Former UW-La Crosse chancellor fired over porn videos sues in hopes of teaching again
A former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse chancellor fired over his involvement in the adult entertainment industry filed a federal lawsuit Monday in hopes of getting reinstated as a professor at the campus.
Joe Gow's story has garnered national attention both for the salaciousness of a high-profile university official making pornographic movies and publicly talking about it, and for the questions it raises about free speech rights.
Universities of Wisconsin spokesperson Mark Pitsch declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying only that the system doesn't comment on pending litigation.
Here's what to know:
UW system regents removed Gow as chancellor in December 2023 after learning through an anonymous complaint that he and his wife, Carmen Wilson, have discussed sexual issues in their "Sexy Healthy Cooking" YouTube videos, created and starred in online pornographic videos and published two e-books under pseudonyms about how porn enriches their relationship.
Gow had a backup position at UW-La Crosse as a tenured communications professor, but then-interim Chancellor Betsy Morgan placed him on paid leave after he was fired as chancellor, preventing him from sliding into that spot. The regents formally terminated his professorship this past September after university attorneys argued that Gow acted unethically, violated terms of his contract and damaged the school's reputation.
Gow has never apologized for producing pornography and has made no promises that he won't do it again, although he told The Associated Press that he and his wife haven't produced their "Sexy Healthy Cooking" YouTube show since the summer of 2023.
"It has been a very expensive hobby and we're satisfied with what we've produced," Gow said. "But if someone else offered to make a video we would be open to that conversation."
Gow argues in his lawsuit that the firing from his professor position violated his free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit alleges that the videos and books Gow and his wife created were not obscene or illegal. He distributed them outside the UW-La Crosse workplace, produced them while on vacation and personal time, and personally covered production costs. Gow said he took no deliberate steps to use his public position with the university to promote the content, to discuss the videos or books with students or colleagues, or to encourage them to purchase them.
The lawsuit seeks a court order reinstating Gow as a professor as well as unspecified lost wages and other damages.
"As a public employee, Dr. Gow has a First Amendment right to speak as a private citizen on issues of public concern, such as healthy human sexuality and the best ways to promote strong monogamous marriages," the lawsuit states.
Gow told the AP that he chose to file the action in federal court in Madison on Monday because it's the first day of the spring semester at UW-La Crosse and he should be in the classroom.
A UW-La Crosse faculty committee that recommended Gow be fired as a professor found that it was not unethical to create pornographic videos, but accused him of exploiting his faculty position to generate more interest and revenue from the videos.
The committee noted that Gow invited adult film star Nina Hartley to speak on campus in 2018 without disclosing that he and his wife had made a sex video with her. The committee also questioned his "intellectual honesty" for describing the e-books as true accounts despite acknowledging the authors took "creative liberties," and chastised him for not cooperating with an investigation. Gow maintains that he offered to answer questions in writing.
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