Sex Worker turned scholar- expelled?

[ClassyBrat420]

I wasn't sure where to put this question, so I hope it's on the right forum. If someone were a sex worker, and was outed while in grad school, what do y'all think would happen? Would they get kicked out, even if their work was legal? I would hope that, especially in more radical/liberal programs, where scholars read, write about, and study sex work and sex workers, that this wouldn't be an issue. But I also know that this is perhaps wishful thinking. School policies don't often address this explicitly, and I imagine it would be part of the grey area of "moral negligence."

[TakeruK]

I have never heard of a graduate student in a graduate program being expelled for "moral negligence". Of course, some private schools may have their own code of conduct and expectations, but the majority of public schools (and I think the majority of schools, period). So if there is no explicit policy against it and if one is not breaking other school policies (e.g. not using school resources to conduct business) then I don't know what grounds a school would use to expel a student.

That said, faculty and students are humans and it goes without saying that people don't need a policy to make a student feel unwelcome/unwanted. So if people wanted to be unfair towards a student who was a sex worker, there are plenty of ways they could do it. But then again, there are plenty of people that are unfair towards others anyways, for whatever reason.

Obviously, I am only writing from my experience, and what I think might happen. Nothing is guaranteed! 

[cottonbuds100pcs]

hey, i don't know if this person's experience will apply, but zak smith (also known as zak sabbath) went to yale for his grad school and the faculty were cool with it, but then again, he was an art student while he was there, where policies probably might be more lenient than the rest of the university. he's hella knowledgeable and kind as well, i think you could try to reach him out on twitter (he has an active twitter presence) if you want to ask a thing or two

cheers!

[Carly Rae Jepsen]

http://www.newnownext.com/interview-porn-star-conner-habib-on-his-life-lecturing-and-what-makes-him-a-sexpert/06/2013/

Here is the story of someone who did it! 

[maxhgns]

I don't see why anyone would be asked to leave the program on those grounds. I would imagine that any department that did that would be opening itself up to a serious lawsuit.

[Sigaba]

On 3/15/2018 at 7:32 PM, ClassyBrat420 said:

I wasn't sure where to put this question, so I hope it's on the right forum. If someone were a sex worker, and was outed while in grad school, what do y'all think would happen? Would they get kicked out, even if their work was legal? I would hope that, especially in more radical/liberal programs, where scholars read, write about, and study sex work and sex workers, that this wouldn't be an issue. But I also know that this is perhaps wishful thinking. School policies don't often address this explicitly, and I imagine it would be part of the grey area of "moral negligence."

FWIW, there's an ongoing discussion on Twitter among SWs about navigating everyday life after leaving the trade. If you read carefully (or get lucky) you'll soon come across people who may have direct experience with the scenario you've described. 

IRT your assumption about the tolerance of scholars studying the trade, it is wishful thinking. Some will be paradoxically intolerant. Some won't want to deal with the imagined hassle that may follow.

[Aesthetics Always]

I think that would definitely count as discrimination to expel someone for that? I currently know quite a few sex workers who are in graduate school and some of which are even about their line of work, however those that are open about it are both in fields that it makes sense for them to be more open minded (one in art school pursuing an MFA and one working towards a PhD in Women's Studies). Regardless, without a doubt, to punish a student and scholar for sex work would be extremely unethical, however the social backlash is a very real fear that keeps many people from being open about that. 

[chocolatte_]

There was a university in the Southwestern US where both students and a professor were outed for doing SW. I think the issue was that they were doing it with each other, but as far as I recall, no one was fired or expelled or anything, and there was just a degree of moral panic and then people got over it. Obviously, I do not know all the details of what went down.

[Sigaba]

On 4/28/2018 at 5:04 PM, Aesthetics Always said:

I think that would definitely count as discrimination to expel someone for that? 

Maybe not.

In the aftermath of the Varsity Blues scandal, private academic institutions are reaffirming the right to rescind offers of admission for causes that include behaviors and activities centered around what might be argued is one's private/personal life.

As an example, Stanford has affirmed a policy that allows it to rescind admission "if the University learns that an individual has engaged in behavior prior to the first day of enrolled Stanford attendance that indicates a serious lack of judgment or integrity."

(FWIW, MOO is that SW is work and one's future opportunities should not be limited by one's previous jobs provided that one did the work ethically.)

[sacklunch]

If you were in said program already? I doubt the school would risk kicking you out, but more importantly, I don't think anyone would care. Yes, it might impact your future career, if you want to stay in academia; for example, if one of your faculty advisers found out and cared. But overall I have found faculty to be far more liberal on these kinds of issues than the general public, so I doubt anyone would care much, if at all. Yes, there are schools that have conduct codes, of sorts, but I doubt you have much interest in attending those schools anyway (as far as I know, the only schools to have such codes are religiously conservative schools).