Porn Industry, Johns Hopkins Expert Say L.A. County's STD Figures For Adult Performers Are Bogus
On the eve an important state meeting on condoms in porn, the adult industry today claimed that L.A. County statistics on sexual transmitted diseases in porn are seriously flawed.
YouTube Behind the scenes.
While the industry has long maintained that its STD rates are lower than those of the general population, the county stated that they're eight to 60 times greater.
On Monday the industry unleashed a Johns Hopkins University doctor's contention that the county's data are "fundamentally flawed."
A subcommittee of the state Division of Occupational Health and Safety (Cal/OSHA) was scheduled to meet tomorrow to weigh whether condoms should specifically be required for the porn industry.
[Video maybe NSFW]
The industry has resisted calls for condoms on-set, stating that its regular testing of performers has held its STD rates below norms.
The state says it already requires condoms under federal law that prohibits workers' exposure to blood-borne pathogens. But Cal/OSHA says it doesn't have the resources to enforce the rule.
So, under this rationale, it seems that even if the state expands that rule to specifically cover porn stars, it wouldn't change its enforcement resources.
What's more, industry folks argue that the rule wouldn't be fair: Mixed martial artists, for example, are exposed to blood nearly every time they get into the ring. And, porn industry leaders say, if condoms were ever required, the industry would head out-of-state and underground, where conditions would even less safe.
Anyway, perhaps hoping the revelation would sway Cal/OSHA when it comes to condoms, the industry trade group called the Free Speech Coalition on Monday released the findings of epidemiologist Lawrence S. Mayer of Johns Hopkins, who says, among other things, that:
-The county's porn-STD study did not reveal its methodology.-The county overestimates the number of adult performers in L.A. at as many as 3,000, while industry sources claim about 1,200.
-The county grossly underestimates L.A.'s general chlamydia rate, making the porn industry's seem huge by comparison.
-The county's numbers compare a heavily tested group (porn) versus one that's tested at a much lower rate (the general public).
FSC says it will bring these contentions to the meeting downtown tomorrow.
The coalition's chief, Diane Duke, says:
To date Cal/OSHA has had to rely on the inaccurate findings provided by L.A. County.
[@dennisjromero/djromero@laweekly.com]
Email to Friend
Write to Editor
Print Article
