Fired for Producing Porn, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Chancellor Makes Free Speech Argument — Presaging a Test Case

Terminated as chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for producing pornography with his wife, Joseph Gow is fighting back on First Amendment grounds. Expect this case to provide a contrast: While many campuses are protecting antisemitism as free speech, one draws the line at sex.Mr. Gow and his wife, Carmen Wilson — who has held positions at other universities — made no secret of their personal activities. For years, they’ve spread themselves all over the internet, including on PornHub, which Semrush Holdings ranked the fourth most trafficked URL in the world this month.On their X account, “Sexy Healthy Cooking” with the handle @SexyHappyCouple, Mr. Gow and Ms. Wilson have promoted their activities since 2018. The profile reads, “Passionate, plant-powered couple cooking, conversing, and shooting with top adult video stars.”The former chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Joseph Gow. Via University of Wisconsin-LaCrosseThe X account points visitors to “our LoyalFans and OnlyFans sites for fully explicit scenes,” content shielded behind a paywall. Mr. Gow and Ms. Wilson’s YouTube channel offers recipes with ribald titles prepared with pornographic actors.Mr. Gow and Ms. Wilson also self-published “Married with Benefits: Our Real-Life Adult Industry Adventures” and the Kindle-only “Monogamy with Benefits: How Porn Enriches Our Relationship” in 2016 and 2018 respectively under the pen names Geri and Jay Hart.UW-L missed all these activities. In August, the president of the UW System, Jay Rothman, praised Mr. Gow’s “excellent stewardship,” and said, “He has provided a steady hand through challenging times and met the moment when we needed him.”Mr. Rothman’s statement on Wednesday marked an about-face. “In recent days,” he said, “we learned of specific conduct by Dr. Gow that has subjected the university to significant reputational harm. His actions were abhorrent.” The Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously to remove him.UW-L made no mention of having formally reprimanded Mr. Gow in 2015 for inviting a pornographic actress to address Free Speech Week. The regent president then, Robert Atwell, wrote in the La Crosse Tribune, “Pornography is a horrible hill on which to plant the flag of free expression.”Mr. Rothman now accused Mr. Gow, who holds a Ph.D. and served as chancellor since 2007, of “equating … the First Amendment with a ‘free pass’ to say or do anything that he pleases.” That “assertion is ridiculous. We are all accountable for what we say and do.”UW-L’s dismissal of Mr. Gow’s free speech argument out of hand comes on the heels of the presidents at Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania touting free speech absolutism earlier this month before Congress.In response to questioning from the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the presidents justified tolerating antisemitic speech on campus — including those who call for the genocide of Jews — on First Amendment grounds.Now, Mr. Gow is asking for the same pass. “I am perfectly fine if the regents want to criticize what we’ve done,” he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “but to say that I’m going to lose my position, that is a clear violation of the First Amendment.”Mr. Gow said, “We think our sex is beautiful and have no qualms at all about other people watching us make love.” He told NBC, “It is very shocking that the Board of Regents would completely disregard my First Amendment rights and my wife’s First Amendment rights…”UW-L’s actions are “a clear violation of the regents’ commitment to academic freedom,” Mr. Gow said, calling it “very shocking” and “very unexpected” that they “would completely disregard” the First Amendment.Mr. Gow had planned to leave the chancellorship at the end of the academic year and return in the fall as a professor. In that capacity, he enjoys tenure, making his removal difficult. UW-L has put him on paid leave while they review his status, a faceoff that seems destined for court.In the meantime, Mr. Gow is again planting his flag on the free speech hill. Expect it to be a test case for the growing number of public servants, including teachers, fired for supplementing their income on sites like OnlyFans. It also provides a stark contrast: Intolerance for private behavior but tolerance for publicly shouting hate.

Fired for Producing Porn, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Chancellor Makes Free Speech Argument — Presaging a Test Case

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