This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer or co-workers
The Big Porn Producers are smart. They realize the recent mandatory condom laws trying to get on the books are going to hurt the industry. Contrary to what some of the proponents of the laws will say, porn producers are not looking at loss of sales as a reason to oppose the bills, they are looking at loss of safety in the long term. We have been blasted by people accusing us of putting dollar bills before the health and safety of our employees. Our accusers are ignorant to the facts on how we test universally and why our testing works. A law mandating condom use in pornagraphic films will increase the occurrence of life threatening STIs long term and Porn Stars who know how the industry works today are fearing for the safety and health of porn stars coming into the industry a few years after the laws are passed.
I’d like to state, for the record, that the porn industry is not opposed to wearing condoms.Currently condoms are optional and any performer who choses to use one for any reason may do so. Condoms do reduce the risk of infection for some STI’s and the general public should wear condoms to prevent STDs and for population control. Porn is not the General Public. We are overly concerned sex workers on high alert who have developed a highly effective way of practicing safe sex without condoms. If everyone in the world were to uses the self regulated practices that the porn community used, the spread of disease would drop significantly. I will have to explain our practice for you to fully understand why and how our method works and has help make it so that there have been absolutely ZERO transmissions of HIV from a porn production interaction since 2004. The Porn Industry has been self regulated since its inception. The Group of Talent has made an unofficial union which enforces the ground rules for shooting porn. Currently an active performer tests for STIs every 7-14 days. Not every performer tests on the exact same day. Testing is staggered amongst the talent pool. The staggering helps to maintain verification of clean testing amongst performers who work a lot because testing overlaps between performers. Some performers even require that their partners have tests that are no older than 2 days. Performers who work a lot will test every 7 days since getting lab results can take anywhere between 1-7 days and they don’t want to risk losing work due to an expired and/or late test. It would be very unlikely for a performer to pass along HIV to another performer within the 7-14 day period between testing. So unlikely, that it’s actually never happened in the adult industry.
Our Frequent testing has also been beneficial for those performers who have contracted HIV in their personal lives. Thanks to the tests, they are able to get early detection and start using PEP ( Post Exposure Prophyalxis) medication. The earlier the disease is detected, the higher probability of stopping its progression. http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/prevention/reduce-your-risk/post-exposure-prophylaxis/. Incidentally, if bills like AB1576 which mandates condom use for adult performers while they are on set had been in place, the performers who recently contracted HIV in their personal lives would still have contracted HIV. It is our testing system that made them test so they could work which notified them they had an issue and they were able to get treatment early.
Now that you know how our testing system works, you may be asking yourself, “Why not do both” “isn’t doing both even better”? Those are simple questions with complicated answers. Firstly, the Government can not and should not have the ability to mandate that ANYONE get tested for STDs. It’s great they they recommend that everyone do get tested but they can not mandate it. The Issue with mandating condoms is it give people a false sense of security. Condoms are only 99% effective if used properly. That’s still a 1% chance of a defect. But remember that 99% is only if they are used properly. Porn sex positions and longevity take that “if used properly” out of the equation. There’s also the issue of spillage; when the male ejaculates and the seamen spills out of the condom onto/into his partner. There is Zero protection from that.
If condoms are mandated, some performers and producers may drop the testing all together. The big companies will still require testing because it is the safest way to make sure you absolutely are clear if there is spillage or a if a condom breaks altogether. But for every big porn company there are 100 small GWC ( guys with cameras) who pop up every year trying to make it in the industry. Over time, new men and women who enter into the workforce as performers will not know about how things were as they are today with this back bone we have now. A girl can come into the industry, do a scene with a guy who hasn’t tested with the best quality HIV test that we currently use ( because it’s not mandatory ) and use a condom because those are mandatory. There could be spillage, the condom could break. She Could contract HIV and not know about it until she goes to work for one of the BIG companies who are looking out of performer safety and have her get tested. But by the time she tests it will be past the time when PEP medication is most effective. It would be highly unlikely for small companies to do the voluntary testing if required to pay for it ( as the condom bill now mandates that IF there is testing that the “employer” pay for it”). The current tests cost $200 and up each time for a test. This is the Pit fall of the condom mandate. It will disintegrate something that is tried and true to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Right now We have a system that works and a track record to prove it. This bill will divide the industry. We’ve taken years to develop a network of doctors and performers and companies who come together harmoniously to make the test work. All performers volunteer their test results to each other right now. The current performers and current big companies will continue to test, always, even if there is a condom mandate. We are not worried for ourselves; we will be fine. We worry for the next generation of stars who will come into an industry that will be divided between those who use the rapid HIV test and those who do not. Us “old timers’ who’ve been at this a while will try to keep the knowledge of the importance of testing strong but sooner or later we retire or otherwise leave the industry. Some performers and producers will do test and condom but believe me some will say the government doesn’t require tests; that the tests are only used for a certain part of the industry of OLD production companies and it’s okay because “hey we’re using condoms “. They will show you this law that the government made that says, you must wear a condom for porn and it must be all good because the government made it so. Ask yourself, would you rather have sex with someone with a clean test or would you rather have sex with someone who could have and STD but wears a condom. Right now you’re saying, Let’s have both. I know I can hear you from here. But people in their nature will always find loop holes. The Condom Bill is the biggest loophole a scum bag and have and this world if full of scumbags. The next generation of porn stars wont know any better because they have trusted that the government understood their best interest so they wouldn’t pass a law that would put them in jeopardy. That is our ignorance, because, if the government passes this bill, we will be in jeopardy. Not because the government wasn’t trying to help but because the government didn’t listen and simply didn’t understand the message we stood up to say to them in Sacramento by the bus load. Porn star after Porn star pleaded with them to not allow the bill to pass because we know it will take away the freedom we have to self regulate ourselves in a successful way. Benjamin Franklin said, “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.” We do deserve liberty and security and we are not asking to give up one or the other but we are going to lose both because they didn’t listen. Because saying ” just put a condom on it” sounds good to the public.
If you would like to stop the currently AB1576 Bill please fax sacramento http://www.ab1576.org/. There is NO condom bill that is good for Porn. We have successfully self regulated for over 10 years. ANY condom mandate will dissolve our tried and true system.
