CARSON CITY, Nev. – If the adult film industry decides to abandon California should the state impose onerous new regulations, Nevada would welcome the migration…with regulations of its own.
Part of the adult film industry already either has moved to Las Vegas or is filming an increasing number of productions in the area. Nevada is not unaware of the reasons for the relocation. On Friday, state health officials indicated they may impose strict brothel-style regulations on the industry.
Part of the reason, the officials indicated, is the recent revelation that two gay performers tested positive for HIV after shooting a condom-less scene in Las Vegas in mid-2014.
“The potential exists to require condoms and other barrier options in all sexual contact,” Nevada Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Mary Woods noted in an official statement.
Brothels are legal everywhere in Nevada except Clark and Washoe counties—the homes of gambling meccas Las Vegas and Reno, respectively. Brothels and their employees are strictly regulated. Among the rules: All sex workers must be licensed, condoms must be used for all sex acts (including oral sex) and health tests must be completed weekly for some sexually transmitted infections; monthly for others.
Although Nevada currently has no specific regulations governing adult content production—including permit requirements, as long as filming occurs on private property or in a hotel room—change may be inevitable if the adult industry moves en masse.
And the signs of a migration-in-progress are difficult to ignore. Adult film permits in Los Angeles County dropped to near zero after the 2012 passage of the county’s infamous “condoms in porn law.” During the same period, permits in Clark County rose by more than 50 percent. The state does not segregate adult and mainstream film permits.
