Free Speech Coalition is proud to announce the FSC Summit website has been launched. The FSC Summit, which will be hosted by adult industry trade publication XBIZ, is a first-ever, one-day event to be held on Thursday, Nov 8, at the Sofitel Hotel in West Hollywood, Calif. Sponsorships for the inaugural summit are available by contacting info@freespeechcoalition.com.

The day of seminars will be followed by a gala reception, where the FSC Awards will be presented. Awards will be given in the following categories: Woman of the Year, Man of the Year, Internet Company of the Year, Novelty Company of the Year, Production Company of the Year, the Positive Image Awards, and the Legacy Award.

“We are so pleased and honored to highlight the political, legal and business issues that affect the industry in this first-ever event,” said FSC CEO Diane Duke. “As the adult industry trade association, FSC works on the frontlines of these issues and others, to promote the well-being and business interests of adult industry businesses and all the folks employed by the adult industry.

“Especially since this show will follow one of the most contentious elections in memory, there will be plenty to discuss,” Duke added. “We will be looking at the results of the election; especially the Los Angeles County condom ordinance, which will have been decided by voters.”

The FSC Summit seminars include:

• Strange Bedfellows – What You Need to Know About Sex & Politics
• Diversification – How to Expand Your Business with Multiple Revenue Streams & Cross-Promotion
• The New Internet – How it Will Affect your Brand
• Opening Up Brave New Markets and Revitalizing Established Markets
• Piracy, Politics and Patent Trolls
• Legal Mumbo Jumbo – Making Sense of Legal Trends and Litigation

For more information about sponsorship or the FSC Summit, please contact info@freespeechcoalition.com.

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) announced today the launch of a campaign against the AIDS Healthcare Foundation sponsored measure mandating condoms in the adult film industry in LA County — Measure B.

No on Government Waste, a broad-based coalition of business organizations, entertainment companies, community activists and healthcare advocates announced the campaign launch this week to media outlets nationwide.

The campaign has polled likely voters in LA County to determine their position on Measure B.

“There is a clear path to win this campaign,” said Diane Duke FSC CEO and No on Government Waste committee member. “The key will be to educate voters about the harm to performers and the taxpayer expense that comes with this flawed measure.”

Los Angeles County estimates the initial start-up costs for the inspection and permitting program would come to more than $300,000 per year in administration, salary and benefits for county inspectors, but with Film LA, Inc., the film-permitting arm for Los Angeles County, estimating less than 480 permits issued for all adult film shoots, the program could start losing money from its launch.

Measure B also stipulates standards for conduct on sets during filming that could require actors and film crew to wear gloves, goggles and lab coats.

“The people of Los Angeles County can think of a lot better uses for the time of first responders, county health inspectors and other government personnel than hanging around an adult film shoot checking for condom usage,” said James Lee, spokesman for the No on Government Waste Committee. “Measure B is seriously flawed and is going to cost taxpayers money and cost them critical health services.”

No on Government Waste Committee

The Committee is comprised of entertainment companies, local business organizations, community activists, adult entertainment performers and healthcare advocates who oppose Measure B’s plan for creating an underfunded government inspection program diverting badly needed resources from local community clinics and under-served minority communities. The Committee will be launching its online program, which will provide additional information to interested voters.

Okay, many of you know I have been in this wacky business for almost 20 years, opening my retail store Grand Opening! in Brookline, MA, right next to Boston (a mile from Fenway Park), in November 1993. I left my job at Harvard to sell rubber dicks to girls. No kidding. Anyway, one of the main reasons why I opened my store was because the choices I had of toys and the places to buy them was woefully inadequate.

I really started out as a sex toy aficionado when I met Smut Hound in 1987 after I was married for 7 1/2 years to a non-adventurous guy. zzzzz... Smut Hound turned me on to everything sex, which was, and continues to be, a HUGE passion of mine. It ceaselessly gives me pleasure in the purest sense of the word.

One of those many pleasures I have is to be an official sex toy reviewer for the print version of XBIZ (writing this here blog is another big one, too). I get a box of four (usually) every month on my doorstep of the latest and greatest recently released gizmos from companies big and small. It's like Christmas for perverts. Some of the toys are one-offs, meaning I have never seen the toy before (and sometimes realize why), some are from well-established brands, some are brilliant, and some, well, I can use them better as doggie chew toys. "Come here, Skippy! Mommy has a present for you!"

