Quote :

"Last week, several health groups, led by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, announced plans to develop a strategy that will push California legislation to regulate the adult film industry, mainly by mandating the use of condoms in all movies. Condoms undeniably help lower the risks of HIV infection. But that doesn't mean the government should mandate condom use in adult movies--and it certainly doesn't mean that such regulation is a good idea. For one, the adult film industry would have to make every performer an employee to satisfy the California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as Cal/OSHA, laws. This would be detrimental: California's anti-discrimination laws prohibit requiring an HIV test as a condition of employment; therefore the adult film industry's current testing process, in which every performer is tested for HIV monthly, would be illegal. Nor would adult film producers be allowed to "discriminate" by refusing employment to HIV-positive performers. As a result, untested and HIV-positive performers would be able to work in the industry, raising the risks of HIV outbreaks--particularly since condom breakage or slippage can occur."

http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/07/entertainment-pornography-condoms-opinions-contributors-alexandre-padilla.html

12/8/2009 1:58:35 PM

Law of unintended consequences strikes again, though I don't quite follow how a mandate of condom usage == making all performers employees

12/8/2009 2:05:45 PM

I think its because most porn stars are paid 1099 or as an independent contractor.

If a person working for you is 1099, you cannot dictate (haha) terms of their employment, or they cease to be 'independent' in the eyes of the federal government for tax purposes....something along those lines.

For example, I work in construction and I hire superintendents as 1099 all the time. In order for us not to hit during the audit/tax time, I cannot tell them what time they have to be in in the morning, what time they leave, that they come to my safety meetings, etc...because they arent really independent and I am not paying the government the proper taxes on their employment.

12/8/2009 2:44:58 PM

In future news, Nevada sees a boom in it's porno industry.

12/8/2009 3:03:36 PM

I'm so down for this like crazy. I wish it could go nationwide.

100 percent condom use in porno would be a very, very good thing for everybody.


California will obviously need to make an exception for discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS in the sex industry.

12/8/2009 3:49:25 PM

whats this thing called a 'condom'

12/8/2009 3:52:11 PM

Quote :

"announced plans to develop a strategy that will push"

Seems pretty far off from a law at this point. A group has said they plan to make a plan that will hope will sway others.

12/8/2009 4:02:46 PM

Quote :

"100 percent condom use in porno would be a very, very good thing for everybody."

Not me.

12/8/2009 4:04:54 PM

As long as they are performing monthly STD checks why the fuck do they care??

12/8/2009 5:48:47 PM

"monthly STD checks "


a lot of porn starts have sex like 10 times per day with multiple partners.

12/8/2009 6:42:48 PM

^^I care because I believe making condoms more visible in pornography and elsewhere would positively impact overall condom use, which would decrease unplanned pregnancies and the spread of STDs.

I hate it when TV shows/movies feature people getting it on with no mention of condoms. I mean, even if we're to assume all the women are on birth control and can't get pregnant, you'd think we'd at least see somebody refilling their Valtrex prescription at least once a season in No Condom Land.

12/8/2009 7:57:27 PM

Whats next, banning smoking in movies? I mean, in order to convince people that smoking is harmful to your health, we should ban it from hollywood movies, right?

12/8/2009 8:09:23 PM

^^ Personally, I would rather the money that would go into enforcing this, instead go to providing better sex ed for people who are getting their sex ed from Debbie Does Dallas.

12/8/2009 8:21:20 PM

^^The film industry already endeavors to decrease depictions of characters smoking, and the decline in on-screen smoking portrayals has coincided with a decline in teen smoking...

^My interest goes beyond sex education. While many lack access to information, there are also people with plenty of information who still don't use condoms. We need to make condoms popular.

Instead, normal films portray people who are so passionately in love that they can't stop for condoms, and pornographic films show people who are so eager to have as much sex as possible that they can't stop for condoms. It's unrealistic and harmful.

12/8/2009 8:54:01 PM

But would you be for a ban of all smoking in movies? How about the portrayal of drug use in movies? How about murder?

12/8/2009 8:57:09 PM

How about other tangential and virtually unrelated subjects that can be comparably used in this argument on the grounds of them actually being something harmful and still therefore negative in some fashion?

And really BridgetSPK, who cares if it's nationwide--California is responsible for such a huge percent of the porn industry anyway.

12/8/2009 9:10:31 PM

What if pornographic films only depicted people in happy monogomous relationships raw-dogging it?

