University chancellor fired after making pornographic videos with his wife
The chancellor of a Wisconsin state university was fired this week after posting pornographic videos online with his wife.
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents unanimously voted to fire its chancellor, Joe Gow, who had led the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse since 2007 and had been its longest-tenured leader since the 1960s. Carmen Wilson, Mr Gow’s wife, was also dismissed from her unpaid position as an aide to the chancellor.
Karen Walsh, the head of the board, which oversees the system’s 13 universities, said in a statement that the board was “alarmed and disgusted by his actions,” without specifying what they were.
In an interview on Thursday, Mr Gow and Ms Wilson said they believe they were fired over the videos, which featured sex scenes together and with others under the username Sexy Happy Couple. Both said they felt it was wrong for the university to punish them over the videos, arguing it violated their free speech rights.
“Censoring people is not what we are about in higher education,” Ms. Wilson said. She added that the videos are only available to those looking for such content. “If they go looking for it, they are free to do so,” she said.
Mr Gow, 63, said he and his wife, 56, have been making videos together for years but recently decided to make them publicly available on porn websites and were pleased with the response. They said they never mentioned the university or their jobs in the videos, several of which have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. The couple have also made a series of videos in which they cook meals with porn actors and then have sex.
“We have that show, ‘Sexy Healthy Cooking,’ where we interview artists and really humanize them in ways you wouldn’t see in their other work,” Mr. Gow said. “It’s an interesting process, and the people we work with are completely professional and great to work with.”
Jay Rothman, the president of the University of Wisconsin System, said Mr. Gow had caused “significant reputational damage” to the university.
Mr. Rothman said the current plan was for Mr. Gow, who is also a communications professor, to return to his faculty role after a paid administrative leave. But Mr Rothman said he had asked the university to review Mr Gow’s permanent status and that a law firm would investigate the matter.
Mr Gow said the university “does not follow its own policies on academic freedom and freedom of speech,” adding: “They also don’t seem to realize that the First Amendment would be critical in this situation .”
Mr. Rothman said it was “ridiculous” for Mr. Gow to claim that the First Amendment gave him “a ‘free pass’ to say or do anything he wanted.”
“We expect our chancellors, as leaders of these great institutions, to be role models for our students, staff and faculty, as well as for the communities we are privileged to serve,” Mr. Rothman said.
In 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously decided a case involving a police officer who was fired for selling a pornographic video of himself. In the case, City of San Diego v. Roethe court ruled that the officer’s First Amendment rights had not been violated. The court ruled that while public officials have the right to speak on matters of public interest, a pornographic video does not fall into that category.
If Mr. Gow were to pursue legal action, he would likely face an even tougher road than the police officer in that case, experts said, because courts have often found that public entities have more discretion in removing top officials than rank-and-file employees.
Mary Anne Franks, a professor at George Washington University Law School who studies free speech and other issues, said Mr. Gow had raised interesting questions about what types of speech a university feels obligated to allow.
That question has caused consternation and turmoil at colleges and universities across the country — though these typically involve divisive political issues.
Ms. Franks noted that another University of Wisconsin System college said this year that she could not take action against a student who had posted a racist video online.
“Whether it’s intentional or not, he’s throwing open the idea that the people who say they’re really committed to freedom of speech and want discussion on every possible topic don’t really mean it,” Ms. Franks said.
Mr Gow has highlighted the issue in the past. During a celebration of Free Speech Week in 2018, he invited a porn actress to speak to students about the porn industry. The then-president of the University of Wisconsin System said Mr. Gow had used “poor judgment” in inviting the actress. This is evident from a letter published by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
During his nearly 17 years leading the roughly 10,000-student university along the Wisconsin-Minnesota border, the school’s full-time student body grew at a time when enrollment at other University of Wisconsin campuses was down significantly. He also oversaw a significant upgrade of campus facilities and emphasized the importance of freedom of expression.
In September, Mr. Gow announced his intention to resign as chancellor and return to the faculty. At the time, university officials praised him, and Mr. Gow said Resigning at that moment felt like ‘going at the top of your game’.