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At a Wednesday afternoon anti-Jordan Peterson rally on the Toronto campus, organizer Lane Patriquin — who goes by “they” — was handing out name tags denoting attendees’ pronouns of choice. “The reason why pronouns are such a sticking issue is because they’re such a basic (mark of) human respect,” they argued.

And that, I think, is a critical tension in these discussions. I share some of Peterson’s worries — about speech chill on campuses, about the ludicrous prospect of pronoun abusers winding up before the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

But on the other hand, what kind of jerk refuses to refer to someone as he, she or they would like? They’re human beings, not issues.

In many ways, this controversy has proceeded much as it ought to have: a professor said something controversial. Several of his colleagues rebutted, such as physics professor A.W. Peet, who argued their very existence as a “nonbinary and transgender” person disproved Peterson’s doubts. And Wednesday’s rally, too, was a healthy response — except inasmuch as it featured the usual calls for the thought criminal professor’s ouster.

“Academic freedom is something that protects people who we believe to be odious conservatives as much as it protects people we believe to be awesome progressives. So I am not calling for his firing,” said Peet. “I’m trying to be a bigger person. I’m trying to foster the inclusiveness, the education angle, and get away from the tire fire of this man’s opinions.”