12/9/2009 12:06:45 AM

^^^No.

^^

Quote :

"Mr. Joshua: In future news, Nevada sees a boom in it's porno industry."

^The ridiculous belief that we're in happy, monogamous relationships is one of the reasons we don't use condoms.

12/9/2009 1:58:55 AM

Quote :

"I care because I believe making condoms more visible in pornography and elsewhere would positively impact overall condom use, which would decrease unplanned pregnancies and the spread of STDs."

I bet you also support banning smoking in movies to don't you

To be honest the people that watch pr0n are probably not the people you need to be as concerned about as far as "unplanned"
pregnancies. Likely those viewers are older with children (or no significant other) or are more sexually liberated enough
to support abortions or know of effective birth control measures. Those that are getting impregnated unplanned are
those that grew up in a bubble and whose parents never had the "talk" with them and sex is a big scary word.

Quote :

"I would rather the money that would go into enforcing this, instead go to providing better sex ed for people who are getting their sex ed from Debbie Does Dallas. "

Ditto. The issue is the fringe right will get their panties in a wad about discussing "S E X." While the fring left
will continue preaching that they need to protect people from themselves and they have some self made crusade to ensure
safe sex amoung all adult performers.

Personally if any porn stars gets infected with AIDS it is darwin action. They new the risk from the beginning.

Quote :

"What if pornographic films only depicted people in happy monogomous relationships raw-dogging it? "

Quote :

"The ridiculous belief that we're in happy, monogamous relationships is one of the reasons we don't use condoms"

are you saying this is wrong or a problem? if so, well go fuck yourself.

[Edited on December 9, 2009 at 11:16 AM. Reason : a]

12/9/2009 11:16:18 AM

I suppose there is no other medium that will reach every male above the age of 18...

12/9/2009 12:35:15 PM

Quote :

"HUR: I bet you also support banning smoking in movies to don't you "

I've already responded to that. No.

Quote :

"HUR: To be honest the people that watch pr0n are probably not the people you need to be as concerned about as far as "unplanned" pregnancies. Likely those viewers are older with children (or no significant other) or are more sexually liberated enough to support abortions or know of effective birth control measures. Those that are getting impregnated unplanned are those that grew up in a bubble and whose parents never had the "talk" with them and sex is a big scary word."

No, the issue is much more complex than that.

But I would like to congratulate you on grasping the education factor. Your sophisticated observations are so very valuable to the Soap Box.

Quote :

"HUR: are you saying this is wrong or a problem? if so, well go fuck yourself."

Yes, it's a problem. For example, non-IDU, heterosexual women often get HIV/AIDS when they wrongly believe they're in a happy, monogamous relationship. In fact, every woman I've ever known to be diagnosed with an STD has gotten them from their boyfriends with whom they were in presumably happy, monogamous relationships.

Individuals can do what they want, but if we could use public health concerns to squeeze condoms into pornography, I would be so happy with that. It would help protect the performers and their partners. And it would increase the visibility and popularity of condoms, and any extra PR for condoms, especially meaningful PR that actually shows them being used every time all the time over and over again, is awesome!

If the majority of porn performers wanted condoms to be mandatory in their industry, would you support them?

[Edited on December 9, 2009 at 12:46 PM. Reason : Blah.]

12/9/2009 12:45:53 PM

Quote :

"For example, non-IDU, heterosexual women often get HIV/AIDS when they wrongly believe they're in a happy, monogamous relationship. In fact, every woman I've ever known to be diagnosed with an STD has gotten them from their boyfriends with whom they were in presumably happy, monogamous relationships."

This seems to be more of a social issue than a condom/no condom issue. I would wager that the number of people who would use condoms all the time, every time, is roughly equal to the number of people that get themselves and their partner tested for STDs before engaging in sexual activities. And the reason people avoid STD testing isn;t because the porn industry doesn't do it.

Quote :

"Individuals can do what they want, but if we could use public health concerns to squeeze condoms into pornography, I would be so happy with that. It would help protect the performers and their partners. And it would increase the visibility and popularity of condoms, and any extra PR for condoms, especially meaningful PR that actually shows them being used every time all the time over and over again, is awesome! "

Or it could backfire. As in "Only whores and porn actors use condoms because they're dirty people who sleep around." It's not exactly like porn actors are people that folks look up to for life advice and wisdom.

Quote :

"If the majority of porn performers wanted condoms to be mandatory in their industry, would you support them?"

