Current:Home > ScamsUniversity of Wisconsin fires former porn-making chancellor who wanted stay on as a professor -Wealth Legacy Solutions
University of Wisconsin fires former porn-making chancellor who wanted stay on as a professor
Fastexy View
Date:2025-03-11 05:16:02
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously Friday to fire a communications professor who was seeking to retain tenure after his dismissal as chancellor of one of the system’s campuses for making pornographic films.
Joe Gow, who had served as chancellor of UW-La Crosse for nearly 17 years, argued last week that he should be allowed to retain a teaching position on campus. But university attorneys argued he was unethical, violated terms of his employment contact, damaged the reputation of the university and interfered with its mission.
The regents met in closed session Friday morning before voting in public to fire Gow. There was no discussion in open session before the board voted.
Gow has said he is considering filing a lawsuit to retain his teaching job. He didn’t immediately return a message Friday morning.
Gow has been on paid leave from his faculty position since the regents fired him as chancellor in 2023, shortly after university leaders became aware of the videos, which were posted on pornographic websites.
The case has garnered national attention both for the salaciousness of a high-profile university official making pornographic movies and publicly talking about it, and the questions it raises about free speech rights.
Gow argued that his videos and two e-books he and his wife, Carmen, have published about their experiences in adult films are protected by the First Amendment. The university’s attorney argued that Gow’s videos themselves are legal, but that they are not protected speech under his employment contract.
Zach Greenberg, an attorney with free speech advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, called the regents’ decision “a major blow to academic freedom and free speech rights.”
“FIRE has said time and time again: public universities cannot sacrifice the First Amendment to protect their reputations,” Greenberg said. “We’re disappointed UW caved to donors and politicians by throwing a tenured professor under the bus.”
Republican legislators already view the Universities of Wisconsin system as a liberal incubator. Last year, they forced it to scale back its diversity initiatives. System President Jay Rothman has been trying not to alienate conservatives further as he seeks approval for an $855 million increase in the next state budget.
Gow’s hope to return to teaching in the classroom was opposed by his department chair, Linda Dickmeyer. She said that because Gow has not taught for 20 years, he would be assigned general education courses, but she opposes allowing him to return to teaching in any role.
Gow was criticized in 2018 for inviting porn actor Nina Hartley to speak on campus. She was paid $5,000 out of student fees to appear. He developed the idea of bringing her to campus after shooting a pornographic video with her, the university said.
Gow and his wife’s e-books were written under pseudonyms: “Monogamy with Benefits: How Porn Enriches Our Relationship” and “Married with Benefits — Our Real-Life Adult Industry Adventures.” But they also star in a YouTube channel called “Sexy Healthy Cooking,” in which the couple cooks meals with porn actors.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Warming Trends: Nature and Health Studies Focused on the Privileged, $1B for Climate School and Old Tires Detour Into Concrete
- Why the Chesapeake Bay’s Beloved Blue Crabs Are at an All-Time Low
- Amy Schumer Crashes Joy Ride Cast's Press Junket in the Most Epic Way
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Precision agriculture technology helps farmers - but they need help
- In the Race for Pennsylvania’s Open U.S. Senate Seat, Candidates from Both Parties Support Fracking and Hardly Mention Climate Change
- With Biden in Europe Promising to Expedite U.S. LNG Exports, Environmentalists on the Gulf Coast Say, Not So Fast
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Manure-Eating Worms Could Be the Dairy Industry’s Climate Solution
Ranking
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- NBC's late night talk show staff get pay and benefits during writers strike
- In the Philippines, a Landmark Finding Moves Fossil Fuel Companies’ Climate Liability into the Realm of Human Rights
- He's trying to fix the IRS and has $80 billion to play with. This is his plan
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- It's an Even Bigger Day When These Celebrity Bridesmaids Are Walking Down the Aisle
- What's Your Worth?
- Biden wants airlines to pay passengers whose flights are hit by preventable delays
Recommendation
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
Jesse Palmer Teases Wild Season of Bachelor in Paradise
Environmentalists in Chile Are Hoping to Replace the Country’s Pinochet-Era Legal Framework With an ‘Ecological Constitution’
Why Bachelor Nation's Tayshia Adams Has Become More Private Since Her Split With Zac Clark
Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
A magazine touted Michael Schumacher's first interview in years. It was actually AI
Why it's so hard to mass produce houses in factories
President Biden: Climate champion or fossil fuel friend?