YNOT – The group AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) wants to take the issue of mandatory condom use in porn to the voters of Los Angeles County. After failing to find a local lawmaker to champion its cause, AHF has hired an outside firm to collect the more than 41,000 signatures that are required to bring the issue to voters via a ballot initiative.
“As a citizen of Los Angeles, I have a responsibility in my own hometown to make sure we limit the spread of disease, but also to ensure the safety of performers in this industry,” said Michael Weinstein, President of the AHF.
What Weinstein sees as a moral mandate however, some adult industry figures see as harassment with negative consequences for the men and women who work in the industry.
According to Diane Duke, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition, AHF’s tactics resulted in the loss of the industry’s own health care clinics, Adult Industry Medical (AIM), which provided convenient and affordable screening for industry performers.
“AHF pounded AIM with frivolous lawsuits and complaints, eventually driving them out of business and ending a valuable health and safety resource for performers,” said Duke.
Duke also believes that AHF’s ordinance, even if enacted, would not serve to protect industry performers, but would instead cause adult companies to simply operate off the radar of LA county officials.
“As stated before, it is likely that the industry will move or go underground if condoms are mandatory,” said Duke. “It is a shame that there are those who would undermine this process and drive the industry underground rather than working cooperatively with those involved.”
So far AHF has tried and failed to find a local lawmaker willing to champion the cause of mandatory condom use in adult films shot in Los Angeles County. In addition, LA County public health director Jonathan Fielding has warned that it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to police the issue.
The proposed ordinance would charge adult film companies a fee to cover the cost of enforcement and inspections, although it isn’t clear how many adult companies would continue to seek film permits in Los Angeles County.
According to Duke, the industry’s own system of self-regulation through testing procedures is the best way to ensure the health and safety of its performers.
“If condoms were mandatory, existing testing protocols would likely be optional,” Duke told YNOT. “The protocols that are in place are here to protect the performers and successfully do so. Many performers loudly declared at the last CalOSHA meeting that they prefer the protocols that are in place and feel much safer with the industry’s testing regime and self regulation.”
AHF did not return calls to YNOT requesting comment.
