By Stewart Tongue

YNOT – A study first published in April is being cited by advocates of the movement to mandate condom usage in adult films. According to proponents, “Sexual Pleasure during Condom-Protected Vaginal Sex among Heterosexual Men,” published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, contains proof that condoms do not limit pleasure or excitement during sexual activity.

“The number one take-home message is that safe sex can be pleasurable sex,” said Devon J. Hensel, PhD, a professor of adolescent medicine at the Indiana University School of medicine and the lead author of the study. “The idea that using a condom somehow decreases the fun you have when you have sex is completely a misconception.”

Three other researchers assisted Hensel with the study, which collected data from 1,875 men who kept daily diaries of their sexual behavior and condom use during 2008.

The researchers admit interpreting data that is patently subjective in nature can be tricky. Did the subjects accurately report thir feelings about condom use? Did outside factors affect their willingness to use condoms? Are the subjects’ experiences relevant to other adults with dissimilar lives? Perhaps most significantly, does enjoyable condom usage equate to enjoyment of porn wherein performers employ condoms during intercourse?

If nothing else, the academic input elevates the discussion of condom usage in adult films above a strictly public-health-and-safety level.