Mandatory condom laws in film, Part 3: The Shit-storm Continues

The Free Speech Coalition (similar to the EROS association in Australia) is noticeably upset about the LA condom ordinance. I think FSC director Diane Duke brings up a good point;

And YNOT's article on taking AIDs Healthcare Foundation (AHF)'s condom agenda on the road was particularly enlightening to the enforcement of this ordinance;

To enforce compliance, police can spot-check. Fortunately, evidence of infractions will be captured on film, and compliance to the new ordinance can be enforced through the retrospective watching of adult films and punishing the participants. Wait a minute, who's watching all the porn to enforce this?

One of the big risks for this ordinance and L.A. in general was the ability of the adult film companies to up stumps and take their companies outside of LA city limits, to continue to film without the need to follow the ordinance. This will mean a huge loss of jobs, particularly in San Fernando Valley, and subsequent tax paid to the city by adult film companies. The AHF is the major player behind pushing the mandatory condom ordinance. This is what their president has to say about this issue;

Aside from this foundation arguing for this ordinance using Los Angeles STI data that was described by a nationally renowned epidemiologist as 'poorly documented [and] without any basis in science', does their president need to sound so smug about winning?

Mandatory condom laws in film, Part 2

I have previously mentioned a startling development for L.A. city ordinances, about condom use becoming a requirement when performing in adult films.

It required a second round of voting to become official, and an overwhelming victory (9-1) yesterday has apparently made condom use (filming within Los Angeles) mandatory. This law aims for protection of actors from AIDs  transmittal during scenes. There's evidence to suggest a lot of hard working actors are becoming quite ill; and comparisons to firefighters working without protective gear have been made. Within the industry, there are dissenting arguments, and one of my favourites is from 27 year veteran Nina Hartley, who really gets into the gritty end of filming pornography:

There is also the awkward little statistic from the industry that states there have only been 2 cases of HIV transmittal from within LA's pornography industry in the last decade. That being said, these were cases that sent a shockwave through the adult film community, shutting it down for periods of time from a week to a month in length. I believe this ordinance has come of the back of a 2011 scare, where the gentleman who caused it had falsely tested positive.

While Hartley considered the medical side of filming people fucking, the American adult film industry is a multi-billion dollar one, concentrated in California. Christian Mann, (of Evil Angel Productions) found issues with the business aspects:

And I could not agree more. As a pair of filthy breeders, my partner and I go to some length to avoid conception. Prophylactics as well as chemical and hormonal contraceptives are used with boring regularity to stave off unwanted children, and I must say, it's going well, despite the downsides. Which is where pornography comes in, no pun intended. Porn is fantasy and part of that fantasy is throwing caution to the wind. There are no STDs in Pornland, no pregnancy scares or emotional hangups; just sexy, promiscuous women and men having encounter after casual encounter, and everyone is better off for it. 

There's so many grey areas, from the perspective of someone outside of industry. Are these ostensibly consenting adults actually being coerced into not protecting themselves? What amount of responsibility should people take for their own bodies - and is it a case of 'well, this is the life I have chosen?' If the actors don't mind, should they be forced? I speak with bias, despite promoting sexual protection to fight the spread of disease every day - but just not within my fantasy, thanks. If the porn LA produces suddenly declines in volume, I image something will rush in to fill the vacuum - does this mean a surge in the Australian adult film industry? 

Probably only in the Northern Territory and ACT.

Startling development: Mandatory Condom Laws in LA

I read about a strange development today.

This link relates to an new ordinance within Los Angeles approving the mandatory use of condoms in adult films:

It requires a secondary vote very shortly. This will have some big repercussions on America's 13 billion-dollar porn industry, which is situated most densely in Los Angeles. This is something to watch closely. I am wondering about the knock-on effects on demand for adult films. Will amateur film companies and sites gain still more popularity?

The first 15.

I turn the lock and open the door. Before I have poked my head outside to see if the coast is clear to pop out the signs, a woman has barreled into the store. She is looking for a joke present for a friend. I direct her to our Specials and she makes a choice. When serving her, a small child frog-hops past the door with its father close behind. He lays his hand peremptorily on the door and begins to drag it shut. As I stare at him, he explains "I'm just gong to shut this door for the kids..."
"Don't touch that door!" He is confused.
"But the children that walk past..." He begins to re-explain.
"We do not display 18+ things in the front of our store, please leave our property alone."
It's frustrating he has the audacity to dictate decency. It would be easier for him to world-proof his child than to try to child-proof the world, but they still try. I stare at him, until he takes his hand off our door and he leaves quickly.
I remember my customer and shoot a glance at her. I was worried about coming off too harsh but to my surprise, she is nodding. "If he doesn't want to walk his child past a sex shop, he should walk other places," she observes. She adds, "My kid is in a car." She is so great, her attitude balances out Mr. Self-Entitled Parent and I feel better as she leaves. She moves aside to allow a regular to buy his weekly magazine.

It's hot, and he's a bit special. At the counter, complaining about the heat, he swipes his hand across his face as evidence and holds it up, dripping in sweat for my perusal. I can do nothing to disguise the horror on my face, feeling physically repelled by his bodily fluids. He totally misreads my facial expression. Smiling, he gives me a thumbs up, and says he'll see me next week.

Next up, another gentleman walks in with a crumpled $10 note. He asks for change, and then my eyes are drawn to what he has in his other hand; a still-smoking roll-your-own cigarette! On the premises! I freak out. In a voice that is too shrill for my own ears I hear myself say "You are smoking a cigarette in the STORE!"
He beats a hasty retreat. I jack up the fans, hit the pheromone spritzer hard, and open the back door to create a wind tunnel. The store stinks, and I haven't had my coffee yet. I love this job for many reasons, just one being the variety, but sometimes...