Well respected University of California-Riverside Professor Rob Latham was fired from the college after a student accused him of sexual harassment, but the tenured professor insists it was part of a homophobic scheme.
The College Fix reported on Friday that Latham was fired after a male student sued the school after being sexually harassed by the professor.
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“You’re an intellectual thoroughbred, kiddo, and I’ve mentored very few of those in my career,” Latham said to the student. “I have to resist the impulse to ride you too hard too soon. If you’ll forgive the equine metaphor.”
This was the beginning of the end of Latham’s career at UC-Riverside.
The student sued and the school judged the professor under the “clear and convincing” evidence standard — one of the highest levels a professor can be judged on.
Nonetheless Latham insisted that he was innocent and the whole case stems from homophobia.
“I can’t believe that this case, which began with false charges of sexual harassment brought by a disgruntled graduate student and his girlfriend, has been allowed to reach the Board of Regents,” Latham said to the UC Regents. “It should have been settled through informal mediation long ago.”
“In short, the two students were lying, and we provided substantial evidence during the hearing that their lies were malicious—evidence the [Faculty Senate Hearing] Committee decided to ignore, but which a civil court will most certainly attend t0,” he continued. “I am here as the result of a misbegotten prosecution, driven by political pressures, homophobic bias, and administrative hostility.”
The university cited Latham’s issues with substance abuse as his official reason for termination, but the former professor claims that was because the sexual harassment charges wouldn’t stick.
