Current Affairs

Proposed law change may ban production of bareback porn

Dec 21 2009
Written by PinkNews Staff Writer

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

An American gay health charity are planning to file a petition that could see a ban on the production of bareback pornography.

California’s AIDS Healthcare Foundation will file a petition to amend state law to mandate that all adult-film stars use condoms.

The change would be made to the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board’s policy on blood-borne pathogens.

Bareback porn, pornography that shows unprotected anal sex, has seen a resurgence in recent years and has become and major genre in the gay porn industry.

Many production companies have chosen voluntarily to stop the production of bareback porn but it is still a major part of the billion pound industry.

Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation said:

“Although workers in adult films should enjoy protections under the current phrasing of the regulation, the adult film industry has steadfastly refused to take any steps to protect its workers from diseases spread by blood-borne pathogens, resulting in thousands of employees becoming infected with sexually transmitted diseases,”

In August, AHF filed 16 worker-safety complaints with the board over the lack of condom use in adult films made in California.

The Los Angeles Department of Public Health has documented an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases among workers in the adult film industry, according to the petition.

Last year PinkNews.co.uk publishedan exclusive interview with an HIV+ porn performer who claimed he was infected making a “bareback” porn film (ie: one where no condoms were used).

Following a report on the BBC’s Newsnight about the issue, the publishers of the PinkPaper and Gay Times, Millvres Prowler Group said they would continue to distribute bareback pornography through their retail business Prowler.

Almost 30% of gay adult performers in the US revealed in an anonymous survey that they were either HIV positive or were unaware of their HIV status.

Spenser Quest, who has detailed his trials of becoming positive in the gay adult industry on his website, commented to BGay News:

“It’s a chorus that we’ve heard before more than a few times, with newly HIV positive performers fearing they’ll be blacklisted if their status is known.

“For those who are new to the business, or for younger performers who are relatively new to gay sex, the silence around the topic can lead to fear, shame and a lack of safety with other performers in sexual situations off set.”