Assemblyman Paul Koretz warned Monday that if the industry doesn’t comply with the “sensible request,” it would open doors for the “Legislature to exercise its authority to mandate more stringent actions to protect public health and worker safety.”
Koretz, who led an informational hearing in June on worker safety in the adult film business, said that testing is necessary but not sufficient for prevention.
“I believe that the only method to effectively minimize the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases is through the appropriate use of condoms in every film production, photo shoot or Internet performance featuring sexual intercourse,” Koretz said in a letter obtained by XBiz.
Kat Sunlove, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition, lauded Koretz’s strategy to the complex issue.
“It is not an unreasonable approach,” Sunlove told XBiz. “They are strongly urging us to adopt these practices voluntarily and provide more education for talent.”
Sunlove said the group’s entire board would weigh Koretz’s plan and would help promote dialogue with members and First Amendment attorneys. She said that the Free Speech Coalition would evaluate the proposals for inclusion in the group’s upcoming Code of Best Practices.
Sunlove is expected to step down this year as the group’s executive director, but will still work on other matters for the adult trade group as legislative director.
Koretz, who is chair of the state Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment, wants the adult industry to adopt harm-reduction strategies developed by Dr. Thomas Coates, who is a professor of infectious diseases at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.
Those strategies include:
— Using condoms for all non-oral sexual intercourse in the adult industry.
— Performers should be educated to be aware of the five bodily fluids that transmit HIV: preejaculate, semen, vaginal secretions, breast milk, and blood.
— Using the female condom.
— No ejaculation into a body cavity, including the mouth, rectum, or vagina.
— Use of a condom for non-oral intercourse after initial penetration, or “dipping,” which involves the momentary filming of initial penetration without a condom and before the discharge of pre-ejaculate, followed by the hidden use of a condom for the remainder of the scene.
— No ejaculation on mucosal surfaces.
— Liberal use of sexual lubricant to reduce abrasions in the vaginal and anal cavities.
— Always use a diaphragm for vaginal intercourse.
— Vaccinate performers for hepatitis A and hepatitis B as necessary. Mandatory use of herpes-suppressing medications.
—Twice monthly HIV testing using the PCR DNA test.
—Monthly testing for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis.
— Performers should be made aware of the existence of HIV Post-exposure Prophylaxis in cases of accidental sexual exposure to HIV.
In the letter, Koretz gave credit to the Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation after the industry slowed to a crawl in May as five porn actors tested positive for HIV.
“While arguably not a perfect testing regime, AIM provides valuable services, and its administrator continues to make changes that will further protect performers and the general public,” Koretz, D-West Hollywood, Calif., said. “Without AIM, the industry and public may not have been informed about the recent infections in a timely manner, leading to an even more tragic HIV outbreak.”
