Sex In The Public Square - Another important voice - Comments

Liz Derrington's experience

Heather Derrington — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:46:26 -0700

What I find problematic is the fact that a university saw fit to intrude on the privacy on two students and a professor...this was a second job. The university will not pay Liz's bills...but they saw fit to pass judgement. So much for open mindness...the thing that really burns me was the gall of her dissertation advisor saying he/she/it would call the university where she had gained employment...wow, talk about stepping in it...there are legal ramifications there and I hope someone spoke to his RUDE and IGNORANT PERSON ABOUT THEM...their holy than thou attitude could have them their job...because of their BIG MOUTH.

I find it reprehensible that

Chris OSullivan — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:38:17 -0700

I find it reprehensible that academic professionals would marginalize and persecute an student for sexual misconduct that neither occurred nor was the concern of those involved in such conduct.

That a dissertation advisor who would otherwise claim to be a professional would abandon a student less than three months before her dissertation defense (due to allegations) has greater merit in calling for a conduct review than the original charges. This clearly can be construed as discrimination based upon sexual identity and should damage the reputation of the school as it failed in an institutional duty to the student to provide a non-hostile environment.

Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinions about conduct, but to allow that to affect your professional relationship with a student is a moral and ethical failure in any measure of academic professionalism.

Another important voice

Elizabeth — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 07:25:40 -0700

This is the third piece on Sex In The Public Square dealing with the University of New Mexico conflict over the investigation into Professor Lisa Chavez's work for a BDSM fantasy phone service. In the first piece I wrote about questions I thought the case raised based on very early media coverage of the story. In the second post, yesterday, Lisa Chavez herself took the time to answer questions about the story. It is important for her voice to be heard. The comments on that thread show what a serious discussion of the issues can look like.

Today we add another voice. Liz Derrington wrote to me yesterday sharing her part in the story. She is the graduate student referred to in yesterday's piece, and listening to her voice is as important as listening to Professor Chavez's. For one thing, their stories so clearly support one other that it seems all the more evidence that the initial university investigation produced the right outcome (though as Michael Goodyear points out here we can't know if they did so by following due process because as far as we know there have been no reports about the investigation released to the public). Liz Derrington's story is important for its own sake, too, of course. For one thing, it provides a window into a part of the sex industry that we often forget to look at. I am especially touched, though by the way that she clearly and openly explains just how damaging have been the actions of people who claimed to be concerned for her. It is a reminder of how harmful is the paternalism with which we often approach the issue of sex work, especially when combined with the stigma already attached to that work. I'm grateful to Liz for telling her story here: