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Porn star Aurora Snow is bucking the industry trend and speaking out in support of a measure on the November ballot that would require condoms in porn filmed in the county.
Snow penned a column in The Daily Beast in support of the measure on the same day that the Los Angeles Times and The Los Angeles Daily News came out with editorials voicing their opposition to the measure. Both papers are concerned that it would harm the local industry, and the Times says that the well-intentioned legislation is not likely to help performers all that much. Several porn stars have come out in opposition to the measure.
Snow writes that she would appreciate a measure that would take her safety into account. She says that her safety is constantly put at risk by directors who are only too happy to look the other way when a big star fails to produce their STD test results.
She describes one instance where she put her foot down and refused to work with a performer who couldn't produce his tests:
I sat through an hour and a half of hair and makeup, went through wardrobe options with the director, and then shot glamour photos for the box cover. Before any bodily fluids are exchanged, performers share their test results. I showed the male performer my test results and waited patiently for his. Somehow he never produced them and got ready for the scene anyway. I persisted in asking for his test. His answer, “Baby girl, you know me. We work together all the time, you know I get tested baby.” That answer didn’t go over well with me. I sought out the director and asked for the test results. No one could produce a test and the scene was canceled. I didn’t get a kill fee, neither did the male performer, the director lost out shooting a scene that day, not to mention the location fees he paid. Will they hire me again? I don’t know. That’s a risk I take when I speak up for my own safety concerns. Unfortunately, the idea of losing money is sometimes enough to make a performer overlook little things like double-checking a scene partner’s test. And, of course, the money at stake sometimes has made other performers fake, doctor, or bluff their tests.
Snow compares it to safety equipment that is worn in other fields: "Wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle makes me feel like a dork, but I do it because I know what’s at risk if I don’t. No one feels or looks sexy wearing a safety hat or knee pads. That’s what the condom is for the porn industry, it’s our safety hat."Related:
City Wants Medical Professional to Inspect Porn Sets for Condoms
Condoms in Porn Measure Scores Spot on November Ballot
Porn Star Asks: 'Am I Fit to Be Around School Children?'
