Today, voters in CA will decide whether or not to pass Measure B, which would require adult film stars in LA county to wear condoms during porn shoots. If it passes, LA County Dept. of Public Health would enforce sexual health practices by conducting regular inspections to ensure that the actors are adhering to policy. The measure has been opposed by members of the adult film industry, who insist that the measure infringes on filmmakers’ artistic expression. Many in the business also insist that the stars get tested every month, which they claim is a more effective method of maintaining sexual health. Industry personnel believe condom use would affect sales, claiming that consumers don’t want condoms in their porn. “I wouldn’t mind using condoms more,” stated performer Lily LaBeau. “It’s just not what people want to see.”
Michael Weinstein, executive producer of AIDS Healthcare Foundation and primary component of the measure, has said that the current testing methods used by the industry have contributed to an epidemic of STDs. A recent study conducted by AHF found that undiagnosed STDs are more common in the porn business than the industry admits. The study found that roughly a third of the 168 adult film stars who participated in the research project were found to have a previously undiagnosed STD.
While industry leaders have maintained that performers are always empowered to use a condom if they prefer, some actors have stated that this isn’t always the case. “When I first started doing porn, I was told, ‘you can ask for condoms if you want,’ but after being in porn for a little while, it’s harder for a girl to ask for condoms,” actor Satine Phoenix said. “We have these grandiose ideas in porn that you have all these options but the reality is you don’t, because if you don’t do something, there’s another girl that will.”
In a recent Slate article about the measure, writer Amanda Hess conducted a “highly unscientific” survey in which she asked her male and female friends for their thoughts on the aesthetics of condom use in porn. She found that most people were ambivalent, and some even expressed the “sexiness” of safe sex. “Condoms make the porn look more like the kinds of sex I actually have—and that makes for hotter fantasies”, said one pal. Hess also found that those who rejected condoms in porn were quite energized by the issue, stating that condoms were “less sexy,” or “unwatchable, for sure”. Most of the people opposed to the use of condoms in porn were men.
Condom use in porn is already required under both state and city law, but Measure B would expand the existing city ordinance in LA to the broader county.
To hear a fellow Red Hotter’s opinion on the matter, check out this blog post from last summer.
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