CHATSWORTH, Calif. – The Free Speech Coalition has lifted the adult film production moratorium the organization imposed Dec. 5. Health screenings determined no spread of HIV within the community of performers potentially exposed to the disease by a performer who tested positive in early December, a spokesperson said.
“Production [of sexually explicit scenes] can resume Dec. 13,” a statement on the organization’s blog noted.
“The last at-risk interaction between the performer who tested positive and another performer occurred three weeks ago, on Nov. 21,” the statement continued. “The testing window for the RNA-Aptima HIV test is 7-10 days. [D]octors [who participate in the Performer Availability Screening Services program] have since tested and retested that performer’s first-generation contacts in the performer pool, on-set and off. None generated a positive test for HIV.”
Performers who wish to return to work must present a new health-screening test dated on or after Dec. 5 — 14 days after the most recent at-risk interaction.
“While we understand that a moratorium is difficult for both performers and producers, it’s important that we’re cautious when dealing with HIV,” said FSC Chief Executive Officer Diane Duke. “For nearly a decade, the combination of moratoriums and testing has been successful at preventing HIV transmission in the adult workplace. However, we must be always vigilant and work to improve that record.”
The Dec. 5 moratorium was precipitated by an HIV-positive result on a performer’s routine, work-related screening. Adhering to protocol, the FSC and PASS called for an immediate cessation to production while the active performer pool was tested for possible exposure. Although moratoriums are voluntary, the majority of heterosexual studios in the U.S. — and all FSC members — participate.
“Moratoriums are one of the most effective tools we have to protect adult performers and allow us to stop HIV at the industry gates,” Duke said. “We thank the performers and producers for observing the moratorium, and the performer who worked so closely with PASS to identify at-risk partners.”
