gendered violence prevention and support at Laurier. Shepherd insisted she remained neutral during her tutorial, to which Rumbakkana replied: thats kind of the problem.. I can see how it might challenge their existing ideas. They say they didnt, due to lack of time. After a student complained, Shepherd was summoned to the meeting with Rambukkana and associate professor Herbert Pimlott and Adria Joel, the university's manager of gendered violence prevention . That also in a huge way makes me feel fairly unsafe on campus because I dont know who might recognize me and approach me out of nowhere and have something violent to say or do, Hewson says. The professors maintain, however, that their remarks about Peterson would never have become public had they not been recorded and given to the media by teaching assistant Lindsay Shepherd. According to the Toronto Sun, The statement of claim, prepared by lawyer Howard Levitt says Peterson was falsely labeled as incompetent, sexist, misogynist and racist in a now infamous disciplinary meeting with Wilfrid Laurier University teaching assistant Lindsay Shepherd.. I didnt want her watching stuff I thought was going to be a waste of her time. Shepherd remembers he opened by acknowledging the situation and while he couldnt go into specifics because of confidentiality reasons, he told the students if they needed emotional or mental support, they should feel welcome to go to the campus wellness centre. A close ally of Vladimir Putin says his country fully supports Chinas recent Ukraine war proposal - which undermines Russias position. Join the conversation, you are commenting as. Theyre being handed signs that read I stand with Lindsay #freespeech.. But then there are also those gathering across the street for a counter demonstration. A reporter asks if they extended the invitation to the Rainbow Centre. Shes a free agent. This is something that he has done to his own students, has done to other students. Ive never heard that either. He then looks over at the signsTrans people deserve justiceand gets very close to the group and points at the top word: trans. So bringing something like that up in class, not critically., It was critical, Shepherd interrupts. https://t.co/g8j2zKs0VT, Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) December 20, 2017, University grills grad student over transphobic thought crimes, Jordan Peterson and Lindsay Shepherd reveal need for revolution in universities, University apologizes after grilling student over transphobic thought crimes. 4 Family Life Lane Such criticism has grown with some of Shepherds comments on Twitter, from thanking former Rebel Media personality Faith Goldy for her coverage at the Laurier counter-protest, to Shepherd explaining perhaps shes getting more support than Khan, the Dalhousie student, regarding free speech because I didnt make contemptuous and insolent comments about white tears and white fragility. Theyre the ones who read about Shepherds plight and decided to organize a free speech rally on campus. Shepherd recorded her meeting with Rambukkana, without his knowledge. We are registered health care providers that work in small teams (pods) of 2 or 3 midwives. With these young students struggling to figure out how theyre experiencing gender, to be told in a classroom that thats not valid has a very deep impact because its an issue that strikes close to home for these people., And even if Shepherd tried to remain neutral in the classroom, Finlay challenges the idea of neutrality in this case, saying its wrong that these are issues of debate and trans students identities or experiences are up for conversationin the sense that their reality is up for conversation., Hewson talks about being confronted in school hallways by people I barely know asking me to justify myself and my positions. By speaking with media, Finlay and Hewson have become the public faces for the Laurier trans community. They announced the establishment of a task force to delve into these issues., To join the conversation, please Shell have to skip this meal. Meanwhile, a crowd starts to grow a short walk away by Veterans Green Park, across the street from Lauriers main campus entrance in Waterloo, Ont. He explains that its like the slogan black lives matter. He thinks it should be all lives matter.. Telling them that? One? Its basically been my lifes work. In legitimizing this as a valid perspective, as if this is another valid perspective. She walked 30 minutes with heavy bags full of bottles just to make sure she could recycle them properly., At one point, Ghodsi threw out the suggestion that, in the interest of saving time and getting to hang out a bit more togetherand just this oncethey throw everything in the garbage. Shepherd has maintained she went public with her recording to expose the repressive atmosphere at the university, not because she wanted retribution. Efficient and powerful 2.2l HDi engines (Euro6.3) at 120 HP*, 140 HP and 165 HP. The problem I had with it was he was shutting down the conversation right away, Shepherd says. She has had supporting roles in the films Pacific Rim Uprising (2018), Life of the Party (2018), Triple Frontier (2019), 6 Underground (2019) and Morbius (2022). Looking for Joel Adria? He remembers four students as most vocal. Theres an idea that theres a gender spectrum by I dont think thats a valid idea. Its not obvious to me how you could be both because those are, by definition, binary categories. In a telephone interview withMacleans, Laurier student Vivek Ramesh answers questions as voices in the backgroundwho are never namedcan be heard whispering responses to him. According to the Toronto Star, the men allege Lindsay Shepherd had power and control over the recording and the distribution of the conversation, and meant for the contents of the meeting to potentially become widely available and discussed. In November 2017, Shepherd played her communications class two clips of a debate, formerly aired on Canadian public broadcaster TVOntario, with . The group walks to the university presidents office with a paper in hand, asking the school to adopt the Chicago Principles, but President Deborah MacLatchy isnt in; a colleague politely receives the letter on her behalf. I would have gone through my whole life thinking I offended someone and really hurt someone, and I violated policies, and it would not have been true, Shepherd said. This (showing a clip of him speaking without condemnation) is basically like neutrally playing a speech by Hitler or Milo Yiannopoulos from Gamergate.. One need only look at the Facebook page for the Rainbow Centre and see the uptick in hate messages in recent weeks to realize threats to their safety exist. She was going to bring up how this [discussion] would not be an issue if English was also genderless. Who did I target?, How? By telling them ideas that are really out there? She spoke with a far-right news outlet. As the Shepherd story gained traction in the media, Peterson read as columnists said that my views were abhorrent, he says, including two inMacleansthat were most egregious., Those contentious views regarding the use of gender pronouns are explained in a YouTube video Peterson posted in 2016 about the Ontario Human Rights Commissions definition of gender identityas each persons internal and individual experience of gender. The men chat amongst themselves. They were initially hoping to be amongst the crowd of free speech demonstratorsthat is until a last second change of plans. Not that she does now. To call this scandalous is barely to scratch the surface, he wrote. Shes just not sure that degree will come from Laurier. But when the Rebel posts its interview from the rally with Shepherd, four days after the factnone of her answers skewedShepherd begins to hear the criticism, even disappointment. Months before Shepherd set foot on Lauriers campus in September, the school was already under fire regarding free speech. He told her that hed be interested to sit in that class. Rambukkana said he will sit in on Shepherds tutorials from then on. Protestors called it a victory, arguing that the event would further harm victims of sexual violence. WATERLOO, Ontario, January 2, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) The two Canadian university professors who bullied a teaching assistant to tears because she showed students a clip of a debate with Jordan Peterson have now mentioned her in a third party lawsuit. Create it! `` done to his own students, has done to other.. A last second change of plans dont think thats a valid perspective to a... Be an issue if English was also a debate, formerly aired on public... Supports Chinas recent Ukraine war proposal - which undermines Russias position relief to Shepherd, she told the Globe. 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Spokespeople for the Rainbow Centre at Laurier: trans Shepherds case about pronoun usage but then are., as if this is another valid perspective, as if this is another valid perspective as. The crowd, November 24, 2017 Shepherd says a last second change of plans possible take on case! And Workshop Coordinator for Sexual Assault Support Centre of waterloo Region for 1096 days with... Going to bring up how this [ discussion ] would not be part of free. Be released because it concerns personnel issues, Shepherd released the audio to multiple media so. Think thats a valid idea to multiple media outlets so everyone could hear what happened in that room former....

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