Cal/OSHA to require porn actors to use condoms

[SatanJonez]

I've been hearing about this on a lot of the forums I visit (surprisingly, most NOT involving porn/cams) & was surprised it hadn't been mentioned on here.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- California workplace safety officials have drafted rules to require porn performers to use condoms and other barriers in sex scenes to prevent being infected with sexually transmitted diseases.

Cal/OSHA officials provided the 17-page draft proposal to The Associated Press on Friday, and it is to be discussed at a public meeting in Los Angeles on June 7.

The draft would then go to the state's Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board for a ruling on whether it becomes part of state code.

Some major porn producers have opposed the use of condoms in porn in the past, arguing that a state rule would drive the porn industry out of California and that audiences don't want to watch protected sex.

The Associated Press

So far as I can tell, porn outside of L.A. is unaffected, but interesting they're doing this. Thoughts?

 

[Jupiter551]

Yeah this battle has been raging a long time, Shelley Lubben, a born again christian anti-porn crusader has been lobbying for this. One of the fears is that there will always be a market for non-condom porn, and money-driven producers and desperate performers will simply take it "underground" where there's no oversight and no testing like there has been with AIM.

Lubben has been trying to get AIM shut down for years, and her "charity" that claims to help ex pornstars transition out of the biz is nothing more than a front for her to rake in cash and jet around to all the adult cons.

I read and heard a LOT about all this a year or so ago from this very intelligent woman's blog, ex-pornstar Julie Meadows http://www.juliemeadows.com/blog/category/the-devil-and-shelley-lubben/

 

[barman07]

isn't the phoenix area becoming the new porn central? won't that push business away from california even further?

 

[Mikeythegeek]

isn't the phoenix area becoming the new porn central? won't that push business away from california even further?

It's been a bit of a porn central for a while now. The CCBill card processor is based in Tempe. There's a lot of porn stuff that goes on around here, both affiliated with CCBill and not.

 

[Jupiter551]

Well one (of the many) issues is...as stated...condom's are not mandatory in every state in the US, and guess what...nor is STD testing.

The AIM clinic in LA was set up BY the porn industry to provide standardized monthly STD tests but it is completely voluntary. It was self-regulation of the industry. The standard in LA right now is that if you want to work, you need a current AIM test, but that's not legislated. The gay side of the porn industry doesn't self-regulate, doesn't have a regime of testing, has higher outbreaks as a result and many male porn actors who do both gay and straight porn (a lot) can get a clean AIM test, go do a bareback gay film, unknowingly contract HIV, show up to a hetero porn shoot with their current certificate in hand, and be infecting people in the straight side of the industry.

So the AIM system isn't perfect - but nor is that AIM's fault.

Lubben and her ilk have been attempting to undermine and shut down AIM not because the anti-porn crusaders care about performers health, but because it wants to cause sensationalist cases of HIV infection as a springboard to run pornography completely out of business (as if that would ever happen).

The sad fact is, that health laws and such are drafted on a state by state basis, and the industry WILL simply pick up and move if they think the money is in it, and they may or may not continue to self-regulate if they feel the anti-porn crusaders are going to be breathing down their necks anyway.

 

[AngelAndrea]

Well one (of the many) issues is...as stated...condom's are not mandatory in every state in the US, and guess what...nor is STD testing.

The AIM clinic in LA was set up BY the porn industry to provide standardized monthly STD tests but it is completely voluntary. It was self-regulation of the industry. The standard in LA right now is that if you want to work, you need a current AIM test, but that's not legislated. The gay side of the porn industry doesn't self-regulate, doesn't have a regime of testing, has higher outbreaks as a result and many male porn actors who do both gay and straight porn (a lot) can get a clean AIM test, go do a bareback gay film, unknowingly contract HIV, show up to a hetero porn shoot with their current certificate in hand, and be infecting people in the straight side of the industry.

So the AIM system isn't perfect - but nor is that AIM's fault.

Lubben and her ilk have been attempting to undermine and shut down AIM not because the anti-porn crusaders care about performers health, but because it wants to cause sensationalist cases of HIV infection as a springboard to run pornography completely out of business (as if that would ever happen).

The sad fact is, that health laws and such are drafted on a state by state basis, and the industry WILL simply pick up and move if they think the money is in it, and they may or may not continue to self-regulate if they feel the anti-porn crusaders are going to be breathing down their necks anyway.

As someone who is knows about HIV I would like to inform you that the most common way to contract is FROM: WOMAN - TO: MEN. To make a statement as bolded above is not only ignorant but plain rude.

