AIDS in the pornographic film industry
Encyclopedia
The transmission of AIDS
in the pornographic film industry has become a major cause of concern for pornographic film directors and actors since the 1980s.
, Wade Nichols
, Marc Stevens and Al Parker
. This led to the creation of the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation
, which helped set up a system in the U.S. adult film industry where erotic actors are tested for HIV
every 30 days.
. Due to accurate and mandatory medical tests, HIV cases are nowadays rare in the pornographic industry. The system seemed to be effective, with very few AIDS
cases among porn actors. Marc Wallice
, a known IV drug user, tested HIV positive in 1998, sending shockwaves throughout the industry.
s tested HIV positive in California
, the center of U.S. porn production. The straight segment of the porn industry voluntarily shut down for 30 days (a 60 day moratorium was originally announced but it was lifted early) while it tried to deal with the situation.
Three actors, Darren James
, Jessica Dee and Lara Roxx
, initially tested positive and were barred from further sexually explicit content production. About sixty actors who had had contact with James or Roxx were barred from working until their next round of HIV testing was completed and they were declared HIV negative. A further estimated 130 actors who had had contact with Gaynor were tested and also received an HIV-negative result. A total of five actors were diagnosed with the virus by the end of the moratorium: one male and four females, including one transsexual.
s during sexually explicit scenes. Industry insiders say this would ruin sales of their wares since the unprotected content is one of the selling points of some of their films. They say the wearing of condoms ruins the sexual fantasies of many viewers. Insiders say that such regulation would force the industry underground, out of California or overseas where it would be more prone to health risks for performers. The non-profit Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation
is working with the government, trying to develop policies that both the industry and the government would find acceptable.
and Wicked Pictures
were the first few companies to announce production shutdown. Although Wicked Pictures
allow some performers to wear condoms, the company is shutting down to wait for the quarantine
list. Several porn studios have shut down production to prevent infection of the virus.
No other performers have been tested HIV positive.
In December 2010, the HIV positive performer was identified as Derrick Burts. Burts has worked in straight and gay pornography. Despite contracting gonorrhea
, chlamydia
and syphilis
Burts continued taking part in unprotected sex in heterosexual, but condom only homosexual films before quitting once he was diagnosed as being HIV positive. He was informed by the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation
that he had contracted the disease, which according to Burts, he received on set while having oral sex scene with another "HIV positive male actor".
As of August 30, 2011, the industry was in a temporal shut down because of news of an outbreak when a performer was tested positive for the virus. Diane Duke, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition, confirmed the situation. They have since resumed production when a performer was restested and it came back negative.
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
in the pornographic film industry has become a major cause of concern for pornographic film directors and actors since the 1980s.
1980s outbreak
In the 1980s, an outbreak of HIV led to a number of deaths of erotic actors and actresses, including John HolmesJohn Holmes (actor)
John Curtis Holmes better known as John C. Holmes or Johnny Wadd , was one of the most prolific male porn stars of all time, appearing in about 2,500 adult loops, stag films, and pornographic feature movies in the 1970s and 1980s...
, Wade Nichols
Wade Nichols
Wade Nichols, aka Dennis Parker, was an American actor and singer who started his acting career in pornographic movies.His first feature film role was probably in the 1975 gay adult film Boynapped!...
, Marc Stevens and Al Parker
Al Parker
Al Parker was a gay American pornographic actor , producer, and director. He died from complications of AIDS at the age of 40....
. This led to the creation of the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation
Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation
The Adult Industry Medical Associates P.C. , also known simply as AIM or AIM Medical, was an organization that tested erotic actors for HIV and other STDs on a scheduled basis....
, which helped set up a system in the U.S. adult film industry where erotic actors are tested for HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
every 30 days.
AIDS detection system
All sexual contact is logged, and positive test results lead to all sexual contacts for the last three to six months being contacted and re-tested. The use of condoms became standard in films featuring homosexual anal sexAnal sex
Anal sex is the sex act in which the penis is inserted into the anus of a sexual partner. The term can also include other sexual acts involving the anus, including pegging, anilingus , fingering, and object insertion.Common misconception describes anal sex as practiced almost exclusively by gay men...
. Due to accurate and mandatory medical tests, HIV cases are nowadays rare in the pornographic industry. The system seemed to be effective, with very few AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
cases among porn actors. Marc Wallice
Marc Wallice
Marc Wallice is a former American pornographic actor in adult films. He tested HIV positive in 1998 after allegedly hiding his HIV positive status for two years and infecting several women, sending shock waves throughout the porn industry. He left the industry but later returned as a director,...
, a known IV drug user, tested HIV positive in 1998, sending shockwaves throughout the industry.
