THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES DO ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: CITY OF LOS ANGELES SAFER SEX IN THE ADULT FILM INDUSTRY ACT
Section 1. Title.
This ordinance shall be known and may be cited as the City of Los Angeles Safer Sex In The Adult Film Industry Act.
Sec. 2. Findings and Declaration.
The people of the City of Los Angeles hereby find and declare all of the following:
(a) The HIV/AIDS crisis, and the ongoing epidemic of sexually transmitted infections as a result of the making of adult films, has caused a negative impact on public health and the quality of life of citizens living in Los Angeles.
(b) Safer sex practices are a prime method of preventing and reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.
(c) The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has documented widespread transmission of sexually transmitted infections associated with the activities of the adult film industry within the City of Los Angeles.
(d) The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has opined that the use of condoms is the best and most effective way to stem the spread of sexually transmitted infections within the adult film industry.
(e) Multiple organizations committed to protecting the public health have called for mandatory use of condoms in the production of adult films, including the American Medical Association, the American Public Health
Association, the California Conference of Local AIDS Directors, the California STD Controllers Association, the National Coalition of STD Directors, the National Association of City and County Health Officials, AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the California Medical Association.
(f) Producers of adult films are required by California Code of Regulations Title 8, Section 5193 to use barrier protection, including condoms, to protect employees during the production of adult films.
(g) Many producers of adult films in Los Angeles consistently violate the worker safety provisions of California Code of Regulations Title 8, section 5193.
(h) Pursuant to Section 12.22(A)(13) of the Los Angeles Planning and Zoning Code, producers of all films within the City of Los Angeles, including adult films, are required to obtain film permits.
Sec. 3. Purpose and Intent.
The people of the City of Los Angeles hereby declare their purpose and intent in enacting this ordinance to be to minimize the spread of sexually transmitted infections resulting from the production of adult films in the City of Los Angeles, which have caused a negative impact on public health and the quality of life of citizens living in Los Angeles.
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I’ve had people asking me to voice my thoughts on this, but I couldn’t do it any better than Alex Garner did over at Frontiers LA.
Take a second and read his fine op/ed, and why not poke around Frontiers LA a bit? It’s an excellent site, but I’m basing that soley on Mr. Garner’s work, cause No Way Am I Gay.
Here’s what I (generally) have to say about all this hullabaloo: working in porn is a bad decision.
And now I’ll get more specific: for most people who enter it, working in porn is a bad decision. I don’t care if you’re in front of the camera…or behind it. For the majority of girls who wanna be the next Jena Jameson — or just need a quick couple grand to pay some bills — getting into porn is is a dumb idea. It’s just as bad as the worst tattoo you’ve ever seen — and while it might not stay with you forever, being a “porn star” sure will haunt you for a long time.
Things aren’t as bad for the dudes who are successful in front of the camera (as their sex addiction will attest) and while they still are negative consequences for the (straight) male porn star, they aren’t as severe as they are for women (ain’t society grand?).
Directors (as in yours truly) are least effected…but we still deal with the shit Society At Large tosses our way.
But here’s my take on all this: since when did some people get to assign themselves as The Bad Decision Cops and then mandate their rules?
And if we’re gonna start taking action to limit peoples’ bad choices, imagine the parameters we’d be dealing with. To me, being involved in the adult film industry is as dumb as being in the Timber Industry, or the Structural Iron and Steel Industry, or a Farmer or a Rancher, or any other of the stupid jobs that make up the top ten most dangerous jobs of the last two years.
Being in porn is as stupid as playing football. Have you seen the video of Hall-of-Famer Earl Campbell’s speech at the dedication of the football field they named after him? (Try and guess how old he was when he made that speech, and then Google him to discover the shocking truth).
Nothing in this world can make us 100% safe at the things we do, whether it’s work or play…or having sex.
We can be always be safer, and, in my biz, pissing into a cup and having your blood drawn every 30 days is what I would call the equivalent to wearing a helmet and pads if you play ball for a living, or body armor if you’re a cop, or having the required life saving appliances on your fishing boat.
And finally, all adult entertainment performers — every single one of them — have what we call a “dance card”. Take a look at Super Whore Ava Devine’s dance card: she’s available for Solo, Girl / Girl, Girl / Girl Anal, Boy / Boy / Girl, Anal, Double Penetration, Double Vag, Double Anal, Interracial, and Creampie.
She could easily add “CONDOM ONLY” in big red letters at the top of her page, just like Raquel Devine does. (Oh, and if you’re wondering, they’re not related).
Does Raquel work as much as Ava?
No.
And guess what — that’s another decision Raquel got to make all by herself, just like a big girl.
The Bad Decision Cops’ counter with being tested every 30 days just isn’t enough. Just like wearing all those pads and helmet wasn’t enough for Earl Campbell, I suppose. But he got to make the decision to suit up and play.
One day, a female performer is going to walk on a condom-only set and make a statement, and it’s gonna go something like this: “Hey gang! I’m a big believer in the First Amendment, and today I think I’m gonna use that amendment to secure my freedom of speech as an adult entertainer and perform my scene without a condom.”
She’ll be asked to leave set…and that’s when she’s gonna call her lawyer.
That’s when all the Legal Fun will start all over again, and something tells me when this is taken to a higher court, Porn will Win.
Like it always does.
“And now I’ll get more specific: for most people who enter it, working in porn is a bad decision. I don’t care if you’re in front of the camera…or behind it.”
Agreed. However, in one year in the adult film industry you will have more interesting stories to tell about your life than I will ever have in my lifetime.
O Great, the nanny state is protecting us from ourselves again. Hey Billy, could I be in porn to earn a quick couple of grand? I need new kiting gear:)
It’s the statement in the ordnance that blames the spread of AIDS/HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases on the adult film industry that seems to me to be the most outrageous thing there. We had similar arguments here in Washington state years ago when the motorcycle helmet law was enacted. People claimed they had the right to make whatever bad decisions they wanted. The state claimed successfully that it was a public health issue and the law remained. The same thing was attempted when smoking in bars and restaurants was outlawed. Instead of getting overturned, smoking bans seem to be picking up momentum all over the country. While I hate nanny state interference like this, it will probably be upheld and the porn industry will adapt and survive in spite of the bald faced attempts like this to put it out of business.
Hey Billy, What’s the bottom line on this? Can you shoot porn in Canada or Mexico without condoms? Anywhere where else in the US?
Condomn only porn sounds brutal. Hope that this causes a backlash.
I’ve read at various websites that there have been very few cases of HIV transmissions within the American porn industry. The testing has to be done within a month of a shoot doesn’t it?
There have been some. My impression is say less than 20.
But Billy you tell me / us.
I thought you’d make that point.
Is transmission of other STD’s within the industry common?
@doug1
One of Billy’s interviewees in the past commented that having lesser stds was common in the industry. She said it came (no pun intended) with the territory.
No doubt condoms would make the industry safer, but I like Billy’s football analogy. It’s in the nature of the sport that someone will get hurt. That’s the risk. You might as well outlaw alligator hunting too, simply for the reason that it’s dangerous and someone will get hurt.
I don’t think going into adult films is guaranteed to be a bad decision.
I also don’t think it’s outside the scope to government to legislate morality and it is immoral to ask someone to fuck on camera knowing there’s a strong possibility they would incur or transmit disease.
I’m not for the current mandate but things have got to be safer than the status quo.
If a footballer doesnt wear pad, the person getting hurt are only footballers. The water boy, the fans, the camera man etc does not get hurt. Only the footballer gets hurt……..hiv/aids will spread not only between pornstar but others outside porn etc one night stands with pornstar or other ways in which hiv/ aids.