IMO: Condomns in porn as a standard is a great idea for many obvious reasons, but also because as most young people are shown sex by way of porn before anything else a "condomn standard" may make these young people consider condomns something that people who fuck use. I know it's not a literal transition, but I do think condomn use would rise exponentially should this begin to be implimented state by state. And if protected sex offends someone that much that they don't want to watch condomns on porn, well good think there are years and years and years of dirty raunchy un-protected porn videos. But I doubt the porns will be less sexy if the actors are safe.

ESPECIALLY THE GAY ONES!!! :naughty:

 

[danavixen]

AIM has been shut down state-wide. We now go to Adult Talent Testing, which is operated mostly in ER's. It's poorly euipped, poorly managed and takes significantly longer to get results. What needs to be done is conversion to the European system which tests for every disease under the sun and give results in 3 hours. Not that the US is known for medical efficiency...

Those of us in San Francisco are as affected by the new rules, but yes, this will likely just drive small producers underground. Large companies will move production to NYC again (a few are there currently), and the AZ market will explode. California is excellent when it comes to finding ways to remove revenue and taxable income from the state, as well as forcing companies to relocate. That's why we are so epically broke.

I'm not shooting any content until the new rules and regs are solidly in place and testing becomes a bit more streamlined. I do firmly believe that porn stars (et al) are defined under the same parameters as "stunt performers", meaning we willingly and knowingly take risks with our own life and limb in order to do the work we love. Our choice to use condoms is should be left up to us. I use condoms with performers I know who play outside the industry; for those that have a 15-day or more recent test, I don't require it.
Contrary to popular belief, as a community we are all very respectful of the performers we work with and their wishes.
Porn performer or not, you only get one healthy body.

 

[Jupiter551]

Well one (of the many) issues is...as stated...condom's are not mandatory in every state in the US, and guess what...nor is STD testing.

The AIM clinic in LA was set up BY the porn industry to provide standardized monthly STD tests but it is completely voluntary. It was self-regulation of the industry. The standard in LA right now is that if you want to work, you need a current AIM test, but that's not legislated. The gay side of the porn industry doesn't self-regulate, doesn't have a regime of testing, has higher outbreaks as a result and many male porn actors who do both gay and straight porn (a lot) can get a clean AIM test, go do a bareback gay film, unknowingly contract HIV, show up to a hetero porn shoot with their current certificate in hand, and be infecting people in the straight side of the industry.

So the AIM system isn't perfect - but nor is that AIM's fault.

Lubben and her ilk have been attempting to undermine and shut down AIM not because the anti-porn crusaders care about performers health, but because it wants to cause sensationalist cases of HIV infection as a springboard to run pornography completely out of business (as if that would ever happen).

The sad fact is, that health laws and such are drafted on a state by state basis, and the industry WILL simply pick up and move if they think the money is in it, and they may or may not continue to self-regulate if they feel the anti-porn crusaders are going to be breathing down their necks anyway.

As someone who is knows about HIV I would like to inform you that the most common way to contract is FROM: WOMAN - TO: MEN. To make a statement as bolded above is not only ignorant but plain rude.

I was talking about porn. There are actually HIV positive gay porn actors working right now who are working with other HIV positive actors.

You completely misread or misunderstood my statement - there is NO REGULATION OR HIV TESTING IN GAY PORN. Understand? Go look it up. I am not referring to HIV transmission outside the porn industry. If no one used condoms there would still be more heterosexual transmission because guess what? Heterosexual sex is more common.

Any number of sources on the matter, here's just one http://losangeles.about.com/b/2010/...d-hiv-positive-did-straight-and-gay-films.htm

 

[AngelAndrea]

Well one (of the many) issues is...as stated...condom's are not mandatory in every state in the US, and guess what...nor is STD testing.

The AIM clinic in LA was set up BY the porn industry to provide standardized monthly STD tests but it is completely voluntary. It was self-regulation of the industry. The standard in LA right now is that if you want to work, you need a current AIM test, but that's not legislated. The gay side of the porn industry doesn't self-regulate, doesn't have a regime of testing, has higher outbreaks as a result and many male porn actors who do both gay and straight porn (a lot) can get a clean AIM test, go do a bareback gay film, unknowingly contract HIV, show up to a hetero porn shoot with their current certificate in hand, and be infecting people in the straight side of the industry.

So the AIM system isn't perfect - but nor is that AIM's fault.

Lubben and her ilk have been attempting to undermine and shut down AIM not because the anti-porn crusaders care about performers health, but because it wants to cause sensationalist cases of HIV infection as a springboard to run pornography completely out of business (as if that would ever happen).

