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HIV Positive Porn Star Breaks Silence: "Making $10,000 or $15,000 for porn isn't worth your life"
Photo by a_juarez on Flickr
Photo by a_juarez on Flickr
After months of silence, Derrick Burts, the 24-year-old adult film performer who tested positive for HIV at a Sherman Oaks clinic in October, spoke publicly for the first time yesterday, according to LA Now. His loud and clear message? Regular testing is not enough. Condoms should be mandatory in all porn productions.
Burts believes he got infected during a gay porn shoot in Florida and wants to shed light on the industry differences between straight and gay shoots. Straight porn performers must show negative HIV test results before filming, but the gay porn industry does not have the same restrictions and condom use is not mandatory.
Burts is also frustrated by the treatment he received at the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation in Sherman Oaks (AIM) and claims they have not been honest about how we was infected (they've suggested publicly that he acquired the HIV virus through "private, personal acitvity" and not while performing on set) and have not delivered the routine care he was promised.
The Aids Healthcare Foundation is now treating Burts and he is not only pleased with the care he is receiving, but he is working with them to help get his message out about mandatory testing and condom use on all sets - gay or straight.
"Making $10,000 or $15,000 for porn isn't worth your life," he said, "Performers need to be educated."
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