Don’t Be Ashamed

The recent trend of firing teachers for previously working in the adult industry or posing nude is outrageous. One of them, Olivia Sprauer, was even canned for just being a swimsuit model. This kind of policy belongs to the era of sexual repression, not the 21st century. It’s time to keep backward morality out of the classroom.

I would not want anyone who modeled or performed for my magazines, movies or websites to ever regret it or be later punished for it. Adult work is legitimate work. Performers and models contribute to the economy and pay taxes like everyone else. They should not have to endure a backlash for the rest of their lives as a result of an activity that was fully legal and victimless.

As for the charge that a teacher’s “questionable” past or moonlighting job interferes with their work, no one has been able to show that there is anything about modeling or performing that prevents a person from being a capable teacher. In fact, that kind of life experience may even make them better at their jobs.

Besides the injustice, there’s the hypocrisy. Erotic entertainment is everywhere, and everyone watches it. You can bet that the people who boot these teachers out are the same ones who get off on the photos and movies they claim to condemn.

I applaud the fired teachers who go to court to get their jobs back. It’s a tough battle, but they are helping to establish a body of legal precedent that will eventually put a stop to this kind of discrimination.