Tenured professor is suing the University of Wisconsin after he was fired over pornographic videos

Former University of Wisconsin Chancellor Joe Gow is suing the school following her ouster fired for the second time about his pornographic double life after the Board of Regents voted unanimously Friday to remove him from his tenured professorship.

“Constitutional rights cannot be easily trampled on. With the help of FIRE, Gow fights back. And not just for themselves, but also to protect the freedom of expression of lecturers everywhere. Next stop: federal district court in Wisconsin,” said the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression in a statement Published Monday afternoon.

Gow will do his best with Mark Lietner As his attorney told FIRE, he added that Gow also sent a letter to the UW Board of Regents with all legal precedents protecting the rights of public employees to speak, write and film sexually charged speech.

Gow was fired as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin last year after pornographic videos of him and his wife surfaced online. Even after losing his position as chancellor, Gow remained a tenured faculty member until last week.

The UW Board of Regents rejected all arguments by a vote of 17-0. Gow called the regents a “board of hypocrites” and claimed that by firing him over his pornographic publications and video productions, the UW failed in its commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression.

Gow’s future has been uncertain for months, although the UW Board of Regents took less than an hour Friday to make a decision. Gow was almost immediately dismissed from his position as chancellor, but term protection kept him on the job during his leave.

The faculty vote was supported by Gow’s successor, UW La Crosse Chancellor James Beeby, who forwarded the motion to the UW Board of Regents, which subsequently decided Gow’s fate.

UW System President Jay Rothman called Gow’s actions “abhorrent” and claimed he caused the university “significant reputational damage” in a year opinion.

A faculty panel heard a case in June and recommended his removal in July with 5 to 0 votes. In addition to the allegations against him, Communication Studies Department Chairwoman Linda Dickmeyer expressed doubts about Gow’s suitability to return to teaching, saying his notoriety would “follow him into this classroom.” ” and raise doubts about its effectiveness, it is said the Inside Higher Ed.

Gow occasionally made pornographic videos with his wife and other adult film stars. He dismissed the UW’s allegations of impropriety, citing calls from state lawmakers calling for his firing and claiming the system was bowing to political pressure.

“The Regents claim to want to protect and promote free speech, but their action today shows that is not true,” Gow wrote in a statement sent Friday morning.

“When they fired me as chancellor at the end of last year, they said it was because the books and videos my wife Carmen and I had posted online were ‘vile’ and ‘disgusting.’ And now, after a long and fraudulent process, they have fired me as a tenured faculty member too,” he added.

Gow argues that his actions are protected by the First Amendment and that his online activities do not interfere with his teaching duties.