The State University of New York at Fredonia P-J file photo

An outspoken and controversial philosophy professor at the State University of New York at Fredonia has created a social-media firestorm after voicing his views on video clips regarding pedophilia and sex between an adult and child.

Dr. Stephen Kershnar’s comments hit Twitter on Tuesday and have brought a backlash against the professor and the university. One of the appearances by Kershnar is on the podcast “Unregistered with Thaddeus Russell,” the other is on a video on the Twitter feed of Libs of Tik Tok.

“It’s not obvious to me that is in fact wrong. I think this is a mistake. And I think that exploring why it’s a mistake will tell us not only things about adult-child sex and statutory rape, but also about fundamental principles of morality,” he said.

For its part, university President Stephen H. Kolison posted a response to the videos on Twitter later Tuesday. “SUNY Fredonia is aware of the video posted online involving one of its professors. The views expressed by the professor are reprehensible and do not represent the values of SUNY Fredonia in any way, shape or form. They are solely the professor’s views. The matter is being reviewed.”

Two current staff members, Dr. Carrie Fitzgerald and Dr. Laura Geraci, called Kershnar’s views “reprehensible and a definite violation of moral and legal boundaries.”

“His straightforward and factually erroneous oration on TikTok, a very visible social media platform that targets our primary student demographic, is troublesome, offensive, and dangerous, with the potential to normalize attitudes and behaviors that cause great emotional, psychological, and cognitive damage to survivors of child sexual abuse,” both said in a letter to the OBSERVER. “A large portion of our student body will become mandated child abuse reporters. Kershnar’s philosophy around child sexual abuse undermines the critical work done in courses, programs, departments, and initiatives across the campus and the community.

“Regardless of the Twitter response posted by SUNY Fredonia President Stephen Kolison, Kershnar’s statements negate the legal and moral obligations to protect and advocate for children that are the cornerstone of what we believe and expect of our students and colleagues. Kershnar’s public statement invalidates the trauma experienced by survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Sex with children is not just another sexual orientation or preferance. It is abuse, it is illegal, and it has lifelong impacts for survivors.”

Kershnar, a past contributor to the OBSERVER opinion pages, has had his share of controversy during his career at the university. In 2006, he was involved in a disagreement with then-President Dennis L. Hefner over a student conduct policy. Kershnar claimed it cost him a promotion in reports on thefire.org, which is fhe Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

Its mission statement, according to its website, is to defend and sustain the individual rights of students and faculty members at America’s colleges and universities.