Porn industry puts new testing plan in place

Porn stars Joanna Angel (L) and Jessie Lee (R) attend the 2009 Fleshbot Awards at The Box in New York City.

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Derrick Burts, 24, the actor whose HIV positive test sparked a temporary shutdown of the US porn filmmaking industry called for mandatory condom use on set, in his first public comments on the scare during a press conference in Hollywood, California on December 8, 2010.

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Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images

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The Adult Industry Medical (AIM) Health Care Foundation clinic shut its doors late last year after L.A health officials served them a cease and desist order and refused to issue them a clinic permit. The industry-run clinic operated for over a decade, testing performers for STD’s so they could continue to perform without wearing condoms or other prophylactic devices. After a 2004 outbreak the clinic came under increased scrutiny from public health officials and outside groups advocating for mandatory condom use on set. Recently AIM, and its non-profit parent group, The Free Speech Coalition has come under massive fire from all sides. They were slammed for forcing performers to pay for their own tests, for finding an end run around condom use and for not protecting the privacy of performer’s medical records. Now they’re unveiling a new testing system for the adult industry. This time they won’t be operating the clinic themselves but they will still maintain a database for producers to consult before hiring a performer. So has the FSC learned their lesson? Will this new plan keep performers safe from sexually transmitted diseases? And does it address all the concerns that safety advocates have?

The Adult Industry Medical (AIM) Health Care Foundation clinic shut its doors late last year after L.A health officials served them a cease and desist order and refused to issue them a clinic permit. The industry-run clinic operated for over a decade, testing performers for STD’s so they could continue to perform without wearing condoms or other prophylactic devices. After a 2004 outbreak the clinic came under increased scrutiny from public health officials and outside groups advocating for mandatory condom use on set. Recently AIM, and its non-profit parent group, The Free Speech Coalition has come under massive fire from all sides. They were slammed for forcing performers to pay for their own tests, for finding an end run around condom use and for not protecting the privacy of performer’s medical records. Now they’re unveiling a new testing system for the adult industry. This time they won’t be operating the clinic themselves but they will still maintain a database for producers to consult before hiring a performer. So has the FSC learned their lesson? Will this new plan keep performers safe from sexually transmitted diseases? And does it address all the concerns that safety advocates have?

Guests:

Diane Duke, Executive Director, Free Speech Coalition

Brian Chase, Assistant General Council for Aids Healthcare Foundation