Lindsay Shepherd is a Canadian writer and anti-transgender activist. Shepherd is part of the so-called intellectual dark web, described as a gateway to the far right.
Background
Lindsay Shepherd was born on December 7, 1994 and grew up in Burnaby, British Columbia. Shepherd earned a bachelor’s degree form Simon Fraser University, followed by a master’s degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2018.
Anti-transgender activism
Shepherd became a cause cĂ©lĂšbre among anti-trans media figures from the “academic freedom” faction after a 2017 classroom controversy at Wilfrid Laurier University. Shepherd showed students two clips of Jordan Peterson criticizing Canada’s Bill C-16, which added gender identity and expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act and the list of characteristics of identifiable groups protected from hate propaganda in the Canadian Criminal Code.
Shepherd was called into a meeting with administrators after a student complaint, and Shepherd’s supervisor agreed to review Shepherd’s future class materials. Shepherd secretly recorded the meeting and released it to the press, which led to apologies from Shepherd’s supervisor and the college president. The university opened an independent inquiry that found no wrongdoing by Shepherd. The incident led to lawsuits by Shepherd and Peterson, as well as countersuits against Shepherd.
Shepherd appeared in the 2019 film No Safe Spaces to discuss the incident.
In 2019 Shepherd began work with anti-trans organizations Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms and True North Centre for Public Policy.
The Boston Herald identified Shepherd as a member of the intellectual dark web. Praising “intellectually curious podcast hosts like Dave Rubin and Joe Rogan,” the anonymous editorial lists “victims of these progressive mobs”:
People like Jordan Peterson, Eric and Bret Weinstein, Sam Harris, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Douglas Murray, Christina Hoff Sommers, Steven Pinker, Ben Shapiro, Lindsay Shepherd and Owen Benjamin, to name just a handful.
Shepherd was briefly banned from Twitter in 2019 after exchanging insults with litigant and troll Jessica Yaniv.
Shepherd has written for several anti-trans publications, including The Federalist, The Post Millennial, National Post, True North, and Quillette.
References
Amundson, Quinton (May 16, 2021). Lindsay Shepherd carries on fight for free speech. The Catholic Register https://www.catholicregister.org/item/33101-lindsay-shepherd-carries-on-fight-for-free-speech
Myers, Fraser (July 23, 2019). “I was banned for trans heresy.” Lindsay Shepherd on the Jessica Yaniv balls-waxing controversy. Spiked https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/07/23/i-was-banned-for-trans-heresy/
Krishnan, Manisha (July 16, 2019). Free Speech ‘Activist’ Lindsay Shepherd Was Banned From Twitter. Vice https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwnbxd/free-speech-activist-lindsay-shepherd-was-banned-from-twitter-and-its-very-sad
Editors (May 14, 2018). Editorial: Truth requires free thinking, honest talk. Boston Herald https://www.bostonherald.com/2018/05/14/editorial-truth-requires-free-thinking-honest-talk/
Hutchins, Aaron (December 11, 2017). What really happened at Wilfrid Laurier University: Inside Lindsay Shepherdâs heroic, insulting, brave, destructive, possibly naĂŻve fight for free speech. Maclean’s https://macleans.ca/lindsay-shepherd-wilfrid-laurier/
Selected anti-trans writing by Shepherd
Shepherd, Lindsay (August 12, 2024). The Daily Brief | Another venue cancels womenâs rights event. True North https://tnc.news/2024/08/12/db-another-venue-cancels-womens-rights-event/
Shepherd, Lindsay (August 11, 2024). Victoria venue cancels womenâs rights event. True North https://tnc.news/2024/08/11/victoria-venue-cancels-womens-rights-event/
Shepherd, Lindsay (July 22, 2024). The Daily Brief | Concerns about gender ideology are a security threat? True North https://tnc.news/2024/07/22/db-concerns-gender-ideology-security-threat/
