Students at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse were treated to a guest lecture from a speaker who has also been booked by Harvard, Dartmouth and the University of California — veteran porn actress Nina Hartley.
Nearly 70 students came to hear Hartley speak, according to the La Crosse Tribune. That paper reported the adult film star was paid $5,000 for the 90-minute lecture. Among the topics covered were female empowerment and the difference between pornography and reality.
“I wouldn’t normally go to a barn on a Tuesday morning to have sex on a hay bale. It’s my job, and we’re professionals,” she told students.
Hartley, born Marie Louise Hartman, also conceded that porn isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
“It’s OK to like porn. It’s OK to not like porn,” the 59-year-old performer said. “And it’s OK to be confused by porn. You are where you are, and you are who you are.”
Several school officials reportedly reached out to the La Crosse Tribune to express concerns about Hartley’s appearance at the school, but no one wanted to go on record.
School Chancellor Joe Gow said that Hartley’s lecture was a bargain, considering other sex educators command up to $80,000 to speak at the university. He also defended Hartley’s credentials.
“There’s no one like her in terms of her background as a performer and educator, and her role as an activist,” according to Gow.
Hartley’s résumé includes more than 1,000 adult films including “Kink University,” “I’ve Never Done This Before” and “My Hot Aunt 2.” She also appeared opposite William H. Macy in 1997’s “Boogie Nights,” which was nominated for three Academy Awards.
