BY-NC-SA California state health officials announced plans over the weekend to investigate an HIV outbreak within the porn industry. Last Wednesday, June 10th, a San Fernando Valley based health clinic announced that one actress contracted HIV, and since then, 16 other infections have been confirmed.
Ironically on the same day the positive test results were announced, LA County health officials announced plans to offer free in home STD testing kits to women within the county.While the kits aren’t available to men, and test mainly for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, their availability marks a huge step in STD prevention.
Meanwhile the Los Angeles Convention Center hosted Erotica LA, one of the adult film industries “big shows,” where you could find every adult toy, DVD, T-Shirt, actress, and production company, as well as tattoo parlor and medical marijuana clinic information, but not one booth providing information about STD prevention.
When I identified myself as a journalist to some of the actresses, they agreed to talk to me, but when I began asking about STD prevention practices, the mood instantly changed and all of a sudden I was some sort of creep, and no more questions could get answered. I can’t really fault the ladies for their discomfort, because at the convention, STD prevention was out of sight, and out of mind. In fact, the convention offered seminar after session promoting the enhancement of one’s sex life, but no workshops on enhancing the safety of one’s sex life. If STD prevention had a more visible role in the industry infections-- and probes into them which use state resources-- could be avoided.
The closest thing to STD prevention at the convention was an entrepreneur showcasing his personal condom dispenser and offering free prophylactics. Also in attendance was the PAW (Protecting Adult Welfare) organization, whose primary focus is to protect the mental well being of adult entertainment workers in all their capacities. “Once you enter ‘the biz,’ your mental health is immediately [damaged],” William Margold, founder of the PAW, told me. When I pointed out to him the fact that there was no STD prevention information booths Margold, who also helped found AIM (Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation) organization that sets the testing standards throughout the adult industry, joked that the authorities always want to “enforce us with one hand, and [enjoy our product] with the other.”
Maybe the State, instead of handling the adult industry's practices with STD prevention, should give counties, like LA, a hand in helping prevent STD spread among ALL of us.
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