Learning to Say No to HIV (and other STDs)
Back in 1998 there was an HIV outbreak in the California pornography community. A male performer named Marc Wallice falsified his HIV test results and went on to infect several of his on-set sex partners before his deception was detected.
I still remember reading about the outbreak and realizing that the methods the (so-called) adult industry used to protect performers safety were a sham, and I resolved never to ask people do to anything in front of my cameras that they were not already doing at home, with each other, as a part of their own personal, off-camera sex life.
In 2004 a male performer Darren James contracted HIV and went on to infected three female scene partners before his infection was detected.
Since the 2004 outbreak there have been at least 16 incursion of of HIV into the AIM performer pool, including the most recent, which is said to involve AIM clearing a performer for “active duty” despite her testing positive for HIV, and allegations by the LA Department of Health that AIM is stonewalling their investigation.
UPDATE:
The Los Angeles Heath Department has backtracked on their assertion of 16 unpublicized cases of HIV in the AIM performer pool. The recently discovered case is now classed as the only HIV infection discovered in active talent since the 2004 Darren James outbreak.
June 12th, 2009 at 2:54 am
Sadly “civilians” pay an even higher price as they engage in unsafe sex with people who have (almost) never been tested even for an STD much less HIV. At least in the adult film industry the performers are tested and there is a database to trace working partners; there is no way to do that in the general population. A female performer friend of mine said that she put a working partner on her no list when she saw how he behaved off set with civilians (having drunken unprotected untested sex with anyone who said yes to him).
I dated a male performer for over 2 years and in the beginning of our relationship I got tested because 1) so that he could see my results were as clean as his, and 2) so that he could show and tell people in the industry that he was not jeopardizing his performance partners with an untested civilian.
The system for performers may be inadequate, but at least there is a system.
June 12th, 2009 at 6:41 am
“A female performer friend of mine said that she put a working partner on her no list when she saw how he behaved off set with civilians (having drunken unprotected untested sex with anyone who said yes to him).”
Silk, thank you for coming by and offering your thoughts.
Your friends experience witnessing a potential scene partner’s offset behavior is precisely why I made the decision I made in 1998. I realized that the protection provided AIM testing regime was only as good as the off-set behavior of the performers in the regime. According to the LA Times article cited above, 10 of the 16 cases of HIV in the AIM performer pool that occurred after the 2004 outbreak were a result of off-set male to male sexual contact.
The number of men in the AIM performer pool is only few hundred. The infection rate suggested by these figures is many, many times higher than the HIV infection rate of the sexual active “civilian” cohort. Those are statistical facts.
Moreover, in the wake of the 2004 outbreak, I was contacted repeatedly by adult performers who told me, under condition of anonymity, that attitude toward STD transmission and off-set sexual behavior within the adult industry are far worse than anything that is reported publicly.
In the 11 years since I made my decision about the on-set safety practices that we observe, I have never had one moment of regret.
June 15th, 2009 at 10:05 am
[...] Home DVD Shop : Tony’s Blog : Peggy’s Blog : Press : Reviews : Our Story : Retailers : Upcoming Films : Your Privacy : Contact Us « Learning to Say No to HIV (and other STDs) [...]