To “rubber” or not to “rubber”… that is
the porn question…
Once again, the Adult film industry has had another unfortunate performer test positive for HIV. This is the third time (that the public has been made aware of) in the last few short years the industry has shut down filming while they try to prevent any other performers from becoming infected too and get the performers tested that has worked with the HIV positive individual.
Upfront, HIV is a horrible disease and the porn industry is at best is something many people are very vocal about. They either love it or loathe it. Whether its a moral issue or not is not what this article is about it. People that are consenting adults can either watch it, make it, produce it or choose not to have anything to do with it but the industry exists so here we are. It’s pretty much that simple but according to statics, a lot of people enjoy watching adult films. It’s a billion dollar a year industry and it keeps getting bigger each year so I would think the ones that don’t watch it are the minority and there is nothing wrong with that. To each their own…
But back to porn. When Aids first broke out in the early 80’s there was a push to make all sex performers in film wear protection. But a not so funny thing happened when they did. Sales dropped off. It seems that people that purchase adult movies really don’t want to see “safe sex” while viewing it. I guess it ruined the “fantasy” for them. So what happened? The porn industry backed off using protection and went back to unsafe sex practices. However, the sex industry did implement monthly HIV testing for all performers and they were not allowed to work unless all of the paper work was current. But in reality, that paper work is always “after the fact”. Meaning when the blood test was done the HIV antibodies aren’t showing up in your blood yet. So it also meant that at the time of the test you are showing that you are not HIV positive even though the virus may in fact already be in your body.
According to the news media I have been reading most of the HIV positive performers are male and didn’t contact HIV from another American performer. Most had recently worked in Brazil or another foreign Country where HIV testing is either lacked or not done at all and had engaged in higher risk sex such as gay or transsexual porn. It seems the money is better in those Countries for American male performers so they take the risk and then come back to America and continue to work and unfortunately sometimes bring back a non curable disease. . .And then someone else gets infected, and like dominoes, they fall one by one…
And the pressure of making money in the Adult industry drives everything. The previous HIV outbreak with a film actress that contracted HIV from her male partner stated she felt pressured to engage in high risk unprotected sex. She went to work to do oral sex scenes and the studio said we are only shooting double anal sex scenes this week and if you want to work you can work and if not, we will get someone else. So , she needed the money and did the scene and even though no one knew her partner was HIV positive because his tests had said he wasn’t…he was. A now she is. The both are and if I remember correctly a total of five performers (one male and four females) contracted HIV from just one carrier.
So who is at risk? Really everyone in the industry is at risk. But by looking at the statics it’s the female performers in “straight” porn who are at a greater risk since they “receive” bodily fluids. So what should happen? Should it be mandated that all performers use protection? It’s easy to say yes but then that’s only half the issue because in porn, the “money shot” sells the movies. If you don’t know what the money shot is…How can I put this lightly…I can’t… so the male performer would remove his condom and ejaculate on his partners face, mouth, vagina or ass. It’s what sells and the more extreme the better even if it risks the performers… It’s the old adage of “supply and demand”. If there wasn’t a market for it, it wouldn’t be there. I am not condoning it, just stating it.
So where do we go from here? Porn is not going away. Its been around in one form or another since man first learned how to draw naked women charcoal drawings on cave walls and probably even way before that. So does it need to change? How so? Let’s hear some feedback. I need to take a break and watch some…porn anyway. No condoms please, it’s a Buzz Kill.
