Court Upholds Former Performer's Discrimination Claims Against Oregon Nursing School

Court Upholds Former Performer's Discrimination Claims Against Oregon Nursing School

EUGENE, Ore. — An Oregon court held that a former performer, who alleged discrimination during her time at a nursing school after staff found out about her adult work from a decade earlier, could move forward with her Title IX claim against the institution.

Magistrate Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai, sitting for the District of Oregon, held at the summary judgment stage that Nicole Gililland — who left the nursing program and is currently enrolled in law school in Massachusetts — could move forward with her action against Southwestern Oregon Community College because discrimination against sex workers may fall under “sex discrimination” under Title IX.

Judge Kasubhai’s order was prompted by a motion for summary judgment introduced by the defendants, which included the school but also the individual staffers Gililland alleged pressured her to leave the program after they learned about her sex worker past.

Gililland alleges that, in 2017, one of the staffers told her she could not be a nurse because she was an “unclassy woman” and that records were altered to make her flunk out of the nursing program where she had been excelling.

A 'Landmark Case' for Sex Worker Rights

Gililland is currently represented by attorney Brandon Mark, of Parsons Behle & Latimer.

According to a sex worker rights legal expert, Gililland v. Southwestern Oregon Community College, et al. could be seen as “a landmark case.”

“This ruling is a historic victory for sex worker rights and will likely be expanded upon in years to come,” New Jersey's Zeff Law Firm, which specializes in sex worker discrimination claims and is linked to the NJ Red Umbrella Alliance, opined through its legal blog.

Like many sex workers, the Zeff Law Firm post explained, Gililland “changed careers and sought to make a new life for herself. Unfortunately, after staff members of the college became aware of Gililland’s previous line of work, they started treating her unfairly including grading her work differently than other students and falsely accusing her of plagiarism. When asked why, one faculty member told Gililland ‘it takes a classy woman to be a nurse, and unclassy women’ — while pointing at Gililland — ‘shouldn’t be nurses.’ After the college expelled Gililland for ‘receiving’ failing grades, Gililland initiated her lawsuit arguing among other things that the college violated federal prohibitions on sex discrimination in education (also known as Title IX).”

Gililland’s legal claim, the post continued, was that “the college’s behavior was ‘gender stereotyping’ her. The college, in turn, contended that Gililland was not protected by Title IX because her ‘employment history is not a protected status.’ Further, the college put forth that gender stereotyping only applied to LGBTQ+ cases of discrimination and should not be used to support Gililland’s claim of sex discrimination.”

Judge Kasubhai granted the individual defendants — the staffers —  summary judgement against being liable under Title IX, but crucially did not grant the summary judgement to Southwestern Oregon Community College, allowing for the case to move forward.

The “heart of this analysis,” the judge wrote, was about “the kind of woman” that the college perceived Gililland to be “because of her employment history.”

Judge Kasubhai also found the alleged discrimination “intrinsically connected” to Gililland’s former sex worker status and that staffer Melissa Sperry’s alleged comment about “unclassy women” advanced “a stereotype about the kind of woman appropriate for the nursing profession.”

A jury, the judge continued, could determine that staff “relied on Plaintiff’s prior employment as an adult film actress to conclude that she was an ‘unclassy’ woman unfit to be a nurse.”

Nicole Gililland Speaks

“This case has involved a lot of serious miscarriages of justice from the beginning,” Gililland — who has become involved in sex worker rights advocacy and activism during her years-long fight against the Oregon nursing school — told XBIZ.

“Every failsafe to protect me as a citizen and student had failed me," she continued. "This is the first real example of ethics and reason being applied to what has happened, and it has given me a renewed sense of hope in the system.”

Gililland also said she hopes her case serves as a warning “against cronyism.”

“There is absolutely no reason a teacher should have been allowed to create so much chaos and destruction. We need to bring accountability and principles of basic ethics back,” she said.

“The evidence clearly showed that Melissa Sperry targeted me after learning I had a history that I was worried could hurt me, a history that made her deem me an ‘unclassy woman,’” Gililland said.

Gililland also told XBIZ that her attorney Brandon Mark “has been an absolute blessing. I spoke to hundreds of lawyers, and had that many doors slammed in my face. This is why I chose to go to law school, so I could become the person I needed. Brandon is brilliant and has also been such a mentor to me as a law student.”

Main Image: Nicole Gililland in 2021, courtesy Gililland.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

A Golden Night in Hollywood: 2025 XMAs Shine on Adult Entertainment's Best

To paraphrase the unofficial U.S. Postal Service motto: Neither rain nor cold nor the chaos of natural disasters can stop members of the adult entertainment community from the completion of their appointed duty every January: to honor the artistic and commercial achievements of their peers.

What Changes in DC Could Mean for the Adult Industry

On November 5, 2024, American voters were called to the polls. The results of that election revealed an unquestionably uncomfortable truth for everyone, regardless of party or ideology: the “united” part of United States does not appear to be holding strong.

Mia Mi, Megan Murkovski & Mr. Lucky Star in Latest From Immoral

Mia Mi, Megan Murkovski and Mr. Lucky make their Immoral Productions debuts in a new trilogy alongside studio honcho “Porno Dan” Leal.

2025 XMA Winners Announced

Winners of the 2025 XMAs were revealed Sunday night during a ceremony hosted by Vanna Bardot and Ryan Reid at the world-famous Hollywood Palladium.

X3 Expo Day 2 Looks at the Industry's Past, and Ahead to Its Future

A gorgeous day in LA saw a massive procession making its way along Sunset Blvd., as hundreds of excited fans headed to the historic Hollywood Palladium for a rendezvous with the galaxy of A-list adult stars awaiting them on Day 2 of the 2025 X3 Expo.

X3 Expo Pops Off With All-Star Lineup

A wave of excited fans cascaded down Sunset Blvd., cresting and breaking with anticipation as they flowed into the historic Hollywood Palladium, where the A-list echelon of the adult world stood ready to greet them, pose with them, chat them up, and showcase the latest in spicy entertainment, as the 2025 X3 Expo popped off.

Kansas Sues Adult Website Operator Under AV Law

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has filed suit against SARJ LLC, alleging that the company’s adult websites have failed to implement age verification as mandated by state law.

Jonni Darkko Drops New Evil Angel Release With Sadie Summers

Sadie Summers stars in the latest Evil Angel gangbang release from director Jonni Darkko.

Shay Sights Stars in Latest From Brazzers

Shay Sights stars with Mick Blue in the latest release from Brazzers, titled “Uptight MILF Fucks Husband’s Filthy Friend.”

Zariah Aura Featured on 'Adult Time Podcast'

Zariah Aura is the latest guest on the “Adult Time Podcast,” hosted by studio CCO Bree Mills.

Show More