The sad fact is, that health laws and such are drafted on a state by state basis, and the industry WILL simply pick up and move if they think the money is in it, and they may or may not continue to self-regulate if they feel the anti-porn crusaders are going to be breathing down their necks anyway.

As someone who is knows about HIV I would like to inform you that the most common way to contract is FROM: WOMAN - TO: MEN. To make a statement as bolded above is not only ignorant but plain rude.

I was talking about porn. There are actually HIV positive gay porn actors working right now who are working with other HIV positive actors.

You completely misread or misunderstood my statement - there is NO REGULATION OR HIV TESTING IN GAY PORN. Understand? Go look it up. I am not referring to HIV transmission outside the porn industry. If no one used condoms there would still be more heterosexual transmission because guess what? Heterosexual sex is more common.

Any number of sources on the matter, here's just one http://losangeles.about.com/b/2010/...d-hiv-positive-did-straight-and-gay-films.htm

I'm glad for one case of this happening as your argument is now valid... Right?

Anyways the porn industry is full of suggestions and companies with requirements but please don't pretend that all women and straight men and all porn distributers require testing and that these people somehow can't transmit between testing. It is unfortunate that this happened once, maybe more. But I can guarantee PER CAPITA more straight woman have transmitted HIV than any other group as has been the trend for the past 7+ years. So that makes me believe that he MAY HAVE gotten it from a female performer (due to the current HIV transmission data). Also that female performers transmit as well. Not excluding straight males but in 5 years the trend it is assumed will be in their favor for transmition.

 

[danavixen]

The AIM clinic in LA was set up BY the porn industry to provide standardized monthly STD tests but it is completely voluntary. It was self-regulation of the industry. The standard in LA right now is that if you want to work, you need a current AIM test, but that's not legislated. The gay side of the porn industry doesn't self-regulate, doesn't have a regime of testing, has higher outbreaks as a result and many male porn actors who do both gay and straight porn (a lot) can get a clean AIM test, go do a bareback gay film, unknowingly contract HIV, show up to a hetero porn shoot with their current certificate in hand, and be infecting people in the straight side of the industry.

Jupiter, could you clarify this a bit for me? I haven't found any of the companies I work for who consider the AIM test voluntary. The gay/queer/lesbian/bi/trans performers fall under the same regulations that the straight ones do. I've always been required to have a current test, and have always seen the current tests of performers I work with. Are you reffering to gay-only sites? Can you reference any for me? I'm just curious since the primary company I work with owns straight, gay and trans sites, and ALL performers are required to be tested.
As far as I'm aware in San Francisco (and we use a lot of LA performers), there are rarely outbreaks of anything, let alone HIV. I heard of three people contracting ghonnoreah 8 months ago, but patient zero there was from outside the industry. This could mean that the companies I work with are just more exclusive about who is hired, thereby lessening the exposure to more wreckless performers, or that the industry is in fact very well regulated.
I'd love if you have some reference materials, because for me, and my co-workers, the AIM test was mandatory, not voluntary.

 

[Jupiter551]

The AIM clinic in LA was set up BY the porn industry to provide standardized monthly STD tests but it is completely voluntary. It was self-regulation of the industry. The standard in LA right now is that if you want to work, you need a current AIM test, but that's not legislated. The gay side of the porn industry doesn't self-regulate, doesn't have a regime of testing, has higher outbreaks as a result and many male porn actors who do both gay and straight porn (a lot) can get a clean AIM test, go do a bareback gay film, unknowingly contract HIV, show up to a hetero porn shoot with their current certificate in hand, and be infecting people in the straight side of the industry.

Jupiter, could you clarify this a bit for me? I haven't found any of the companies I work for who consider the AIM test voluntary. The gay/queer/lesbian/bi/trans performers fall under the same regulations that the straight ones do. I've always been required to have a current test, and have always seen the current tests of performers I work with. Are you reffering to gay-only sites? Can you reference any for me? I'm just curious since the primary company I work with owns straight, gay and trans sites, and ALL performers are required to be tested.
As far as I'm aware in San Francisco (and we use a lot of LA performers), there are rarely outbreaks of anything, let alone HIV. I heard of three people contracting ghonnoreah 8 months ago, but patient zero there was from outside the industry. This could mean that the companies I work with are just more exclusive about who is hired, thereby lessening the exposure to more wreckless performers, or that the industry is in fact very well regulated.
I'd love if you have some reference materials, because for me, and my co-workers, the AIM test was mandatory, not voluntary.

Sure Dana, well in short AIM is voluntary in the sense that it is industry self-regulation. If you want to work for any producers in the LA area, AIM tests are mandatory - but not because of a government law, rather because of a kind of mutual agreement between all involved. Not, sadly, the case in the gay side of the industry.

