CANOGA PARK, Calif. – Adult industry trade association Free Speech Coalition called for a production moratorium late Thursday after a routine health screening indicated a performer may be HIV-positive.
“There was a positive test at one of our testing centers,” FSC Chief Executive Officer Diane Duke said. “Confirmatory tests are not yet back, but we are taking every precaution to protect performers and to determine if there’s been any threat to the performer pool.
“We take the health of our performers very seriously and felt it was better to err on the side of caution while we determine whether anyone else may have been exposed.”
The performer will undergo additional tests to determine the validity of the first. Sometimes HIV tests return false positives.
If a second test returns a positive result, FSC will work with the performer, on a voluntary basis, to determine an exposure window and a timeline of shoots that occurred within the window. First-generation partners — or those who worked directly with the infected performer — will be notified and urged to undergo testing. A negative test is required before first-generation partners are allowed to return to work.
In keeping with industry best practices established by the FSC in consultation with infectious disease specialists, most adult industry content producers require performers to present “clean” health certificates dated no more than two weeks prior to a scheduled shoot.
“We want to make sure all performers are protected,” Duke said. “The performers’ health and safety is the most important thing. As of this notice, FSC calls for all production to halt immediately until further notice.”
Status updates will be posted on the FSC-PASS website and the FSC blog.
