Jordan Peterson could have psychology licence revoked over Twitter conduct and anti-trans tweets
Jordan Peterson could lose his psychology licence following his behaviour on Twitter. (Getty)
Far-right pundit Jordan Peterson has finally discovered that his actions have consequences following several controversial tweets.
The anti-LGBTQ+ author has been told he could have his psychology licence revoked if he refuses to undergo a mandatory coaching program by the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO).
Peterson initially revealed he was obligated to take the course in a 3 January twitter thread.
“The Ontario College of Psychologists has demanded that I submit myself to mandatory social media communication retraining with their experts,” he wrote.
“About a dozen people from all over the world submitted complaints about my public statements on Twitter and [The Joe Rogan Podcast] over a four-year period claiming I had ‘harmed’ people with my views.”
The former Toronto psychology professor also aired his frustrations at the obligatory media training course in a 4 January column for The National Post.
He cited his tweets criticising Canadian president Justin Trudeau – for what he described as an “unconstitutional” COVID-19 travel ban, while also calling him a “puppet” – as the reason for the admonishment from the Ontario College of Psychologists.
“What exactly have I done that is so seriously unprofessional that I am now a danger not only to any new potential clients but to the public itself?” Peterson wrote.
Others have routinely cited his often blatantly anti-LGBTQ+ tweets and rhetoric, including claims that being trans is a “contagion” similar to “satanic ritual abuse”.
Peterson acknowledged these criticisms in his column, saying that he had been labelled “sexist, transphobic” and a “climate change denialist”.
Despite the plethora of examples detailing Peterson’s vehement anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments – including several dozen tweets and audio snippets of him comparing the trans community to “borderline schizophrenic” individuals – he failed to cite any in his article.
Most notable was his refusal to correctly gender actor Elliot Page in a set of tweets in July, prompting his several-month-long ban from Twitter before being reinstated after Elon Musk’s acquisition of the site.
After being banned, Peterson recorded a 15-minute YouTube video titled “Twitter ban” which saw the media pundit call gender-affirming healthcare a “viciously harmful fad”.
Since being reinstated, Peterson’s rhetoric against the transgender and LGBTQ+ community has continued among his repeated tweets of lockdown scepticism and far-right ideological rhetoric.
In a statement to Global News, the CPO said: “The college is not authorised to discuss this matter as per the confidentiality provisions of section 36 of Ontario’s Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991.”
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