Kershnar completed his BA at
Cornell University (1988),
JD at
Penn Law (1991), and PhD at the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln (1995). In 2006, Kershnar was initially denied promotion to full professor, after he had criticized SUNY Fredonia's new policy regarding "student conduct policies and affirmative action practices". Thereafter, Kershnar was awarded tenure at SUNY Fredonia. In early 2022, his arguments on "adult–child sex" in a philosophy podcast attracted criticism and led to him being barred from campus and teaching, pending an investigation. Kershnar has received support for his
academic freedom in connection with this controversy from both the
Academic Freedom Alliance and from FIRE (the
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education). In June 2023, Kershnar filed a lawsuit against the Fredonia administration claiming violation of his
First Amendment rights. An updated related news report about the incident and ongoing investigation was published in
The New York Times on September 13, 2023. According to
The New York Times, his comments occurred "as part of a wide-ranging thought experiment about ethics and consent", and he has stated that "adult–child sex" should be criminalized. == Awards ==