Hustler disputes Los Angeles health officials’ claim that there have been 16 (or 22) additional cases of HIV swept under the rug in the porn industry since the Lara Roxx/Darren James outbreak of April, 2004, and assures the world that the current porn biz HIV case, “while unfortunate,” has been swiftly contained and is no reason to worry that the sky is falling.
LFP, Inc. Statement On HIV/AIDS Testing
Beverly Hills, California, June 15, 2009 – For years, the heterosexual adult entertainment industry production companies have been on the forefront of protecting adult actors from exposure to HIV/AIDs through a monthly testing program. This testing regimen has proven successful in keeping adult entertainers healthy during the course of their work. Other than a small outbreak in 2004—which was immediately contained—adult actors have been free of HIV/AIDS until the most recent single case reported last week.
While this newest exposure is obviously unfortunate, it is our understanding that the HIV/AIDs testing protocols were followed, resulting in the discovery of a positive test. Accordingly, the adult entertainment industry is now in a position to take the necessary steps to avoid any further exposure of other performers to this particular actress.
Concerning the reported—but unsubstantiated–claims of Los Angeles County public health officials that this actress’s case is the twenty-second reported case of an HIV infection in an adult performer since 2004, we have seen no documentation proving the accuracy of that claim. The known exposures affecting the heterosexual adult industry involved only the 2004 performers, and the most recent exposure involves a single actress. With respect to the remaining 16 positive HIV results the L.A. County public health officials have attributed to adult entertainers, we have no information actually connecting these individuals to the adult entertainment industry or proof that they ever performed for an adult production company, yet certain media sources have repeated this allegation anyway. AIM Healthcare tests not only performers, but also civilians outside the industry, and the additional cases claimed by public health officials could be those of individuals who sought private testing or who desired to obtain work in the adult industry but were precluded from doing so by positive HIV/AIDs results discovered by testing mandated by adult entertainment companies. Assuming that is the case, industry testing protocols may have benefited public health officials by alerting them to positive HIV results of which they would otherwise have remained ignorant.
Consequently, the adult entertainment companies will continue to adhere to the strict testing policies that have proven effective in protecting the health of the vast majority of their performers. These companies closely monitor the health of their actors and actresses, and if future developments warrant changes in the HIV/AIDs testing regimen that has worked well so far, they will continue to be sensitive to the protection of their performers’ health.
This is a well-written, reasonable, non-alarmist response.
The porn industry is, when its own finances are concerned, a libertarian group. It does not want regulation and wants sovereignty over its own protocols. It is also an oligarchy in that, despite the wide dissemination of material on the Internet, the real money is controlled by a small group of people. As hard as it is to effect change across a mass of people, it is even harder to convince small, entrenched groups that change is necessary.
I hate condoms, too, and I hate needles. But I think the porn business should go condoms-only and halve (or quarter) the amount of time between HIV/STD tests. For the former, I think the porn-consuming public will adapt, and for the latter, I think the public will begin to fetishize hypodermic bruises.
Previously on Porn Valley Observed: Adult supervision required
See also: Hustler
Leave a Reply