By Mark Schechter
LOS ANGELES – As everyone is aware by now, the adult industry recently has been informed that a third performer tested positive for HIV within the past 30 days.
I would like to take this opportunity to make a plea to the industry to refrain from the desire to identify the performer. Please have some compassion and understanding and give credit to the performer for doing what was right in coming forward quickly and assisting in the identification and notification process that is so vital to the health and safety of our entire industry. When this is over and everyone goes back to work and their everyday lives, the performer will continue to face a life-changing event that could have happened to any of us. The performer has every right as a U.S. citizen to privacy and to live a long life without having to endure the additional pain and suffering that goes along with being labeled as HIV-positive.
Our industry and the governing bodies that devote endless time and energy to developing and maintaining a health and safety policy that involves rigorous testing and verification processes have successfully prevented an HIV-positive individual from entering the performer population. I think it’s important to point out and give credit to a system of protection that worked flawlessly. I also urge the entity [that oversees the system] to continue to review and revise protocols on a regular basis for the safety and wellbeing of all performers.
As difficult as this is for all of us to comprehend and try to make sense of not one, but three, HIV exposures affecting our industry in such a short timeframe — and how quickly our industry can be turned inside out and placed under a microscope — we should all take a moment to look closely at our own personal lives and make any and all necessary changes that will assist our industry and each other in ensuring protection against [sexually transmitted infections] within the performer population.
As an industry and as individuals, we will all get through this. It is my wish and desire that we also learn and become stronger together as we continue to improve our system of health protection for performers involved now and those who will be involved in the future. The industry will continue.
Mark Schechter owns Adult Talent Managers (ATMLA). He may be reached via email.