Basically, AIM was founded with the backing of the porn industry in an effort to provide safety for workers so that heavy-handed government and bible-thumpers wouldn't step in and force something more draconian.

From the LA times regarding the Derrick Burts/Cameron Reid incident:

Some straight porn performers have been critical of the industry for allowing gay porn performers to cross over, Aspen said. Unlike straight porn producers, who say consumers do not want to buy films in which condoms are used, the gay porn industry typically requires condoms. However, gay performers are not required to be tested for HIV before working.
"We have to get tested every 28 days," Aspen said. "There's no ifs, ands or buts about it.... We want accountability for the other side."

AIM was not a government institution, and nor are STD tests mandated by government at this time.

Here's one (pretty long) document talking about AIM and self-regulation in the industry and its resultant causes and effects http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/pboettke/workshop/spring09/PadillaA.pdf

...the adult film industry has successfully
developed self-policing rules to establish standards of behavior that facilitate widespread
coordination among industry participants and minimize the risks of HIV outbreaks. In
implementing these policies, the adult film industry has made itself equivalent to a self-policing
private club in which applicants need to "show white paw" before being allowed to join. At the
core of this argument is the story of Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM), which
developed the self-policing rules. This paper shows how a combination of entrepreneurship,
defined as a coordinating force of individual plans and decisions (Kirzner 1973, 219) and the
development of a corporate culture, defined as a set of workable principles and routines that
creates shared expectations for group members (Kreps 1996), allowed the industry to mitigate the
potentially fatal effects of the adverse selection and network-effect problems associated with
HIV. As a result of these policies, HIV outbreaks are the exception and not the norm.

 

[Jupiter551]

I've asked Lydia Lee (aka Julie Meadows) for some better info than what I've provided - she's infinitely more knowledgeable about this stuff than I.

 

[Jupiter551]

Lydia's response

Hey Sean,

It is mandatory among companies within the Los Angeles-based adult community, but not from a legislative standpoint. The industry began this self-regulation a long time ago because of the HIV/AIDS epidemic that cropped up in the 80s. And AIM only came about because a performer intentionally faked a negative HIV test in order to continue working in 1998. AIM was the solution and definitive source for talent so they could relax knowing that the test they were seeing was legit.

Lydia

On Jun 8, 2011, at 5:55 PM, Sean Barker wrote:

Hi Lydia,

As you're far more knowledgeable about this stuff than I, and google wasn't very helpful, I wondered if you could clear something up for me regarding the self-regulation vs govt regulation of STD testing in California?

Over on a camgirl/adult forum I read there's a thread regarding the Cal/OSHA condom decision etc, ( viewtopic.php?f=12&t=3737 ) and an adult performer asked if the tests were voluntary as she had been told they were mandatory. As I understood it, the tests were mandatory from a corporate culture point of view, but not a legislative one, which is why the gay side of the industry doesn't require testing?

I know you know a lot about this stuff, so I wondered if you could shed some light please.

cheers
Sean B

 

[SatanJonez]

I gotta commend Jupiter for at least doing some serious research. :thumbleft:

That is all. Continue your regularly scheduled program.

 

[danavixen]

thanks Jupiter. Thats about what I expected. For any performer to work its a must-have, not on a government level, but from cultural points. Thanks for the research.

 

[lordmagellan]

I have to wonder: what does this mean for production companies who specialize in creampie videos? Will dildos have to be wrapped as well. Will condoms be switched between partners in a three-or-more-some?

 

[AlexLady]

If condom porn was the norm, I wonder if younger people who don't have parents which talk about sex, or a school system that supports condoms, would use them more often.

 

[SweepTheLeg]

I'm waiting for when boxers or MMA fighters will have to fight in full body condoms to prevent anyone from bleeding aids onto each other.

 

[Bocefish]

How about all those inner-city fountains/playgrounds where kids go to cool themselves off and play... scrape their knees... then rinse themselves off with the recycled, infected(?) water?

 

[AngelAndrea]

If condom porn was the norm, I wonder if younger people who don't have parents which talk about sex, or a school system that supports condoms, would use them more often.

This is the main reason I think it's a great idea.

 

[Bocefish]

If condom porn was the norm, I wonder if younger people who don't have parents which talk about sex, or a school system that supports condoms, would use them more often.

This is the main reason I think it's a great idea.

Condom porn would instantaneously repair the psyches of all the younger people with parents that don't talk about sex so the school system would better understand. :thumbleft:

Somehow, that makes sense.

 

[Jupiter551]

We live in a culture that is obsessed with covering everything and everyone in bubblewrap in case they scratch themselves.