Imagine my surprise this month when I got a box of four toys and NONE of them looked like a penis. Not in any way, shape, or form. No tapered, tilted coronal ridge, no fake ejaculation slit at the end (as if a dildo could really squirt - oh wait, there are some that do), no fake balls for me to play with, nothing. Nada. None.

And then it hit me. Gosh, how far we have come from the days of only phallic shaped toys that either vibrated or didn't and my guess that is all within my lifetime in the adult industry. Come to think of it... twenty years. For sociologists and demographic bean counters, that's considered a generation and maybe I shouldn't be surprised after all.

I think the biggest advancement in sex toys has not so much been the toys themselves, that's certainly a HUGE factor, it's this plain and simple fact: women are now probably the biggest buyers of sex toys. Think about it: sure, there might not be that many women in the local sex toy store when you walk in but there's a world's worth of them out on the internet, trawling around, finding the best deals on Rabbits, BDSM toys, anal plugs, strap ons to use on their partner's willing buttholes, the list goes on and on. And we can't forget the giganterous and undeniable revenue stream that home parties generate. Unless you're in the adult toy industry and know the home party industry, you have no idea how big it really is. It's like the quiet giant lurking in the room and there's hundreds of thousands of women cranking out these parties and selling stuff to discreetly be delivered (but that's another blog). It's big and I'm sure you know someone who has been to one if you haven't already been to one.

I've also seen the change in the shift in packaging. Twenty years ago, fakely boobed women were begging their horny male buyers to "make me cum with this vibrator" so the guys would buy one just because of the chick on the box to bring home to their unsuspecting mate to put it in hers. Sure, there's still packaging out there like this but as for naked women, they're certainly on fewer and fewer boxes than ever before.

The colors twenty years ago were pretty limited - sure there was pink (which is still the most popular color), and a few other colors here and there. Latex was still commonly used for toys which has pretty much been discontinued due to it's messiness in manufacturing and general stinkiness. And due to the fact that there are many more higher quality materials for sex toys these days, most notably, silicone, which has crept into all aspects of sex toys including men's toys and just about everything else for that matter. On the less expensive, raw materials side, there's TPR (thermo plastic rubber), a variation of rubber that doesn't have any smell to it. The luscious coating on many toys is TPE which is thermo plastic elastomer, also not stinky (the materials seem to be somewhat changeable so sometimes the toys are made of TPE and sometimes TPR. Don't ask me for the specifics between the two - I'm not a chemist - just a lowly product tester, retailer, designer, writer, consultant, etc., you know....).

And lest we forget about the shapes. There's leaves, berries, octopi, rabbits (natch), dolphins that spin, balls in every imaginative size that rattle and shake, slender, sweeping arcs of pleasure that vibrate and twist, ripples, ridges in glass and metal. Objects that look like three dimensional brush strokes designed to give women pleasure without even thinking something has to look like a penis to get us off. It's not that we don't love penises, we just that we like to have a choice in the matter.

So, I had better get back to reviewing those toys. I mean, I've already sent in my reviews but I think I need to take them out for another test drive... Vroooooommmmm.....

JOTB:

So one time, two eight year old boys are talking. One says to the other "I went to the doctor yesterday and he said I have to get circumsized."  "OH MY GOD!" the other boy gasped. "I was circumsized as a baby, and I couldn't walk for a YEAR!"

Two guys are talking and one says to the other "Hey, I got a vasectomy the other day." "Really?" says the other guy. "Where did you get that done?" "Sears" the first guy says. "So, how's that workin' out?" asks the second. The first guy responds "Not bad but every time I get a hard on, the garage door opens."

Ballot Initiative Would Result in Cuts in Healthcare Services and Government Deficits

Citing the potential for deficits in county healthcare programs, a broad-based coalition of business organizations, entertainment companies, community activists and healthcare advocates today announced the launch of a campaign aimed at defeating Measure B, the so-called “Safer Sex” initiative on the Los Angeles County ballot this Nov. 6^th.

“Measure B is a waste of taxpayer dollars, does nothing to promote better healthcare and threatens to add increased costs to the county by creating another underfunded government program,” said James Lee, spokesman for the No on Government Waste Committee. “Measure B will result in deficits threatening community clinics and healthcare services to the poor and minority communities of Los Angeles County.”

Measure B, funded and placed on the ballot by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, would require the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to license and permit adult movie productions in unincorporated areas of the county and require performers to wear condoms and create an unworkable system of on-set inspections and enforcement by county personnel. The measure hopes to fund the program through permitting fees, but makes no allowance should funds prove insufficient to maintain the program.

