A ballot initiative in California requiring adult film stars to wear condoms in porn made in the state gathered enough votes to be put on the November 2016 ballot, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The initiative was supported by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, whose president, Michael Weinstein, said, “We’ve taken polls that show, statewide, 71 percent support. We’re very confident that we will be successful on election day.”
A similar law is already in effect in Los Angeles County—approved as Measure B in 2012—but Weinstein said a statewide ruling is needed in order to keep adult film companies in Los Angeles from moving to other parts of the state to avoid the law.
The initiative also requires adult film producers to pay for actors’ vaccinations and testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Producers would have to get a state health license and post written notices on the set spelling out the condom requirement, the Times reports, adding that violations could result in fines of up to $70,000.
Those opposed to the initiative say that it’s misdirected because the porn industry is not the primary source of new incidences of HIV and other STIs, and that it will simply force an already regulated business into the shadows, where it will become less safe for the actors.
Writing in an opinion piece against the condoms in porn requirement, reporter Jim Newton noted that “FilmL.A., which issues permits for local film production, estimates that in 2012, the year before Measure B took effect, roughly 480 adult films were shot in Los Angeles. [In 2013,] that number dropped to about 40.… Measure B’s impact hasn’t been to encourage condom use; it’s been to encourage evasion and flight.”
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