Joe Gow isn’t alone. As industry booms, adult content creators fear being outed and fired
Assume you will be outed. That's how Corey Silverstein, one of the only adult entertainment industry attorneys in the country, starts his consultations with clients considering dabbling in pornography, either to make some extra money or as a part-time hobby. Less than 10% of Silverstein's clients are exposed, he said, but forcing them to face the worst- case scenario helps them understand the stakes. He then walks them through real-life examples of outed adult content creators, including a name now familiar to many in Wisconsin: former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow. "I think it's essential that clients understand what that could look like," he said. "I want them to understand that by the very nature of how high-risk the adult entertainment industry is, that no one's going to be on their side publicly anyway, and that, you know, it's just unfortunate. That's where the world is." Gow was fired late last year after the UW Board of Regents discovered he and his wife created sex videos, sometimes with adult film stars, and posted them on porn websites. He still retains his faculty appointment as a communications professor but has been on paid leave while UW-La Crosse moves to…
