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Should adult performers be made to wear condoms in their films? The decision is going to be in your hands come June, after a signature-gathering effort secured the initiative a spot on the June ballot.
Los Angeles City Clerk June Lagmay confirmed December 23 that the condoms in porn ballot initiative, called the City of Los Angeles Safer Sex In The Adult Film Industry Act, has qualified for the ballot.
The ballot initiative campaign is backed by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), who secured nearly twice as many signatures as needed.
However, it's not a clear-cut victory. Earlier this month, L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich filed suit against the initiative, claiming the measure is unnecessary and will waste taxpayer money.
While state laws already exist mandating workplace safety, as stated in the City Attorney's lawsuit, AHF spokesman Ged Kenslea says these laws are not enforced. "Trutanich argued that only the state — not the city — could legally impose rules requiring the use of condoms on porn sets and charging fees to pay for inspections," notes the L.A. Times.
But Trutanich doesn't exactly have the state's support in this case. The head of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, thinks L.A. can take on this mandate just fine:
"We don't see a bar to the city or the county doing what they need to do," Widess said in a telephone interview Monday evening. "We believe the city can use its authority to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among people involved in the adult film industry."
The City Attorney's Office will present a judge with a request for an expedited ruling schedule Thursday and hopes to have an opinion on the suit against the initiative by late January, reports City News Service.
