Adult porn industry resumes work

The straight adult porn industry moratorium that halted most production for the last month was lifted Tuesday, reports the Los Angeles Times. According to Sharon Mitchell, executive director of the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation, the organization that provides HIV testing and counseling to sex-film workers, several performers who worked with the HIV-infected actors or their sex partners underwent repeated testing for HIV infection, have been found to be HIV-negative, and are now eager to resume working. Four weeks ago, after porn actor Darren James tested positive for HIV, Mitchell and other industry leaders called on production companies to stop filming adult movies until the HIV status of everyone James had worked with could be determined. Since the industry-wide testing began, three female performers who had on-screen sex with James have tested positive. A fourth transgendered performer was found to be infected, but her case was unrelated to other infections. Sources tell Advocate.com that production on gay adult films was not affected by the moratorium because safer-sex practices mandated by most gay porn companies limit the chance of HIV transmission between gay-porn actors. To contain the outbreak, AIM placed more than 50 performers on a quarantine list, and roughly one third of those performers have been cleared to perform. Mitchell says the remainder on the list are being asked to refrain from working until they can be retested. The voluntary production moratorium was undermined by some producers and performers who had resumed working before being cleared to do so. Other adult film companies said they won't start shooting again until everyone on the list is cleared. "We're still going to wait," said Corey Jordan, owner of the production company Fate Enterprises. "We'd rather be safe than sorry."