California Regulating the Porn Industry

[Bec]

In a unanimous vote Thursday, the six-member standards board of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health decided to create an advisory panel to consider doing more to regulate the state's pornography industry, including requiring condom use and STD tests.

The vote came in response to a petition filed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Since 2004, when an HIV outbreak rocked the industry, AHF has been advocating for increased protections for porn performers. Its president, Michael Weinstein, called the board's decision a "big step forward."

The board should mandate condom use and require the industry to pay for performers' STD tests, testified Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, director of communicable disease control and prevention for the Los Angeles County Department of Health. As many as one-quarter of porn actors are diagnosed with an STD in any given year, he said, and rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia ar e seven times higher among adult-film performers than among the general population.

[Lee]

This is good, there is absolutely no reason why condoms shouldn't be required to be used in porn shoots, much the same way that safety equipment is required by law in other types of work to protect workers.

The only stipulation id have against the use of condoms is if all performers we're already positive and had been sero-sorted.

Regards,

Lee

[gaybucks_chip]

This is good, there is absolutely no reason why condoms shouldn't be required to be used in porn shoots, much the same way that safety equipment is required by law in other types of work to protect workers.

The only stipulation id have against the use of condoms is if all performers we're already positive and had been sero-sorted.

Regards,

Lee

Of course, as Patti used to always mention, being positive for HIV doesn't protect you from hep-B, hep-C, syphillis, and various other illnesses. Granted, syphillis is more curable than hep-b and c, but I think people lose sight of the fact that hep-B and C can be as difficult to treat and as life threatening as HIV.

I am a little torn on this issue though because I'm 100% in favor from a public health perspective, but it depends on what sort of restrictions they are going to impose. If they go with the same level of barrier protection required of nurses, etc, that's going to mean condoms for blowjobs and probably restriction of facials and other things, which, while good from a safety perspective, are going to tread dangerously into First Amendment territory.

[maxx68]

I am a little torn on this issue though because I'm 100% in favor from a public health perspective, but it depends on what sort of restrictions they are going to impose. If they go with the same level of barrier protection required of nurses, etc, that's going to mean condoms for blowjobs and probably restriction of facials and other things, which, while good from a safety perspective, are going to tread dangerously into First Amendment territory.

I'm also torn...I think STD tests, etc are a VERY good thing, but where do we draw the line? What's next? SM/BD regulations so no one gets hurt?! I think if the performers are clean then they as adults and professionals should have the option to perform the way they want.

Just because Cali makes condoms a requirement doesn't mean the demand for RAW isn't going to be there. I think some producers may just say fuckit and move outta state.

Just my $0.02 - Jay

[PFLJayden]

I think some producers may just say fuckit and move outta state.

California is the only state where porn is legally allowed to be produced out of. yes, porn is produced out of i am believing all 50 states -it's overlooked by authorities unless there's negative public involvement.- the law makers will keep following when outbreaks continue.

[gaybucks_chip]

California is the only state where porn is legally allowed to be produced out of.

I don't think that's true any more. While California has more settled law relating to production of adult content (and, of course, a ton of precedent law on entertainment in general, due to Hollywood), Nevada, as far as I know, has similar laws, and I believe has already addressed the model safety issues by requiring testing.

I haven't personally verified the above, but was talking with a company who moved from California to Nevada and found that there were actually a few more restrictions (the mandatory testing being one) but that there were as many protections as in CA as far as the legality, based on the research his attorney did.