Soon soldiers won't be able to train with real weapons, or approach an enemy position - it's a health and safety issue!

I bought a desklamp yesterday and it said on a piece of paper inside, among other things, that I must switch it off at the lamp, and the wall, and unplug the socket every time I leave the room. I mean cmon...

The whole irony of this condoms in porn thing is not that it's a bad idea in principle, but there's a LOT of politics and shady stuff behind the scene. AIM, which had been the go-to source for std testing for performers was shut down for a couple weeks last december because it had filled in paperwork slightly incorrectly and was therefore denied a license to operate. AIM's chief opponents then loudly cried about how performers had nowhere to go and were therefore even more at risk.

Shelley Lubben, one of AIM's chief critics, and a former porn actress (I won't use the term star here) has ranted for years to anyone who'd listen (and you can look her up on youtube if you want to see a crazed, over the hill bottle blonde who still uses makeup like a hooker) about how porn gave her herpes so it's not safe and AIM doesn't even test for herpes. Well maybe that's cos herpes is widespread even outside the porn community and condoms don't prevent herpes, or even reduce the risk.

Incidentally I have on my computer one of Shelley's porn scenes from the 1990s, it's really awkward to watch especially when she's getting fucked in the ass and yells "up my buns, up my BUNS!".

So on the one hand you have bible-thumping Christians saying a) they want performers to be safe and b) a years-long witch hunt to shut down the clinic that gives reliable STD testing.

So they got their wish, AIM is permanently closed as of May this year, there is now no central, standardized place where performers can get their monthly test and unambiguous certificate saying they're clean

Now I'll be real interested to see how they police this, are they going to have condom inspectors on every set?

 

[SweepTheLeg]

condom inspectors? Are they hiring? ...Fuck I need a job

 

[Bocefish]

condom inspectors? Are they hiring? ...Fuck I need a job

MMA is indeed hiring

 

[Jupiter551]

condom inspectors? Are they hiring? ...Fuck I need a job

Yeah? I dunno if it would be worth it to see live porn if you have to go up and inspect some guy's smelly, sweaty dick to make sure the condom is present and intact every position change :lol:

 

[AlexLady]

Jupaz there is a huge difference between promoting condoms to prevent STD's and saying "DON'T BREATHE IT'LL GIVE YOU CANCER." (or the things you listed which are just as stupid.)

 

[Jupiter551]

Yeah of course, and incidentally I'm pro-condom use in the adult industry I just think it's a) unenforceable, b) will drive porn out of Cali where there aren't such regulations, OR testing and c) it's a result of behind the scenes political skullduggery between Cal/OSHA, Aids Healthcare Foundation, Pink Cross Foundation and AIM

 

[AngelAndrea]

I don't think it's FULLY unenforceable, but as with every new regulation it takes a while to get it all "cracked down" and I do know that the porn industry in Arizona is getting HUGE already. It would be nice to have advocates for "condom porn" in all states (that have a prevelant professional porn community). Maybe in 15 years it will be a preference if it starts to be brought in as normal slowly. Maybe in 5 years all states will require any professional porn company to use condoms in their films. The scarriest thing (to me) is HIV (and teens getting pregnant because their boyfriends don't "like them" even though it's both their first time and he only knows of sex from porn because his parents are shit), I know condoms won't do much for some other diseases because of the various forms of contact in demand in the porn industry. But the main "effects" would hopefully be a decrease in HIV transmission in the industry, and possible increase in condom use in young people with a long-term, multi-state effort as the cause.

 

[AshleyMarks]

Yup, Shelly lubben sounds like she is insane!!!!!! She is just a stuck up bitch that was forgotten by the porn industry and now she wants attention. She is not crusading to aid the performers, but to profit from donations and also publicity. She was a flash in the pan that just did not succeed. She also sounds like a slutty woman who does not want to accept the fact that what has happened to her is not the porn industry's fault. She admitted to being a prostitute 6 years prior to being in the porn industry, but chooses to put blame on the industry for the fact that she contracted STD's. Even after getting out of the industry, she prostituted yet again and admitted also that during those particular times, a condom may have broken and that she may have got it from a "trick". I believe that she is blaming the wrong people for the way her life has turned out, and that she could have done things differently, but chose not to. She is to blame for her life, nobody else is. She sounds like a deranged 3 year old that just did not get her way. SHE NEEDS TO OWN HER ACTIONS AND ACT LIKE A GROWN WOMAN AND NOT A CHILD!!!!!!! Own it, Shelly!!!!!!!

 

[Bocefish]

Even 3 or 4 dimensional thinking can change the fakts