Shepherd, Lindsay (July 6, 2024). No cellphones, no gender ideology, no tuition: New independent school proposed in B.C. True North https://tnc.news/2024/07/06/independent-school-proposed-in-bc/
Shepherd, Lindsay (January 31, 2024). The Daily Brief | âDrag queen bingoâ for soldiers? True North https://tnc.news/2024/01/31/db-drag-queen-bingo-caf/
Shepherd, Lindsay (December 30, 2023). Concerned parents set up overnight camp to protest gender ideology 24/7. True North https://tnc.news/2023/12/30/parents-camp-gender-ideology-protest/
Shepherd, Lindsay (September 27, 2023). Womenâs centre rebrands to âPearlSpaceâ to be trans-inclusive. True North https://tnc.news/2023/09/27/womens-centre-trans-inclusive/
Shepherd, Lindsay (September 22, 2023). Police shut down Victoria parental rights march within 15 minutes. True North https://tnc.news/2023/09/22/police-shut-down-victoria-march/
Shepherd, Lindsay (September 21, 2023). The Daily Brief | Thousands take part in the One Million March for Kids. True North https://tnc.news/2023/09/21/db-one-million-march-kids-2/
Shepherd, Lindsay (September 10, 2023). Eventbrite drops Protect Our Kids event for being âhatefulâ or âdangerous.â True North https://tnc.news/2023/09/10/eventbrite-drops-protect-our-kids/
Shepherd, Lindsay (August 23, 2023). The Daily Brief | Another premier stands up for parental rights. True North https://tnc.news/2023/08/23/db-premier-parental-rights/
Shepherd, Lindsay (July 12, 2023). The Daily Brief | More parents are speaking out against gender ideology in schools. True North https://tnc.news/2023/07/12/db-parents-gender-ideology-schools/
Shepherd, Lindsay (June 27, 2023). The Daily Brief | Not respecting pronouns is a human rights violation? True North https://tnc.news/2023/06/27/db-pronouns-rights-violation/
Shepherd, Lindsay (June 19, 2023). The Daily Brief | Ottawa parents fight back against woke school board trustee. True North https://tnc.news/2023/06/19/db-ottawa-parents-woke-trustee/
Shepherd, Lindsay (June 6, 2023). The Daily Brief | Satanic drag queen story hour performers? True North https://tnc.news/2023/06/06/db-satanic-drag/
Shepherd, Lindsay (May 26, 2023). UN admits that trans activism threatens womenâs rights. True North https://tnc.news/2023/05/26/trans-activism-threatens-womens-rights/
Shepherd, Lindsay (March 30, 2023). SHEPHERD: The CBCâs drag queens for kids – what is the endgame? True North https://tnc.news/2023/03/30/shepherd-cbcs-drag-queens-kids/
Shepherd, Lindsay (August 21, 2021). Protesters demand removal of biological male inmates from womenâs prisons. True North https://tnc.news/2021/08/21/protesters-demand-removal-of-biological-male-inmates-from-womens-prisons/
Shepherd, Lindsay (May 10, 2021). SHEPHERD: Another Canadian professor cancelled, but sheâs fighting back. True North https://tnc.news/2021/05/10/shepherd-another-canadian-professor-cancelled-but-shes-fighting-back/
Shepherd, Lindsay (September 20, 2020). DEBUNKED: Is J.K. Rowlingâs new book âtransphobicâ? (From someone who read it). True North https://tnc.news/2020/09/20/debunked-is-j-k-rowlings-new-book-transphobic-from-someone-who-read-it/
Shepherd, Lindsay (September 13, 2020). âI âheartâ JK Rowlingâ billboard in Vancouver taken down after only a day. True North https://tnc.news/2020/09/13/i-heart-jk-rowling-billboard-in-vancouver-taken-down-after-only-a-day/
Shepherd, Lindsay (January 29, 2020). SHEPHERD: The grassroots revival of women taking on Bill C-16. True North https://tnc.news/2020/01/29/shepherd-the-grassroots-revival-of-women-taking-on-bill-c-16/
Shepherd, Lindsay (November 19, 2019). SHEPHERD: Disturbing Canadian “Sex Ed School” videos go viral. True North https://tnc.news/2019/11/19/shepherd-disturbing-canadian-sex-ed-school-videos-go-viral/
Shepherd, Lindsay (November 8, 2019). Trans activism vs. Women’s rights? An interview with Meghan Murphy. True North https://tnc.news/2019/11/08/trans-activism-vs-womens-rights-an-interview-with-meghan-murphy/
