Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Porn Shoots Resume after Performers Test Negative for HIV
A performer on the set of 'The Sex Files 2: A Dark XXX Parody' (more SFW photos here) | Photo by Koga/LAist
()
A performer on the set of 'The Sex Files 2: A Dark XXX Parody' (more SFW photos here) | Photo by Koga/LAist
About a month after an adult industry performer had tested positive for HIV, prompting a quarantine for some actors, things are getting back to normal. Adult Industry Medical Healthcare today said two generations of partners of the HIV-positive patient, known as Patient Zeta, have tested negative in a variety of tests, according to XBIZ. AIM said the patient received the virus through personal activity.
“This event affirms the efficacy of AIM Healthcare Foundation’s testing protocols, as voluntarily implemented by the adult entertainment industry,” the healthcare nonprofit said in a press release. “It is regrettable but inevitable that people continue to acquire the HIV virus in their personal life. The protocols and other industry practices have resulted in only one incident of HIV transmission on set in more than a decade. That is a remarkable record. AIM Healthcare Foundation is proud of its contribution to the health and well-being of the adult industry and wider community.”
But at least five performers have tested positive for HIV since 2004, although they may have not been a result of "on set" activity.
Support for LAist comes from
"In 2004, a male porn star, Darren James, contracted HIV and spread the virus to three female performers before it was detected," said the LA Times. "The outbreak shut down porn production for a month. Last year, a female performer who rarely worked tested HIV-positive but no other cases were detected among performers."
A handful of production companies that halted shoots last month are beginning to get back on schedule, but the controversy over not using condoms on set will likely continue.
Dr. Jonathan E Fielding, who heads up L.A. County's Public Health Department said, AIM has yet to confirm their statements with his agency. "We’ve always asked AIM to share the information with us to ensure that all the individuals who should be tested are tested, and we don’t have that information," he told the Times. "If, in fact, they have used the right tests and done everything they say they have done, it's good news for the people who were contacts, but it doesn't reduce the risks. To have somebody work in a situation where they are forced to do things that put others at risk for life-threatening diseases is very disturbing."
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist