The adult film industry in San Fernando Valley, California as shut down after a female porn actress has tested positive for HIV.
The shutdown occurred on Wednesday, and the industry will not reopen until the risk of transmission has been eliminated.
The woman’s on-screen sex partners are currently being tested by doctors from Adult Production Health and Safety Services, an organization that ensures the porn industry remains safe.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the woman who tested positive was new to the industry.
“The moratorium will be lifted once the risk of transmission has been eliminated,” said Diane Duke, executive director of the industry trade group the Free Speech Coalition, to the Associated Press via email.
It is believed the woman was not infected on a porn set, but rather, in her personal life. Since 2004, there hasn’t been an on-set transmission of HIV.
“In fact, since 2004 there have only been two cases of performers testing positive for HIV and neither of those situations involved on-set transmission,” Duke said.
“The current situation would bring the number to three cases in nearly 10 years, not just in Los Angeles but nationwide.”
The industry isn’t without STD transmissions; however, a syphilis outbreak last year caused the industry to be shut down temporarily after 12 performers were infected.
Porn star Mr. Marcus allegedly altered his positive syphilis test in order to continue working.
Many are fighting for a mandated use of condoms in the adult film industry, but insiders say their audience doesn’t want to see condoms.
“How many adult film performers have to become infected with an array of preventable sexually transmitted diseases — including HIV, which is not curable — before the porn industry actually complies with the law requiring condom use,” said Michael Weinstein, whose group, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, successfully lobbied for mandated condom use in Los Angeles County for porn actors.
The mandate has caused many studios to move to other cities.
Still, statistically speaking, outbreaks and infections are very rare, with the porn industry actually being safer than having casual sex in the real world. Should condom use be required in the porn industry?
Via Daily Mail
