I have gotten several questions about people in the porn industry becoming infected with sex related illnesses, and wither or not the industry is safe. This is my attempt to provide information on what I know about the porn industry and their safe sex practices. I hope that you can take this information and decide for yourself if it is safe or not.
When people watch porn they usually are not concerned about the participants having safe sex. Most people are concentrated more on the sex acts. Have you ever watched an adult movie and wondered if the woman was on birth control, if both of them have had a recent STI screening, if they will use condoms, or many other safe sex related questions. Do you take the time to see if there is a condom or dental dam used? Most likely not. I hope that this can provide light to the recent incidents of HIV in the porn industry.
Even in this genre of entertainment we often fail to realize that all that glitters is not gold. Just because we assume these stars are practicing safe sex does not mean that they are. In my research I have found one company, Wikid Pictures, that uses condoms in their films; this is not to say this is the only production that does. So what is the doc trying to tell you?
If condoms are not being used how do the film stars protect themselves from STI's?
Before the 80's there were no regulations on condom use or testing for adult film actors/actresses. Some companies used condoms some did not. During the 80's John Holmes, Mark Stevens, and a few others discovered they were HIV positive. In a way these people opened the door for a positive change in how people in the industry protect themselves. As a result the U.S. passed a law stating that adult film stars must be tested every 30 days for HIV/STI's. Though these laws are in place there is still no sure way that the performers are infection free. Yes, two people may come together for a scene and at that time they may have no infection. What they do after their work is done in their personal sex life, and is up to them. They may engage in behaviors that can expose them to STIs/HIV we really don't know. In 1998 AIM opened its doors. AIm: Adult Industry Medical Healthcare is an organization that offers STI/HIV testing for people in the adult movie industry. They also offer other services for people in the business.
If a person tests positive they are placed on a quarantine list by AIM. Usually the porn industry is placed on hold until further testing is done. The people who were in a scene with the infected person is also tested. If there is a positive test the stars can not perform until they have a negative test. If a person is infected with HIV they are usually not allowed back in the business. Some people resort working in underground films who use less discretion when allowing adult starts to perform in films.
In 2004 actor Darren James was infected with HIV and passed the infection to two other female co-workers. His story about how he got his infection, and his beliefs about the industry are very educational. I encourage you to read the article written about him in the L.A. Times (below is the link to the article).
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/10/former-porn-star-darren-james-speaks-out-about-latest-hiv-case.html
In October 2010 another actor was placed on the quarantine list after testing positive for HIV. One could wonder how this could happen if stars are tested every 30 days. There are many reasons why; the one that I find most important is that stars are not using condoms during scenes. Though cases of HIV seem rare we do not know how often people are infected with other STIs and if the performers are spreading work related infections to their personal sex partners.
Perhaps the taboos associated with porn, especially those that perform in them, make it harder to regulate the safety of those in the business. Porn is often thought of as perfect sex, your fantasy coming true, the ideal way to have sex, the perfect man/woman, maybe condom use dulls these fantasies associated porn. It is also important to note that these risks are the same for gay porn, and all other genres of porn; not just straight porn.
To sum, in some ways there is safe sex in the industry. On other aspects of safe sex there is not. I hope that this information can allow for critical thinking of changes that need to take place in the regulation of safe sex practices. Just because it is filmed does not lower the performers risk of contracting sex related infections. It is also important that we know this information as consumers for often it is hard to separate reality from actuality. No, condoms don't feel good but they are important in protecting one against STI's/HIV. More people watch porn now than ever, often it is the only tool of sex education one has. It can be potentially harmful for society if the industry does not take the steps to model safer sex options. This is especially a crucial element for those that use porn as sex education and those that associate porn sex with sex that is not scripted for entertainment purposes.
If you have any questions about the adult entertainment industry or any other sex related questions please email them to theesexdoc.blogspot@gmail.com
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