There is an old saying which implies that something does not affect you until it happens in your own backyard. Well people, it is time we looked in the backyard because there is a serious problem arising that affects this industry and the people working in it. You are probably already aware of it, two actors in the porn business recently tested HIV positive. Apparently, one film actor that goes by the name of Darren James contracted HIV while on location in Brazil and then returned back to a set in California where he infected a co-star by the name of Lara Roxx. This latest scare has prompted California health officials to rally for obligatory condom use in all adult films, which in turn has many adult film producers up in arms. This issue of “condoms” versus “no condoms” is the one that I really want to focus on for this particular article.
We are all aware that sex with a condom feels a little different, and perhaps it is not so pleasing to the eye of the person watching it. This is precisely the reason why producers want to be able to have the option of whether to use condoms or not. They feel that their sales would go way down if they had to feature actors using condoms in their movies. The majority of the population prefers to have sex without a condom and therefore prefers the same when it comes to porn. If condoms became a rule in adult films, then chances are that quite a few consumers would look elsewhere to get off. If this happened then the legitimate porn business in the United States would take a huge hit as consumers would turn to underground movies, or movies made in countries where the laws are more lenient. Essentially, by making condoms mandatory, the profits made from this industry could migrate from California to places like Prague and Brazil.
The big producers, such as Larry Flynt, are speaking out on the issue, and pointing to the fact that the strictest measures are already being taken to ensure the safety of the actors and that further regulation would only be a negative. He stated the reason that these latest cases were detected so quickly was because of the rigorous HIV testing policy that is currently in place for actors in the adult film business. It is true that the industry uses strict testing and screening policies for its actors. Actors in the adult film business are subjected to a strict HIV screening called the PCR/DNA test, which has the highest level of accuracy and fastest detection time of all of the methods. The actors must also be tested every thirty days in order to be eligible to participate in a film. With strict testing policies such as these, is it really necessary to force actors to wear condoms as well?
Now let’s look at this controversy from the side of safety. The porn industry consists of the most promiscuous people in society, both on and off the set. The risks and chances of contacting or spreading a disease are much higher in the porn business then they would be in the general public. Even though porn stars are tested every thirty days, there is still a good chance that in between tests they could contact and spread a disease, as in the case of Darren James. The industry may require aids tests for its actors, but it cannot control whom the actors sleep with when they are not on the set, nor can they control what happens on shoots that are outside of the United States, where AIDS testing is not mandatory. By making condom use mandatory, you greatly diminish the risk of bringing the disease into the business from outside forces.
The porn business has been receiving a negative stigma for years, with all of the political crackdowns, Visa regulations, and controversies. This latest incident only gives the people who want to put an end to this industry more fuel to add to their already burning fire. I think it is necessary for the people in this business to take a stand and say, “Look, here is what we are going to do to ensure that this does not happen again”. We can do this by following in the footsteps production companies such as Vivid and Wicked, and make condom use obligatory. The computer technology exists today that allows moviemakers to edit their films digitally. In the big budget mainstream films computers can remove items out of the movies that they do not want the audience to see and I am sure that the same thing could be done in this industry. There must be a way for the editors of the porn films to be able to erase out the condom image, so that the audience does not even need to see it.
Personally, I think that this business should lean towards safety, rather than towards what sells. The porn industry has had a bad reputation for too long now and it is time that something is done to show that this is a legitimate, responsible business. Adult film producers should come to an agreement on their own to make condom use mandatory, before it is forced upon them. This latest AIDS breakout has caused the industry a costly shutdown, and if we make condoms the norm, then we can avoid this type of situation in the future. |
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