L.A. County health department obtains legal names of adult film performers

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services on Wednesday obtained the legal names of 53 adult film actors and actresses who had sexual contact with two performers who've tested positive for HIV as part of an investigation launched Tuesday by public health director Jonathan Fielding, The New York Times reports. The investigation was prompted by reports last week that porn actor Darren James and actress Lara Roxx had tested positive for HIV. The health department requested the actors' legal names in order to contact them and anyone outside the adult film industry they have had sexual contact with, according to a department spokesman. "We're not happy about this," said Sharon Mitchell of the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation, which on its Web site had published the stage names of the performers possibly exposed to HIV. "The legal names of our talent have always been held in the strictest of confidentiality and privacy." She said that the foundation released the legal names of the performers "only at the insistence" of health department investigators. The health department this week also filed a complaint with the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health's Cal/OSHA office requesting a formal investigation, which will be completed within six months. Adult film companies could be fined by Cal/OSHA up to $25,000 for each incident of serious health risks uncovered by the investigation. Health officials are also seeking to require the use of condoms for all sex scenes in adult films to meet workplace safety and public health regulations. Representatives from adult film companies, the Free Speech Coalition, and the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation met this week to discuss the possible condom-use requirements. Sources tell Advocate.com that the current HIV scare and health department investigations do not affect companies that produce or actors who perform in gay adult films. Porn directors Chi Chi LaRue and Tony Alizzi told Advocate.com that because condom use for anal sex scenes is mandatory on the sets of the vast majority of gay porn films, there's little risk that HIV is being spread among gay-porn actors. Although a small number of gay porn companies produce so-called barebacking films, in which the actors don't use condoms for anal sex, most gay porn companies require condom use, LaRue and Alizzi say. Titan Media, one of the largest gay porn film production companies, recently announced it would not hire actors who have had anal sex without condoms in other gay porn films, the Los Angeles Times reports. Several gay porn film producers met on Tuesday with Los Angeles County health officials to discuss their condom use policies.