Possible HIV positive test shuts the US porn industry down
Update – 30 August 2014 – 10:37am EST
The porn moratorium that had been put into effect two days ago was lifted yesterday. The pornstar who had initially tested positive for HIV was re-tested, and that test came back negative. It was a false alarm, resulting in the Free Speech Coalition (FSC) deciding to let the US Porn Industry get back to work.
Rumors have been swirling in regards to which performer may have been at the center of all of this. Die-Screaming will not publish the name, as the person in question hasn’t officially confirmed it. Additionally, it’s just bad form to attach someone’s name to a story like this when there’s really nothing to report other than there was a false-positive test.
BACK TO FUCKING, EVERYONE!
Update – 28 August 2014 – 9:19pm EST
The Adult Performer Advocacy Committee (APAC) has come out and issued a statement asking all adult film performers to show “solidarity” during this moratorium. It’s a pretty long statement, aimed at the people who make and perform in porn, and full of reminders about how APAC would like them to conduct themselves during this production stoppage. Here’s the full APAC moratorium solidarity statement…
APAC is requesting that all adult performers honor PASS’s call for a moratorium and treat each other with compassion and respect during this time.
When an industry moratorium, especially one related to HIV, occurs, performers are often concerned about their health, the health of their co-workers, their financial security, and public perception of the porn industry. Fear and mistrust are understandable reactions. Desire for facts and belief in rumors when no facts are available are also understandable reactions.
The only facts available at this time are that a positive HIV result has been reported to the FSC and that a call has been made to stop all production while a confirmatory test is done.
The Adult Performer Advocacy Committee’s mission is to support the safety, happiness, and well-being of individual performers, and our community. Therefore we stand against blaming specific performers for contracting HIV, and we encourage them to take steps to ensure HIV- negative scene partners are not exposed. We also firmly stand against any homophobia (ie blaming “crossover” performers or gay studios) in a time of industry moratorium.
APAC is asking all performers to refrain from exchanging body fluids during this moratorium. This includes girl-girl only performers, trans performers, “gay” performers, queer performers, and “straight” performers, and includes performers based out of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami, New York, and anywhere else adult productions are shot in the United States or with performers who have recently been here. This also includes trade shoots and recreational activities.
The blending of gay and straight performers; transgender and cisgender performers; queer, homo- and heterosexual sexualities; is an increasing reality in our industry. There is no “gay” or straight” industry, even if there are straight and gay audiences.
HIV is not transmitted by gay people to straight people, it is transmitted from a positive partner to a negative partner by very specific sexual acts that are not specific to sexual orientation. This request to honor the current moratorium is made for the safety of our community as a whole and for your safety. Regardless of your feelings towards the FSC or any other entity in the adult film industry, we believe this is the right thing to do. APAC is also asking fellow performers to show compassion towards each other and to our unnamed peer who is currently waiting for the results of their confirmatory test. Their entire life has just been turned upside down and shaken. Any one of us could be in that person’s shoes. Think about what it might be like to be in those shoes before you point fingers, throw accusations around, or tweet about who you might guess they are. As performers, it is our responsibility to understand how HIV is transmitted and to show care for other performers. At APAC, we offer resources on HIV and STI education and a private, performer only platform for performers to support and discuss concerns about moratoriums with each other. Moratoriums are an opportunity for performers to be a voice of reason and stability about sexual health, to educate ourselves, and to show care for each other.
When moratorium-related concerns turn into anxious blame or trying to figure out whose “fault” it is, performers are pitted against one another.
When these concerns are instead played out as care for one another, our industry and the community of performers becomes stronger.
APAC encourages performers to reach out to their existing support systems, and to remember we’re all in this together and should be able to lean on each other.
Original post – 28 August 2014
A female pornstar has possibly tested positive for HIV. As a result, the Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has called for an “immediate and indefinite” moratorium on all porn production. Until testing is complete and everyone figures out who is or isn’t testing positive for what, the American porn industry is at a standstill. Earlier today, whispers began to spread about a female performer coming up positive for HIV. This rumor was later confirmed (somewhat), by the FSC. To quote from the LA Times…
“There was a positive test at one of our testing centers. Confirmatory tests are not yet back, but we are taking every precaution to protect performers and to determine if there’s been any threat to the performer pool,” said Diane Duke, CEO of the Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult film industry. “We take the health of our performers very seriously and felt that it was better to err on the side of caution.”
This is the third time in a year that the US Porn Industry has had to put one of these moratoriums in place as a result of a positive HIV test. Last Summer, Cameron Bay and her boyfriend and fellow performer Rod Daily tested positive for HIV. Then in December, TJ Cummings also tested positive for HIV. All of this is happening right as the porn industry has been battling efforts to mandate the use of condoms in porn. The Free Speech Coalition remains steadfast in saying that the STD testing procedures are safeguard enough and that condoms are not only not needed, but unfair and heavy handed government regulation. That being said, considering this is the THIRD damn HIV positive test in a year, even people who thought mandating condom use was a stupid idea (myself included) are starting to have second thoughts. Because HIV and AIDS. As more information becomes available, I’ll be sure to pass it along. Out of respect for the person’s privacy, Die-Screaming will not publish the names of any HIV positive performer until that person issues a statement confirming it.
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