Simon interviewed Mitchell on the topic of health care in the adult industry, prefacing the discussion by saying that when most people think of adult films they expect “a string of plotless, pointless couplings” and don’t realize the importance of industry health care.
Mitchell went on to describe the reasons behind founding Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation in 1998 after the HIV outbreak involving several female performers contracting HIV from male performer Marc Wallice, which Mitchell explained was due to inadequate and substandard testing for HIV/AIDS at that time.
She went on also to describe the current working environment for new performers.
“Basically, they walk on set and it’s wall-to-wall sex and the type of sexual encounters they’re having are extremely high risk,” Mitchell said.
Compared to when she was a performer in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Mitchell told Simon she was allowed to choose what types of sexual activities she was willing to perform and whether or not to use a condom.
When Simon questioned why adult producers did not require performers to wear condoms, Mitchell replied, “That would be wonderful, wouldn’t it?”
But then she went further to say that various factors are the cause of the majority of adult movies being made without condoms.
“I know the pressures that these talent members go through,” Mitchell said. “They’re offered more money. They’re told these movies will not sell if there are condoms in it.”
Simon then questioned why special effects were not used in post-production to digitally edit condoms out of the picture.
Mitchell said that it was not economically feasible for most studios or that producers are just unwilling to spend the money on expensive CGI effects.
“[The talent is] looked at as a commodity. They’re looked at as body parts that are going to be edited into a product that sells, and the industry — albeit, mainstream as it’s become — they’re not going to spend a half million dollars,” Mitchell said. “You know — let’s go and edit out the condom. But they just don’t want to spend the money.”
Mitchell pointed out that AIM serves the industry with a broad range of resources for industry members, including HIV/STD testing, counseling, psychological services and even a scholarship fund.
She cited also that as a risk-reduction model, the voluntary testing program at AIM has prevented a “tremendous amount” of HIV from ending up in the industry by stopping potential performers who do test positive for STDs from joining the ranks of working talent.
Simon then asked if Mitchell felt like she was perpetuating an exploitive business.
“Some days, I feel like I’m sweeping back the ocean with a broom,” Mitchell said.
To listen to the interview, click here.
