Citadel Theatre apologizes for cancelling prof’s book launch

The Citadel Theatre apologized Friday for refusing to host a book launch by a controversial professor.

University of Toronto psychology professor Jordan Peterson found himself on the public radar in 2016 after saying he would refuse to use some proper pronouns for transgender students.

Citadel’s board of directors and management issued an apology on Facebook just before 5:30 p.m. Friday, saying it could have handled the situation better.

“Rental of our venues is a part of our revenue stream, but not part of our programming,” the statement said. “We are committed to taking a closer look at our rental policies to ensure clarity.”

Robert Fernandez, the board’s vice-chairman, said in an interview Friday that if it were again faced with the same situation, the Citadel would reach out to the author to have a conversation about the complex issue.

“We would have taken a more timely approach,” Fernandez said.

Hyatt Place Downtown confirmed it will host Peterson’s book launch instead on Feb. 11. He is currently promoting 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, published by Penguin Books.

Peterson is originally from Fairview.

A Jan. 16 statement from the Citadel said Peterson’s event was refused after concluding it did not align “with our mandate, values or vision statement.”