2004 AIDS scare
In April 2004, an AIDS scare rocked the heterosexual US porn industry when two pornographic actorPornographic actor
A pornographic actor/actress or a porn star is a person who appears in pornographic film. Most actors appear nude in films...
s tested HIV positive in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the center of U.S. porn production. The straight segment of the porn industry voluntarily shut down for 30 days (a 60 day moratorium was originally announced but it was lifted early) while it tried to deal with the situation.
Three actors, Darren James
Darren James
Darren James is an American former pornographic actor who made worldwide headlines after testing positive for HIV.James tested positive on April 13, 2004...
, Jessica Dee and Lara Roxx
Lara Roxx
Lara Roxx was the stage name of a Montreal, Quebec-born Canadian, former porn actress who, in March 2004, became the first known individual in four years to allegedly contract HIV while making a US porn video.-Career:...
, initially tested positive and were barred from further sexually explicit content production. About sixty actors who had had contact with James or Roxx were barred from working until their next round of HIV testing was completed and they were declared HIV negative. A further estimated 130 actors who had had contact with Gaynor were tested and also received an HIV-negative result. A total of five actors were diagnosed with the virus by the end of the moratorium: one male and four females, including one transsexual.
2.4 % rate of STDs
AIM Healthcare Foundation has stated that the rate of STDs in adult film actors in production companies that follow the AIM testing protocols is 2.4%, which they state is "considerably lower than the average for sexually active young people with similar demographics."Proposed regulations to limit the spread of AIDS
Due to this limited outbreak, the California State government considered regulating the industry. Some proposed to mandate the wearing of condomCondom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s during sexually explicit scenes. Industry insiders say this would ruin sales of their wares since the unprotected content is one of the selling points of some of their films. They say the wearing of condoms ruins the sexual fantasies of many viewers. Insiders say that such regulation would force the industry underground, out of California or overseas where it would be more prone to health risks for performers. The non-profit Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation
Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation
The Adult Industry Medical Associates P.C. , also known simply as AIM or AIM Medical, was an organization that tested erotic actors for HIV and other STDs on a scheduled basis....
is working with the government, trying to develop policies that both the industry and the government would find acceptable.
Additional reports in 2009
In June 2009, AIM Healthcare Foundation reported that a female adult entertainer had become HIV+-though it is believed transmission occurred in her private life. LA County Public Health claimed that there had been 16 "unreported" HIV case in the adult film industry. AIM Healthcare Foundation claimed those cases did not involve actors in production companies that followed their testing protocols and included members of the general public that use AIM Healthcare testing services or were individuals attempting to work in the porn industry who never were able to obtain employment in adult films because of their failure to prove freedom from HIV or other STD's. No other actress or actors have been infected with the virus.In 2010
On October 12, 2010, the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation reported that an actor or actress have been infected with HIV. The name and gender of the person was not released to the public. Vivid EntertainmentVivid Entertainment
Vivid Entertainment Group is an adult video producer, featuring a catalog of VHS and DVD titles and internet content. In 2006 it was described by Reuters as one of the handful of studios that dominate the U.S. porn industry....
and Wicked Pictures
Wicked Pictures
Wicked Pictures is an American pornographic movie studio headquartered in Canoga Park, California. In 2006 it was described by Reuters as one of the handful of studios that dominate the U.S. porn industry...
were the first few companies to announce production shutdown. Although Wicked Pictures
Wicked Pictures
Wicked Pictures is an American pornographic movie studio headquartered in Canoga Park, California. In 2006 it was described by Reuters as one of the handful of studios that dominate the U.S. porn industry...
allow some performers to wear condoms, the company is shutting down to wait for the quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
list. Several porn studios have shut down production to prevent infection of the virus.
No other performers have been tested HIV positive.
In December 2010, the HIV positive performer was identified as Derrick Burts. Burts has worked in straight and gay pornography. Despite contracting gonorrhea
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The usual symptoms in men are burning with urination and penile discharge. Women, on the other hand, are asymptomatic half the time or have vaginal discharge and pelvic pain...
, chlamydia
Chlamydia
Chlamydia infection is a common sexually transmitted infection in humans caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. The term Chlamydia infection can also refer to infection caused by any species belonging to the bacterial family Chlamydiaceae. C. trachomatis is found only in humans...
and syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
Burts continued taking part in unprotected sex in heterosexual, but condom only homosexual films before quitting once he was diagnosed as being HIV positive. He was informed by the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation
Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation
The Adult Industry Medical Associates P.C. , also known simply as AIM or AIM Medical, was an organization that tested erotic actors for HIV and other STDs on a scheduled basis....
that he had contracted the disease, which according to Burts, he received on set while having oral sex scene with another "HIV positive male actor".
As of August 30, 2011, the industry was in a temporal shut down because of news of an outbreak when a performer was tested positive for the virus. Diane Duke, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition, confirmed the situation. They have since resumed production when a performer was restested and it came back negative.