“The adult entertainment industry has the most aggressive and comprehensive testing and reporting program in the country. It’s an industry that acts swiftly and responsibly in shutting down production nationwide at even a hint of a positive test result,” Lee said. “What this is really about is creating another government bureaucracy regardless of what it means for county healthcare services and drive production-related jobs out of an area with stagnant job growth.”

Los Angeles County estimates the initial start-up costs for the inspection and permitting program would come to more than $300,000 per year in administration, salary and benefits for county inspectors, but with Film LA, Inc., the film-permitting arm for Los Angeles County, estimating less than 480 permits issued for all adult film shoots, the program could start losing money from its launch.

Measure B also stipulates standards for conduct on sets during filming that could require actors and film crew to wear gloves, goggles and lab coats.

“The people of Los Angeles County can think of a lot better uses for the time of first responders, county health inspectors and other government personnel than hanging around an adult film shoot checking for condom usage,” Lee said. “Measure B is seriously flawed and is going to cost taxpayers money and cost them critical health services.”

• Facts about the adult entertainment industry:In Los Angeles County from June 30, 2008 to June 30, 2011, there were 6,447 new cases of HIV reported according to the California Dept. of Public Health, but only two were adult performers who did not contract it on-set;
• There have been no documented cases of HIV transmission on an adult entertainment set since 2004;
• The industry sets testing standards far in excess of virtually any other industry such as local hospitals, pharmaceutical firms or food service. It is also the only industry that orders industry-wide shutdowns of production whenever a threat to performers exists;
• The industry employs over ten thousand workers in production-related jobs such as make-up, lighting, carpenters, transportation, food service, payroll processing, web design, etc. All of which would be in jeopardy should Measure B pass;
• The industry contributes over a billion dollars in local economic impact and tax revenues to local cities and the county that would also be in jeopardy.

No to Government Waste Committee

The Committee is comprised of entertainment companies, local business organizations, community activists, adult entertainment performers and healthcare advocates who oppose Measure B’s plan for creating an underfunded government inspection program diverting badly needed resources from local community clinics and under-served minority communities. The Committee will be launching its online program, which will provide additional information to interested voters.

You know I'm always searching for unique and novel ways to help businesses excel and generate more revenue online.  Successful e-commerce is hard work typified by continuous innovation and experimentation, and helping customers feel comfortable right through the payment process is essential to this continued success.  Emerging markets are having a significant impact on our traffic trends, and catering to their needs and desires and enabling familiar secure payment options with which they identify should be a primary focus in order to maximize your revenues.  Don't leave ANYTHING on the table!  You got them on your site, now complete the transaction.

Do you have US, Russian and Brazilian Traffic?  Now these users can pay with cash.  80+% of your Russian and Brazilian users do not have credit cards or bank accounts, and you may not be processing credit cards for these users at all.  

Let these users pay with cash!

Capture US users concerned with identity and financial fraud and theft, or those who simply do not have credit cards.

Let these users pay with cash!

Cash up-front, No declines, refunds or chargebacks…

Did you know 51% of women and 40% of men still desire personal anonymity online?  There remains a fear of divulging personal data because of credit card fraud and identity theft, and some are still reluctant to have it known they’ve joined an ‘adult’ or ‘cheating’ site.

How many additional users could you attract if (1) the user knows no one can discover they are paying for your content, (2) their financial information and identity information are protected, or (3) they can pay with cash for a membership at a site they would not want a record of them joining?

How many of your surfers abandon you on the payment page?

Do you provide anonymous global and cash join options?

What percentage of your attempted credit card joins end in decline?  5%?  10%? 20%?  Concerned with scrubbing and declines?  Add the Netcash decline-buster!

Cascade to anonymous and cash payments for the ultimate join salvation.  Enable Netcash so your cascade ends with DeclineCash© -

Write me for details and let’s meet at the EU shows!

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The Board of Directors of the Free Speech Coalition is proud to announce that Diane Duke has accepted a new three-year contract to be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the adult industry’s trade association.

“Duke’s tenure with the organization is marked by extraordinary achievements,” said FSC Board President, Sidney Grief. “She has brought fiscal discipline and transparency to the Free Speech Coalition, impressing long-time critics of the organization’s operations, leading to important industry figures recommitting to our trade association.”

