Members of Toronto’s Transgender, Nonbinary and Intersex communities are calling on the University of Toronto to take action against a controversial professor they say is spewing “hate” speech.

This comes after the school sent out a mass email Friday morning to its faculty, staff and students condemning threats against the Trans community.

“We are working closely with University of Toronto Campus Police, Toronto Police Service, and the U of T Community Safety Office to support the individuals who have received these threats,” part of the email reads. “The situation is being actively monitored.”

Partners Qaiser Ali, a former University of Toronto student, and Lane Patriquin say they believe the increased online hate and threats were prompted by a controversial professor and a recent rally organized by his supporters.

“We think it’s absolutely related to what happened at those rallies,” Ali said.

The Freedom of Speech rally, organized by supporters of Psychology professor Jordan Peterson, who made news recently for refusing to use gender neutral pronouns, was held on October 11th at the Sidney Smith Hall on the downtown campus.

The professor, who has also criticized a federal bill that would provide protection for gender identity or expression in the Canadian Human Rights Act, says he shouldn’t be linked to the email sent out by the University.

“I don’t think that that’s reasonable at all,” he tells CityNews in a phone interview. “I think it’s politically motivated, especially because we don’t know who posted the threats.”

Professor Peterson, whose lectures on these controversial topics can be found on his YouTube page, says he’s starting a conversation that needs to be had.

“The reason I’m speaking out is because I think we still have a chance to talk all this out, but the window of talking is closing,” he said. “It’s better to talk now, than to wait, that’s why I’m doing it.”

Both Ali and Patriquin attended the rally in protest of Peterson and his supporters, and say they were met with hostility and have been receiving online threats.

Several videos posted on Youtube show the two sides clashing, pushing and shoving, and according to witnesses, a rally attendee even put his hands around a protester’s neck.

“There’s a fear for our safety, and a fear for each other,” Patriquin tells CityNews.

“To be in the state where, people we care about are living in fear, some had to leave their home temporarily to deal with these threats,” Ali said, adding online trolls have leaked the personal data of some of his friends.

The same video shows protestors drowning Professor Peterson out with white noise, to the point where he could no longer use the mic during his speech. The professor adds that the assault and disrespect he, along with his supporters experienced at the hands of protesters, did not receive the same outcry.

“The people who disrupted it, lied and misbehaved, and the evidence is clear,” he explains.

A University of Toronto spokesperson tells CityNews, the school isn’t linking the online threats to the recent rally or professor Peterson.

“We are not drawing a connection to the rally and the threats,” Althea Blackburn-Evans said in a statement to CityNews. “The situation is under investigation, the threats are under investigation.”

The University adds that faculty members and students can participate in any rally or public events they choose, as long as they’re not violating school principles.

“We don’t want the community to feel panicked, we know many members are feeling unsafe about this,” Blackburn-Evans said in another statement. “We want them to know they’re supported and where they can go if they’re feeling unsafe.”

When asked if the University had received any formal complaints regarding professor Peterson, Blackburn-Evans replied back, “Some members of our community, including UTMSU, have expressed concern and we’re looking closely at those concerns.”

Denio Lourenco, LGBTQ Coordinator at the University of Toronto Mississauga Student’s Union, penned an open letter to the university, including a list of demands and asking the administration to take action against professor Peterson.

“We need a commitment that they will act in future instances where professors make prejudice action,” Lourenco explains. “Had they acted initially, it would’ve stopped it from getting this far and be being at risk.”

Since drafting that public letter, Lourenco says he’s also received a few dozen online threats and messages.

“I have messages that include there will be bloodshed, you should be very afraid,” he said.

As of Saturday evening, Lourenco tells CityNews the University has yet to reply to his open letter.