Woodhull Calls for Federal Protections of Adult Industry Workers Following University of Wisconsin’s Disturbing Treatment of University Chancellor Dr. Joseph Gow
Woodhull has been closely following the case of University Chancellor Dr. Joseph Gow, who was set to become a tenured professor in the Communication Studies Department at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL). Since December 2023, his position has been under threat because he creates and produces adult content with his wife and other adult industry workers. On December 27, 2023, the 18 members of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents voted unanimously to terminate Dr. Gow. In a press statement, the Board expressed that his behavior “alarmed” and “disgusted” them, claiming his actions were, “wholly and undeniably inconsistent with his role as chancellor.”
Contrary to the Board’s assessment, Woodhull is alarmed and disgusted that an academic institution would wholly disregard the First Amendment rights of its staff. We are also deeply concerned by the message UWL’s actions send to professors and students regarding their constitutional rights to freely and without punishment pursue legal work within the adult industry.
The adult industry is growing rapidly and is now relied upon by millions to meet their financial needs. The hugely popular site, OnlyFans, for which Dr. Gow created content, boasts over 4 million adult content creators. Adult work is also more and more common for teachers whose salaries are frequently insufficient to cover living expenses as well as among university students looking to pay their tuition. Yet, like Dr. Gow, this millions-strong workforce consistently faces threats to their freedom of expression due to discrimination from employers in other industries.
Woodhull President and CEO, Ricci Joy Levy, explained how this case highlights the urgent need for stronger worker protections for individuals employed in the adult industry. “The University of Wisconsin’s treatment of Dr. Joseph Gow is yet another disturbing example of how vulnerable adult industry workers are to harassment and unfair treatment.” Levy went on to state that, “Woodhull calls on the federal government to act swiftly to create non-discrimination statutes to protect the country’s millions of adult industry workers. Title VII must be amended to include sexual expression protections so that adult industry workers do not have their jobs used against them when employed in other labor sectors. A federal lifestyle-discrimination statute would also protect workers from being fired for engaging in lawful conduct while off-duty and off-premises, which would protect workers from the type of discrimination Dr. Gow is facing.”
Dr. Gow has fought back against the attempts by the Board and UWL to terminate him and is now represented by attorney Mark M. Leitner of Laffey, Leitner & Goode LLC on behalf of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). In the latest hearing before the Board, on September 20, lawyers for UWL revealed that Republican State Senator Rob Hutton, who Chairs the Legislature’s Committee on Universities and Revenue, has expressed that he opposes Dr. Gow’s return to teaching. This revelation in the case is deeply troubling given the power Senator Hutton’s position holds due to UWL being a state school and reliant on funding from the legislature. It was also uncovered that a Republican donor had pressured the university to fire Dr. Gow by threatening to withhold a planned scholarship gift.
Following the hearing, FIRE Faculty Legal Defense Council Zach Greenberg expressed, “As a public university system, the University of Wisconsin system is bound by the First Amendment, which firmly protects a wide array of colorful, controversial, and provocative speech. Public universities cannot violate the First Amendment merely to save face or appease donors.” In alignment with Woodhull’s calls for better protections for adult industry workers, Greenberg went on to affirm that professors, “…must be free to speak their minds when they are off the clock, even when their works offend others.”
The personnel matters committee met in a closed session following the hearing and is expected to make their recommendation to the full Board of Regents as soon as September 26. Woodhull urges the Board to consider the critical First Amendment implications of this case and act swiftly to reinstate Dr. Gow.