Some of the numerous highpoints of her leadership include directing the battle against ICM Registry’s failed .XXX top level domain; opposing the efforts by the State of California to enforce emergency room standards to adult film shoots; establishment of an effective replacement for AIM database; providing a valuable range of anti-piracy tools for studios; and organizing a broad-based coalition of business groups, HIV activists and industry leaders to fight the misguided and industry-hostile L.A. County mandatory condom initiative on the ballot this November. Duke’s poise and professionalism have helped to convey a pro-industry message to media and the public, bringing wide recognition to the organization.

“In addition to her accomplishments as the industry’s chief policy executive, her administration of FSC itself has been spectacular,” added President Grief, owner of AAA News, a successful Texas adult retail chain. “She has recruited extraordinary staff, people committed to the mission of improving the lives of the people who make up the adult industry. She has dramatically improved every aspect of the operation.”

Board Chair Jeffrey J. Douglas noted, “Duke has also brought the entire industry credibility in her relationships with non-adult interest groups and legislatures. Whether in Sacramento, Washington, D.C. or the international stage of ICANN, she is respected and admired. Diane has nurtured successful relationships long needed for the industry to thrive, including chambers of commerce, health care providers, the MPAA and financial institutions. She has inspired some of the nation’s finest lawyers to provide free or substantially discounted services to benefit the industry as a whole.  She is esteemed by the widest possible range of the disparate and often contentious leaders of the contemporary adult industry. The adult industry is privileged to have her as its principal – and principled – voice.”

The Board of Directors offers its heartiest congratulations and deepest appreciation to CEO Diane Duke.

APHSS testing facilities can start new testing protocol immediately, alleviating need for performer syphilis treatment

After continued and exhaustive research, APHSS doctors have discovered a new test for syphilis – Treponemal EIA. This state-of-the-art test significantly shortens the window for syphilis testing from 90 days to 14 days.

Trep-Sure is the brand name of the Treponemal EIA test for syphilis that will be utilized by APHSS.org doctors. This test, manufactured by Phoenix Bio-tech Corporation, is FDA approved as a confirmatory diagnostic test for syphilis and has 99-100% levels of sensitivity and specificity.

Package Insert Information for Trep-Sure

This discovery provides the industry with a viable alternative to preventative treatment.  For performers who have had preventative treatment administered, they will still be available to work 10 days after the date treatment was administered. For performers who have not had the treatment, the waiting time to begin performing has just been reduced from 90 days to 14 days. Because of this significantly shortened window, APHSS is suspending preventative treatment and is asking performers who have not been preventatively treated to go to any APHSS provider and get tested with the new test and to get re-tested 14 days later.

Effective immediately, all APHSS providers will utilize the new Treponemal EIA test in monthly performer testing panel.

For performers who have been preventatively treated with antibiotics:

Performers who have already received a preventative shot or prescription are clear to work, with a clean panel, 10 days after receiving treatment.  That means performers who received preventative treatment on August 22, the first day treatment was provided, will be able to perform with a clean panel—that includes the new Treponemal EIA test–on September 1^st.  If they were treated on August 23^rd, they will be available on September 2^nd and so on.  Performers will be shown as available to work on the APHSS database 10 days after treatment with a clean panel that includes the new Treponemal EIA test for syphilis.

For performers who have not been preventatively treated:

Performers, who have not received preventative antibiotics, should go to any APHSS provider and take the new Treponemal EIA test.  If the test is positive, immediate treatment is available.  If the test is negative, the performer should wait 14 days and retest with the new Treponemal EIA.  With two negative Treponemal EIA tests 14 days apart, along with a cleared panel, the performer will be cleared for work.  Performers will be shown as available to work 14 days after a negative Treponemal EIA test with a clean panel that includes the new Treponemal test for syphilis.

“This is great news for the industry,” said Diane Duke FSC Executive Director. “Not only will we be able to use this test to confirm that performers are not infected and can work in a much shorter period of time, but also we will be able to identify those who may have an acute (recent) infection not recognized by the standard RPR syphilis test.   Our program has and will continue to seek out the best and latest testing and technologies for the health and well-being of our performers.”

APHSS has thousands of sites for performers to choose from nationwide.

Performers can contact any of the providers below to obtain the new Treponemal EIA test.

