Joe Gow, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, invited Nina Hartley, former porn actress, as a guest speaker last week. (University of Wisconsin-La Crosse via Facebook)
The chancellor of a university in Wisconsin has been criticized after he paid $5,000 to a former porn actress to speak at his school last week, saying the world would be a better place if people were more open about sex.
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow hired former porn actress Nina Hartley, 59, to give the "Fantasy vs. Reality: a critical view of adult media" lecture on campus, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The lecture was optional for students.
"Fantasy is what we want and reality is what we negotiate," Hartley, a sex educator, said.
The 90-minute talk drew about 70 students, the report said.
Gow pointed out the relevance sex has in society. He said one needs to look no further than the popularity of adult websites.
"This is something that's quite a phenomenon, so students said she should talk about that,” he said.
Gow said he paid the $5,000 speaker’s fee from interest earned in an auxiliary fund of campus operations that included student fees. No state tax dollars were used, he said.
"This was a real value for $5,000, and a rare perspective we don't hear every day," Gow told the paper.
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