Porn Could See Mandatory Condoms in L.A. County Under Proposed Ballot Initiative

By Dennis Romero Tue., Jan. 3 2012 at 7:07 AM

Categories: Porn

The folks who want to force condoms on porn stars have revealed another front in their war: Los Angeles County.

In the wake of its campaign to make mandatory condom use a part of L.A. city film permits for porn shoots, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is now aiming a similar measure at voters countywide.

The city initiative was deemed to be ready to face your yes or no vote this year, but it's being challenged in court by the office of L.A. City Attorney Carment Trutanich. Meanwhile, AHF is broadening its ambition:

AHF's county initiative would, according to a statement from the group ...

...require producers of adult films to obtain a public health permit from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health...and pay a permit fee...sufficient for necessary enforcement.

In other words, AHF, with the help of the group For Adult Industry Responsibility (FAIR), wants to see the county regulate porn the same way it polices tattoo shops, massage parlors and bathhouses.

AHF chief Michael Weinstein states:

This ballot measure is modeled after the County's similar health permitting process for tattoo and massage parlors and bathhouses. For too long, this workplace safety issue has been dodged by elected officials punting from city to county to state, and as a consequence, the health and safety of these workers has been neglected with dire consequences.

AHF is calling the initiative the "County of Los Angeles Safer Sex In The Adult Film Industry Act."

The group says it needs more than 200,000 signatures by June 5 to add the proposal to the November presidential ballot in L.A. County.

The measure wouldn't change the way the city of L.A. permits shoots, but it might make things more difficult for producers who want to avoid condoms on their L.A. county sets.

The industry has argued that mandatory condoms would force the multi-billion-dollar porn business to abandon L.A. and even head out-of-state and underground, where on-set sex would be even less safe.

Porn's leaders say its once-a-month testing of performers works. AHF begs to differ.

This morning AHF is holding a 10:30 a.m. news conference outside the Van Nuys office of L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to formally announce its latest initiative.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

Tags:

AHF, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, ballot initiative, condoms, porn, Zev Yaroslavsky

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Shelley Lubben

Condoms are ALREADY mandated by law. I'm one of the former porn actresses who testified before LA City Council about the unsafe and unhealthy work conditions in porn. It is ILLEGAL for bodily fluids to touch skin yet it happens every single day! God forbid if a hospital refused to obey health laws and exposed patients and workers to bodily fluids. They would be heavily fined or possibly shut down. But the porn industry continues to get away with murder because most of the movies are filmed in private locations on a mostly male dominated set with 18, 19, 20 year old girls who don't know their rights! The porn industry cares more about $$$ profits than the health of the performers. There are ALREADY health and safety laws in place and yet the porn industry hides behind their precious first amendment. This has NOTHING to do with Free Speech. This is about workers being exposed to hazards and bodily fluids in a California WORKPLACE. During my time as a porn worker, I caught TWO STD's, one of them non-curable due to unprotected sex in porn. Help my group of former porn stars speak out about the illegal and unsafe work conditions in porn by interviewing us! We know what REALLY goes on behind the scenes. info@ shelleylubben.com

The law is the law!

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Michael Whiteacre

Oh, and production studios, unlike bathhouses, restaurants, tattoo parlors, etc... don't deal with members of the public. Movie production is not a public health concern.

If enacted, this would set a horrible precedent. I wonder how mainstream Hollywood would feel about this...

Michael Whiteacre

You write, "AHF, with the help of the group For Adult Industry Responsibility (FAIR), wants to see the county regulate porn the same way it polices tattoo shops, massage parlors and bathhouses."

1) FAIR = AHF.

2) Tattoo shops, massage parlors and bathhouses don't involve the same first amendment issues as making a movie, and furthermore, requiring a sink at a tattoo shop doesn't alter the message on the tattoo. These proposals by that megalomaniac busybody Michael Weinstein would have the government REQUIRE those engaged in constitutionally protected speech to alter their message -- along specific lines. The government would be telling people, "You can't say or show THAT message -- you have to say or show it THIS way instead."

Shelley Lubben

Condoms are ALREADY mandated by law. The problem is enforcing the law and this is why Calosha seeks LA City Council's help to help them enforce the current safety and health laws. We are the group of former porn actresses who testified before LA City Council and Calosha Standards Board. If you want to interview us, you may email me at info@shelleylubben:twitter .com

Learn the truth about porn at www.thepinkcross.org