Clinical psychologist Jordan B. Peterson is once again fighting back against attacks on his character — this time by the city government of Durham, North Carolina.

Mayor Pro Tempore Jillian Johnson issued a statement on behalf of the mayor and the full city council ahead of Mr. Peterson’s scheduled Sept. 10 show at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC), excoriating him for espousing “racist, misogynistic and transphobic views.”

“We wish to emphasize that a person’s right to free speech does not include the right to a platform or an audience,” the officials said in the June 6 statement. “As many in our community have been disturbed and angered by Mr. Peterson’s racist, misogynist, and transphobic views, we would like to use this opportunity to reiterate our commitments and values to all of you as your elected representatives.

Ms. Johnson is a Black Lives Matter activist who is reluctant to identify with any political party.



“We believe that Durham is a place for all of us — black, white, Asian, Latinx, indigenous, and mixed-race, trans and cis, gay and lesbian, queer, and straight, disabled and able-bodied, young and elderly, women, men, and non-binary, native and immigrant, secular and people of faith,” the statement read. “Those who seek to exclude or deny the humanity of others will find no comfort here.”

The best-selling author behind “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote for Chaos” fired back over the weekend, blasting the officials for its “brutal mishmash of self-righteousness, indignation and utter moral and political confusion.”

“‘Racist, misogynistic and transphobic views…’ That’s quite the evil triad,’ the University of Toronto professor wrote Sunday. “I’m a racist and I hate women (or disapprove of them, or something of that sort). I’ll ignore ‘transphobic’ as it’s a word I despise, although trans people are welcome to go to hell in a handbasket or ascend to heaven in their own particularly manner, as far as I am concerned, as long as those of them who are activists keep their damned mitts off the rights and responsibilities I bear in relationship to my words.

“Note as well (and this is also of primary import): this statement is not written merely to denounce me,” he wrote. “No: it’s written to denounce everyone who has the temerity to buy a ticket to this event. If my views are ‘racist, misogynistic and transphobic’ then clearly everyone who wants to hear me express them is deplorable in the same manner.”

The author noted that no evidence was provided by the North Carolina officials to buttress their claims.

Mr. Peterson also criticized its members for saying he was “invited” by DPAC when, in fact, he rented out the space.

“Without the allegation of ‘invitation’ there is no one to cast into disrepute,” he wrote. “And that leads us to the betrayal, which is the purposeful and motivated casting of aspersions on the character of the people who run the DPAC, who are in any case directly or indirectly under the supervision or jurisdiction of the mayor and councilors. So the perpetrators have been identified.

“It’s so interesting in a very dark and terrible way to observe this happening. Why? Because it’s a great example of the tendency of radicals to devour their own,” he continued.

The author’s DPAC presentation is scheduled for Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. EST.

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