Joanne Marrow (January 22, 1945 – June 24, 2014) was an American clinical psychologist, author, feminist,[1] and advocate of LGBT rights.
[1] Marrow became part of a nationwide discussion in the United States regarding the limits of academic freedom,[3] after a guest lecture she delivered to an undergraduate psychology class at CSUS in December 1994 resulted in a student filing a $2.5 million sexual harassment claim against the university due to its content and presentation.
In December 1994, Marrow delivered a guest lecture on human sexuality to an undergraduate psychology class at CSUS, in which she discussed female masturbation, sex toys, and her own sexual experiences; made jokes about male genitalia and penis size; presented slides featuring images of female children's genitalia; and showed images of a vulva before and after childbirth.
[1][4][7] One of the students in attendance, 33-year-old Craig Rogers, filed a $2.5 million sexual harassment claim against the university, stating that the lecture had caused him "mental anguish, pain and suffering, loss of concentration and emotional distress".
[4] Once Rogers' claim against CSUS had been made public knowledge in March 1995, the incident became the subject of national newspaper, television, and radio news reports, and initiated discussions regarding the limits of academic freedom in universities.
[3] CSUS ultimately ruled against Rogers, finding that the content and presentation of Marrow's lecture was not severe enough to have constituted "an intimidating, hostile or offensive learning environment".