AMTC Advanced Medical Testing Center
Locations Nationwide, including California
(888) 511-0262
www.samedaytest.com

Cutting Edge Testing – Van Nuys, CA Location
Dr. Peter Miao MD
(818) 386-2132
5000 Van Nuys Blvd. Suite 202, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Hours: 10:00am to 5pm Mon–Fri
www.cuttingedgetesting.com

Cutting Edge Testing – Ft. Lauderdale, FL Location
2312 Wilton Dr.
Wilton Manners, FL 33305
(954) 745-6888

STD Status
Approximately 2,000 locations nationwide including many in  LA and Miami
Hours will vary by location
1-866-554-4296
www.stdstatus.com

Dr. Sean Darcy

Concierge physician available to administer tests inLos Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco to groups on site by appt.

(310) 351-8814

To sign up for the APHSS database go to APHSS.org. For any additional questions contact Joanne at 818-348-9373 or joanne@freespeechcoalition.com.

As the corporatization of adult continues, some forward-looking operators are seeking to craft, refine and redefine their image; moving beyond past, perhaps “shady” practices, in an effort to withstand the scrutiny of banks, boards and boardrooms.

In today’s interactive, online and socially networked world, your actions, images and words are shared and spread far and wide at the click of a button — which could at times result in long-lasting, unexpected and unwanted repercussions for your reputation.

Indeed, there are a wide variety of online reputation management firms operating on the Internet today, ready and able to help restore your credibility; with top service plans starting at $15,000 per year — a modest investment for someone seeking a new life.

“No one asks people for job references or background information anymore, they ask Google,” states Reputation.com. “And if your name turns up news reports, legal filings, embarrassing party photos, or other questionable material, you’re likely to get passed over.”

But there is hope, even if you’ve been naughty.

The company explains that search engines have taught people to find what they want in the first three search results more than 75 percent of the time — and more importantly, 84 percent of users don’t look beyond the first page of search results — so items bumped to the second page (or lower), are “for all intents and purposes, rendered invisible.”

While the technique will not prevent a determined searcher from digging up any dirt that might be out there, burying unfavorable mentions under more positive ones is maybe all that can be done to mitigate harmful items that the posting site is unwilling to delete…

Bothering with reputation management is important, because other people will bother to search for your past. In fact, Reputation.com cites a Harris Interactive poll that reveals nearly 80 percent of U.S. adults “believe it is very important to look up information about people ... online before [interacting] with them.”

The issue doesn’t just impact people, but companies, too — as the recent heavy run of television commercials for AngiesList.com, which offers ratings and reviews across more than 550 home repair and health care categories, underscores.

Other community forums and industry message boards provide similar functions, with discussions over a company or individual’s trustworthiness; such as the increasingly frequent “does this sponsor pay?” conversations seen on adult industry oriented venues.

When managing your reputation, major considerations include what that reputation is intended to be and how effectively that perception been communicated to your customers and others. This is where a corporate mission statement can prove invaluable, as it clearly outlines the scope and philosophy of a business and what it hopes its reputation will be.

For example, MetArt recently made a public announcement of its mission statement, outlining the company’s commitment to consumers, models and the industry as a whole. The corporate missive centers on the belief that quality, honesty, innovation and social involvement are fundamental core values. Customer satisfaction and privacy, along with a commitment to provide only the very best content, is also part of the MetArt plan, which supports women’s causes, equal rights and fair trade.

“The MetArt Philosophy is our way to expressing how seriously we are dedicated to quality content, top of the line customer care, and our family of staff who contribute so much to make MetArt the very best in erotic art,” MetArt VP of Marketing, Jill Taylor, stated in a release. “Our models and photographers are not just a ‘resource’ or ‘the talent’ — they are partners and family, the face of our company.”

The MetArt Philosophy is a good read, illustrating the type of character exhibited by today’s most successful adult entertainment companies.

It is an example many should follow.

The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is another group that has been excellent about promoting its mission of keeping children out of and away from adult entertainment — setting the stage for an easy understanding of its purpose.

This is the essential element of corporate reputation management: defining the reason for a company’s existence and ensuring that this perception holds sway; despite efforts by disgruntled customers, ex-employees and other haters — or your personal stupidity — getting in the way.

Adult Production Health & Safety Services (APHSS.org) would like to update the current developments with syphilis testing and treatments for adult performers.

APHSS.org has implemented exposure protocols due to the recent incident involving performers that have tested positive for syphilis. Nearly 300 performers have been tested and treated for syphilis since August 22. These include performers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale, FL and other locations nationwide.

“We would like to thank the performers and producers for their quick response to the protocols and for their cooperation,” said FSC Executive Director Diane Duke. “This situation might have resulted in even more serious repercussions if there was no program like APHSS to step in with protocols for follow-up care with doctors and, ultimately, testing and treatment. We are encouraged by the proactive action of performers and producers – with their support for the testing/treatment protocols, we have significantly minimized risk for performers.”

