CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
California assemblyman Tim Leslie, a Republican, has introduced a bill that would require all pornographic film actors to be tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases two weeks before appearing in an adult film and would prohibit film producers from hiring actors with any STD, the Los Angeles Times reports. Leslie's bill also would allow any performer infected with an STD on the set of an adult film to sue for damages if the company failed to comply with the ban on hiring actors who have any STD. "There has been all these outbreaks, people spreading diseases," Leslie told the Times. "These infections can reach any of us. What we're trying to do is protect the public." The bill was introduced in the wake of an HIV scare in the California-based adult film industry in which one actor and two of his on-screen sex partners have tested positive for HIV. More than a dozen straight porn companies have stopped filming until early June so that any performers possibly exposed to the virus can be tested; the shutdown does not affect gay adult films, sources tell Advocate.com, because most gay film companies require condoms for anal sex scenes. But producers of gay porn films told the Times that an estimated 30% to 50% of gay adult actors are HIV-positive and therefore would be barred from working under Leslie's bill, even if they used condoms on the sets of the films. The bill, which will be read Tuesday by the assembly health committee, drew criticism from adult film industry representatives and public health advocates. Jonathan Fielding, director of public health for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, says that because the bill doesn't require condom use on adult film sets, it doesn't ensure that STDs won't be transmitted. He also said it would be possible for adult film performers to contract an STD during the 14-day window after testing and pass it along to other performers. Former porn actress Sharon Mitchell, who now serves as executive director of the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation, which conducts monthly HIV and STD screenings for about 1,200 porn actors, told the Times the bill is "taking a step back, medically. It's just not well-thought-out."
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
John Fetterman challenges Pa. school board’s cancellation of talk by gay actor
April 19 2024 2:39 PM
New study finds inadequate response to mpox outbreak
April 19 2024 2:06 PM
Fighting back against MAGA’s attacks on equality
April 19 2024 1:00 PM
Just one Christian Nationalist group is behind Idaho's bans on trans care and abortion
April 19 2024 11:57 AM
Linda Perry opens up in new documentary, premiering in June at Tribeca Festival
April 19 2024 11:43 AM
Trans woman loses lower legs in NYC subway attack. Now, friends rally to help her
April 19 2024 10:06 AM
Black trans woman África Parrilla García shot to death in Puerto Rico
April 18 2024 4:55 PM
Marjorie Taylor Greene has sunk so low even Fox News can't stand her anymore
April 18 2024 4:04 PM
Single lesbians are avoided by straight women, but not straight men. Here's why.
April 18 2024 3:18 PM
The LGBTQ+ movie fan's guide to the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival
April 18 2024 2:44 PM
The federal government failed on mpox. Ritchie Torres's new bill addresses that (exclusive)
April 18 2024 1:21 PM
True
In the face of tweets and turmoil, why I left the South as a medical student
April 18 2024 7:30 AM