Shepherd, Lindsay; Kay, Jonathan (August 31, 2019). Yanivâs Other Racket: How a Single Gender Troll Managed to Get ‘Hundreds’ of Women Thrown Off Twitter. Quillette https://quillette.com/2019/08/31/yanivs-other-racket-how-a-single-gender-troll-managed-to-get-hundreds-of-women-thrown-off-twitter/
Shepherd, Lindsay (August 15, 2019). Transgender Users Get Away With What Gets Others Banned From Twitter. The Federalist https://thefederalist.com/2019/08/15/transgender-users-get-away-gets-people-banned-twitter/
Shepherd, Lindsay (May 11, 2019). A detransitioner, a psychologist, and Meghan Murphy speak about gender identity and kids in Vancouver. The Post Millennial https://www.thepostmillennial.com/meghan-murphy-a-detransitioner-and-a-psychologist-speak-about-gender-identity-and-kids-in-vancouver/
Shepherd, Lindsay (December 4, 2017). Lindsay Shepherd: My Laurier interrogation shows universities have lost sight of their purpose. National Post http://nationalpost.com/opinion/lindsay-shepherd-wlus-interrogation-revealed-how-university-has-lost-sight-of-its-key-purpose
Media
Benjamin A Boyce (April 4, 2021). Diversity & Exclusion | with Lindsay Shepherd. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XIej5RKknw
Lindsay Shepherd (July 27, 2019). UN-BANNED from Twitter & Jessica Yaniv. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZL1jNkeaeg
Lindsay Shepherd (July 17, 2019). I’ve been BANNED from Twitter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3dbKitC3Ns
Timcast with Tim Pool (July 16, 2019). Lindsay Shepherd BANNED From Twitter For Calling Transwoman “Ugly Fat Man.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkHhmmxU48I
Benjamin A Boyce (January 9, 2019). Lindsay Shepherd SUED by her Inquisitors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9deT_iW6OA
Benjamin A Boyce (October 4, 2018). Un[REDACTING] Lindsay Shepherd. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcK4Vgo7uSE
Ideacity (June 26, 2018). Lindsay Shepherd | Free Speech & Victimhood Culture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xdb7nlkzPY
Jordan B. Peterson (June 20, 2018). The Lindsay Shepherd Affair: Update. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkNv4LFpGf4
Timcast with Tim Pool (June 13, 2018). Lindsay Shepherd Files Massive Lawsuit for Free Speech Abuse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ssh4URpbR9o
Lindsay Shepherd (March 30, 2018). GOODBYE TO THE LEFT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpg6P1PNWR8
Mark Steyn (March 14, 2018). The Mark Steyn Show with Lindsay Shepherd. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUMkRa6lBAQ
Jordan B. Peterson (December 26, 2017). Deconstruction: The Lindsay Shepherd Affair. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWVmDSMl30s
CBC News with Carole MacNeil and Lindsay Shepherd (December 20, 2017). Teaching assistant reacts after Wilfrid Laurier University president promises change. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81f748gBaTs
The Rubin Report with Dave Rubin and Lindsay Shepherd (December 1, 2017). Free Speech Battle with Laurier University | Lindsay Shepherd | ACADEMIA | Rubin Report. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpFUvfAvKs4
Aydin Paladin (November 29, 2017). The Death of Critical Thinking in Higher Education. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IExImIwLHgA
Gad Saad (November 27, 2017). My Chat with Laurier TA Lindsay Shepherd (THE SAAD TRUTH_551). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwUMk8DtuQ0
CBC News (November 24, 2017). Wilfrid Laurier University’s free speech controversy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we-nflsPzBk
The Quartering with Jeremy Hambly (November 21, 2017). The Lindsay Shepherd Incident-Why Laurier University Must Pay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWSbWC-QfaY
Resources
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
Twitter (twitter.com)
YouTube (youtube.com)