YNOT – As part of an ongoing campaign to convince California authorities not to impose condom regulations upon the adult movie industry, Free Speech Coalition representatives will attend a CalOSHA advisory meeting June 29 in Los Angeles.The meeting, a public forum, seeks input about the severity of bloodborne pathogen transmission within the adult entertainment industry. CalOSHA scheduled two such meetings — one in June in Los Angeles and the other this fall in a Bay Area location — following a series of complaints registered by mainstream HIV advocacy organization AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Precipitated by a report of an HIV-positive adult performer’s possible exposure of co-workers, AHF has waged a vociferous campaign designed to pressure local and state agencies into increasing regulation of the adult entertainment industry. AHF’s efforts have been covered extensively in mainstream and adult media.
Since June 2009, AHF has filed numerous complaints against adult production companies in California and Florida for alleged workplace safety violations. The organization also filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, alleging that the county agency was negligent in not enforcing CalOSHA regulations on adult production sets; the suit was dismissed in LA Superior Court, in December, but has since been appealed by AHF. Most recently, AHF filed complaints with the California Labor Board against nine adult talent agencies.
CalOSHA is California’s state workplace health-and-safety regulatory body. After the organization finishes assessing public input about the issue of bloodborne pathogen regulations, a measure formalizing procedures for the adult entertainment industry is expected to be addressed by the CalOSHA board of directors, most likely sometime in 2011.
“We expect AHF and the Pink Cross Foundation to be at the meeting with their usual theatrical antics,” FSC Executive Director Diane Duke said. “FSC has organized a group of professional representatives from throughout the industry to speak as the clear voice of reason in this debate.
“FSC is working strategically on a number of fronts to make sure that the stakeholders — adult industry producers, performers and set workers — are able to be heard above the noise of these anti-adult-industry organizations and their political agendas,” she added.
The Los Angeles meeting is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. June 29 at the Caltrans Building, 100 S. Main St., room 1040A. The public is invited to attend and participate.
In addition to addressing CalOSHA, FSC also is working with industry members to develop a petition voicing performers’ concerns about mandatory condom regulation. FSC also has developed a best-practices publication for adult businesses. FSC Health & Safety Manual contains information about basic CalOSHA compliance and is available to FSC members at no charge.
For more information, contact the FSC at (818) 348-9373, email Duke or visit FreeSpeechCoalition.com.
The Free Speech Coalition is the national trade organization for the adult entertainment industry. Its mission is to lead, protect and support the growth and wellbeing of the adult entertainment community.
