Is it Worth the RIsk
In 1988 a ruling by the California Supreme Court legalized the production of adult films, making California the capital of a multi-billion dollar business; the initial case stemmed from the 1985 case California v Freeman where Harold Freeman faced possible prison time for hiring actresses for up to $800 a day to perform explicit sexual acts in the film he was producing at the time. The justices ruled against the prosecutors` argument of prostitution ruling that the actresses were being paid to act--not to sexually arouse the film producer.
Now that you know how the Adult Entertainment industry got started--we bet you are wondering what in the world this has to do with health concerns. Many people believe that in order to get where you need to go, you need to know where you`ve been, hence the slight history lesson on the Adult Film industry. Keep in mind that these rulings were made prior to the HIV/AIDS epidemic becoming the worldwide pandemic we know it as today.
This month Los Angeles`s City Hall is making a concerted effort to require Adult Entertainment stars to utilize condoms, mainly to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and other STD`s/STI`s. There is much opposition to the idea; many are citing that it is a violation of freedom of speech, regardless of the fact that condoms reduce the transmission of the virus by 78%. Worldwide condoms are slowing down the pandemic of HIV as seen in places such as South Africa and New South Wales in Australia. (See source:www.newscientist.com/article/mg21328483.400-condoms-are-slowing-hiv-spread-in-south-africa.html )
Diane Duke of the San Fernando Valley-based Free Speech Coalition (an Adult Entertainment industry lobbyist group) says ``We`re looking at all of our options and talking to the industry heads, the government is intruding into the sexual behavior of consenting adults.`` But this statement just begs the question, is it worth the risk? In recent years many Adult Entertainment performers have become infected with the HIV infection, two of them (Darren James and Derrick Burts) have since showed their support in favor of mandating protection during filming.
The Los Angeles based AIDS Healthcare Foundation collected enough signatures forcing a vote on the already proposed ordinance this past June. Instead of bringing the regulation to the ballot box, the City Council adopted the groups` ordinance. This Tuesday in a 9 to 1 vote; the City Council elected in favor of requiring Adult Entertainment actors to wear condoms while performing, as well as to pay a fee in an effort to fund surprise inspections of film permits. (Source www.latimes.com/)