Former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow’s pornography hobby led him to decline work calls and plan a pornographic video shoot around business travel to Los Angeles, according to documents obtained by WPR.
Gow was terminated from his chancellorship in December 2023 after the pornographic videos he created and distributed came to light.
In September, the Board of Regents unanimously voted to also fire him as a tenured faculty member.
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Gow has maintained his terminations are violations of his free speech rights.
His attorney, Mark Leitner, has argued that Gow has not damaged the reputation of UW-La Crosse and the controversial content was created on his personal time.
But in 21-page letter recommending “dismissal for cause,” Universities of Wisconsin attorneys say Gow was neglecting his duties as chancellor to make pornography. The letter also details alleged insubordination, improper use of IT resources, damage to the university’s reputation and unethical conduct.
Gow and his wife, Carmen Wilson, appeared in and posted at least six pornographic videos, some viewable for free and others for payment, on publicly accessible websites such as LoyalFans, Pornhub and xHamster.
They’ve also published two books using pseudonyms about their experiences in the adult film industry, and they’ve created a YouTube channel “Sexy Healthy Cooking.”
In the books, according to the recommendation for dismissal document, Gow describes the effects of his pornography activities on his work as chancellor, noting that he planned a pornographic video shoot in Los Angeles to coincide with a business conference there.
“He writes that he once declined work calls regarding arrangements for an event where UWL was hosting a visit from ‘a famous politician’ and delegated the preparation to direct reports so it would not be a ‘distraction’ for a pornographic video shoot,” the document says.
Gow says the report is not true.
“Because Carmen and I wrote our books and produced our videos on our own personal and vacation time, I never neglected my duties as chancellor,” Gow said Wednesday. “When I was leading our campus, we set records in enrollment, fundraising, and the addition of new facilities and faculty positions. I stand by my record.”
In the summer of 2023, Gow received dozens of vendor emails on his UW-La Crosse work account for sex toys and other sex products which included graphic and pornographic imagery, according to the documents.
These findings are revealed as FIRE Faculty Legal Defense Counsel released documents showing the UW system has spent more than $130,000 on legal funds regarding the Gow case.
Gow said his attorney is planning to file a lawsuit against the UW system by the end of the month.
Editor’s note: The headline of this story was changed to say the documents “allege” certain behavior by Gow, rather than “show.“
Margaret Faust contributed to this report.
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