I would support them in the endeavors to make that a condition of their performance in films, I would support them in their efforts to build a production house that mandates such requirements for all films made by the production house. I would not support them in trying to make it a law for all production houses.

12/9/2009 1:21:24 PM

Quote :

"Those that are getting impregnated unplanned are those that grew up in a bubble and whose parents never had the "talk" with them and sex is a big scary word. "

nah, there are a ton of chicks getting knocked up, but they usually abort without you knowing about it.

12/9/2009 1:30:16 PM

Quote :

"Individuals can do what they want, but if we could use public health concerns to squeeze condoms into pornography, I would be so happy with that. It would help protect the performers and their partners. And it would increase the visibility and popularity of condoms, and any extra PR for condoms, especially meaningful PR that actually shows them being used every time all the time over and over again, is awesome! "

pr0n would never finish with the happy ending

12/9/2009 1:36:58 PM

Quote :

"1337 b4k4: This seems to be more of a social issue than a condom/no condom issue. I would wager that the number of people who would use condoms all the time, every time, is roughly equal to the number of people that get themselves and their partner tested for STDs before engaging in sexual activities. And the reason people avoid STD testing isn;t because the porn industry doesn't do it."

Could you explain this idea further?

I'm not saying that all porn films need to include a preliminary shot showing the stars getting their STD tests and results before they have sex. I'm just pushing for more images of condoms in porn. I don't know what point you're trying to make with the comparison to pre-sex STD tests.

Quote :

"1337 b4k4: Or it could backfire. As in "Only whores and porn actors use condoms because they're dirty people who sleep around." It's not exactly like porn actors are people that folks look up to for life advice and wisdom."

Perhaps, but I doubt it.

Quote :

"1337 b4k4: I would support them in the endeavors to make that a condition of their performance in films, I would support them in their efforts to build a production house that mandates such requirements for all films made by the production house. I would not support them in trying to make it a law for all production houses."

Why not?

Are you opposed to anything OSHAish?

12/9/2009 1:46:41 PM

Quote :

"Could you explain this idea further?"

Condoms, like STD testing are a trust issue socially. It's not because condoms don't get air time and visibility that people don't use them in their relationships. It's because the insistence on using a condom in a "monogamous" relationship (not counting usage for birth control) seems to convey the message that one partner doesn't trust the other that they're free of STDs. Mandating condom usage in porn on STD fears will certainly not change that conveyed message either. Essentially you're fighting the same thing that keeps these people from asking their partners to get tested for STDs in the first place.

Quote :

"Perhaps, but I doubt it."

Like I said, our porn industry is not a role model in our society. Those who's condom usage is dependent on whether Debbie wears one when she does Durham, are I would imagine, a vanishingly small population. For everyone else, those that don't view the porn industry and things the industry does as "dirty" are already using condoms. And those that do view the porn industry as dirty will just have their beliefs validated a have a further disdain for condoms.

Quote :

"Why not? Are you opposed to anything OSHAish?"

As a general rule yes. I am all for informed consent, but I think that adults are capable of deciding the risks that they want to take, and it isn't up to the government to force those decisions. Risk of STD is not an unknown risk of working in the porn industry.

12/9/2009 2:01:37 PM

Quote :

"1337 b4k4: Condoms, like STD testing are a trust issue socially. It's not because condoms don't get air time and visibility that people don't use them in their relationships. It's because the insistence on using a condom in a "monogamous" relationship (not counting usage for birth control) seems to convey the message that one partner doesn't trust the other that they're free of STDs. Mandating condom usage in porn on STD fears will certainly not change that conveyed message either. Essentially you're fighting the same thing that keeps these people from asking their partners to get tested for STDs in the first place."

Sure, there's an element of a trust issue.

But you circumvent that issue by making condoms standard. Have condoms used all over the place like it's just another natural part of having sex. So that when it comes down to boogie time, people will be more likely to just use them. Neither party would have a trust issue about it because it's just what you do.

1/20/2010 3:38:26 AM

How is this not a colossal waste of time/money/time? In the Venn diagram of people that watch pornos and people that have stupid unprotected sex how big is the convergence really?

I have an idea. Make a porno specifically designed to show condom use and play it at every middle school in the country.

1/20/2010 9:56:55 AM

^A lot of people watch porn.

And a lot of people have stupid, unprotected sex. I know many people who've had condom-free one-night stands and who don't use them at all when they're "in a relationship."

1/21/2010 1:41:17 AM