Brazilian porn industry criticizes U.S. companies on condom use

After U.S. porn star Darren James and at least one of his on-screen sex partners tested positive for HIV infection earlier this month, porn industry officials said they believed James's infection occurred on the set of an adult film shoot in Brazil where condoms weren't used. But Brazilian porn producers and actors this week said that country's adult film industry places far greater emphasis on safer sex than its U.S. competition--they say 80% of Brazilian porn stars consistently use condoms on-screen compared with just 17% of U.S. performers, according to U.S. industry estimates. Brazilian adult film officials say U.S. companies that come to Brazil to shoot movies typically require performers there to film without condoms or offer higher pay to performers who agree to do so--about four of every five U.S. adult movies filmed in Brazil are condomless. They also say efforts in the U.S. porn industry to have performers regularly screened for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases don't offer the same protections as on-camera condom use and do little to prove the actors and actresses are disease-free when filming. "They can have the test and then go out for a wild night and get HIV, but the [earlier] test would be negative," says Norberto Brunni of the Brazilian adult film company Buttman Brasil. "We use the best condoms in the world, and that's the safety of my business."