Testing/treatments continue to be offered this week. These developments follow reports of a widespread syphilis outbreak in Prague and Budapest, which coincide with alleged exposures here in the U.S.

Los Angeles County Public Health Department (LACPH) has stated that there are at least nine adult performers that have tested positive for syphilis, but so far APHSS.org has reported only two performers with positive results – one in Los Angeles and the other outside of California. Without data to identify any additional positive cases, the APHSS doctors network decided that preventative treatment with antibiotics was the best course to take, in order to minimize risk for exposure for performers.

“Because of the possibility of additional positive results from non-APHSS providers, after consulting with our team of doctors, it was clear that the only responsible course of action was to call a production moratorium and to follow that with testing and treatment,” Duke added.

Performer and APHSS Committee Member Danny Wylde also offered his opinion on the importance of performers to comply with the current syphilis testing/treatment protocols.

“I defend the testing and treatment protocols proposed by APHSS, including the production moratorium and prophylactic antibiotic treatment,” Wylde said. “For those who rely on performing as their primary means of income, there has been no proposed alternative to the APHSS protocol that addresses both the syphilis exposure as a concern and considers the reality that performers need to make a living.

“Many performers claim to have received medical advice from their personal physician to not accept prophylactic penicillin without explicit knowledge of infection,” Wylde added. “I cannot recommend that anyone disregard advice from their doctor. However, a performer’s personal physician has not been asked to address a community health threat to the adult performer population.”

“I respect one’s right to forego antibiotic treatment and wait out the 90-day incubation period for syphilis,” Wylde said, lastly. “But to return to work without treatment – and without knowledge of who has been exposed – is dangerous.”

Currently, all performers signed up for the APHSS database have been made “unavailable” for work. Data is being compiled that will track the ten-period after each performer has been treated; at that point, they will be marked “available” for work with a clean panel.

For more information on current developments or APHSS.org, please contact Joanne@freespeechcoaition.com or (818) 348-9373.

(Photo: Courtesy of the National Archive and Records Administration)

After a meeting yesterday with L.A. County Public Health (LACPH) officials, Free Speech Coalition Executive Director Diane Duke and Adult Production Health & Safety Services (APHSS.org) representatives have received confirmation that nine as-yet-unidentified adult performers may have tested positive for syphilis.

Dr. Peter Kerndt, who is the Director of STI Programs for the County, informed Duke of the positive test results for adult performers. However, he refused to share any of the patient information with APHSS doctors, saying only that they had been reported to the County.

Kerndt also confirmed that the point of origin for the syphilis exposures has not been identified. According to Duke, only one of the two performers confirmed as positive through APHSS is part of group of nine identified by LACPH; presumably, performer Mr. Marcus, who has since gone public with positive syphilis test results. Kerndt indicated that there were positive tests for performers that likely preceded Mr. Marcus’ positive test.

Since the other of the two positive results (confirmed by APHSS) occurred outside of the state of California this would mean that, between LACPH findings and the findings of APHSS, there could be up to ten performers total that may have tested positive for syphilis.

“This latest development only confirms the need for APHSS.org as a single, comprehensive source of performer data for adult production. Had the first performer who tested positive for syphilis been reported by their healthcare provider in a timely manner to APHSS, partner notification and positive performer separation would have occurred quickly enough to reduce the likelihood of transmission and perhaps the need for a moratorium,” Duke said after the meeting.

At one point during yesterday’s meeting, the APHSS doctor was asked by Dr. Kerndt to hand over patient records – including production records – for the two performers that tested positive for syphilis, as well as patient records for all performers that have tested and received treatment for syphilis through APHSS since the production moratorium was called. Both Duke and the APHSS doctor, present at the meeting, refused to comply with this request citing respect for patient privacy.

In line with APHSS.org protocols, as well as state and local regulations, all testing facilities affiliated with APHSS.org have and will report any positive STI test results to the county health department.

“Performer privacy is a top priority for APHSS,” Duke said. “We will cooperate as much as possible with County Health officials – but only with the permission of these affected individuals, if they would like to come forward. If those individuals choose to release their information to the County, either through their medical providers or direct communication, that is their decision. APHSS providers are expected to, and do, fulfill all reporting requirements to the County. We hope to facilitate a cooperative working environment with County health officials, but will not compromise performer patient privacy.”

(Photo: Some rights reserved by Hakan Dahlstrom)