Porn Industry Shuts Down After Another HIV Scare

An adult film performer tested positive for HIV this week, prompting some California production companies to halt filming while the details are investigated. Industry leaders Vivid Entertainment and Wicked Pictures suspended production on their films on Tuesday as a precaution after the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM) confirmed they were "quarantining and testing all exposed partners to the individual." The adult star's identification has not been confirmed at this time, nor the companies or other performers he or she worked with.

Local AIDS activists aren't satisfied with this course of action, however, petitioning that AIM reveal the infected star's identity and professional associations to ensure all possible contacts haven't been exposed to the virus. The president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Michael Weinstein, has been pushing for drastic measures to help "protect performers' and the public's health" by pleading with Cal/OSHA to launch an in-depth investigation, including the seizure of records if necessary. "AIM and the industry will do everything in its power to prevent us from knowing how many people were affected," he added -- which speaks to a long-time struggle that activists have had with the adult entertainment business.

State officials and one HIV positive performer are still battling things out in court, after last year's push to disclose the patient's work history resulted in the actress filing a restraining order against AIM to protect her privacy. In 2004, another HIV-related health issue shut major porn industry studios down for a month, when more than 30 California production companies stalled work while waiting on the results of an investigation in the case of Darren James, and several performers he had unknowingly infected with the virus. The actor has become a big proponent of mandatory condoms in porn -- something already required by California-state law and often disregarded because producers claim they "depress sales."

On Oct. 25, an advisory panel in Oakland, California will be revisiting this issue once more -- deciding if the push for prevention by bolstering laws on STD testing and condom use is the next step in this ongoing battle. Is the porn industry doing enough to protect its workers by reinforcing already lax condom regulations? And where do you draw the line when it's crucial to alert all potentially infected partners, as well as trying to protect the privacy of HIV-positive patients?