News

LA Sex Film Industry to Abstain After Actor Tests HIV Positive

By Peter R | Update Date: Aug 29, 2014 03:58 PM EDT

The Los Angeles porn industry is under an indefinite moratorium halting filming, after one of its performers tested positive for HIV on Thursday.

Diane Duke, chief executive of the Free Speech Coalition, the industry's trade association, who announced the moratorium, said confirmatory tests of the actor's samples are awaited.

"There was a positive test at one of our testing centers. Confirmatory tests are not yet back, but we are taking every precaution to protect performers and to determine if there's been any threat to the performer pool. We take the health of our performers very seriously and felt that it was better to err on the side of caution," Duke told NY Daily News without naming the performer.

Duke also said it was better for the industry to err on the side of caution to determine if other performers have been affected.  

LA TImes said the latest moratorium is the third in the past year. Earlier, actor Cameron Bay and her boyfriend Rod Daily tested positive, forcing the industry to halt production. A second moratorium was imposed last year when a third actor tested positive.

The industry's moratorium ended last September after all actors who had worked with the three actors were cleared. The association also mandated performers test for HIV and other STIs every 14 days as against the earlier requirement of 28 days.

The latest incident has been termed tragic by the Aids Healthcare Foundation, which according to Daily rooted for a county law mandating actors use condoms. The foundation has called for statewide implementation of the law to protect actors in the state of California.

The industry opposed the 2012 law fearing it would cause a downturn in the industry. This year only 20 adult filmmakers applied for permits in LA as against 40 last year and 485 in 2012, Daily Mail said. 

© 2023 Counsel & Heal All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics