HIV Scare Shuts Down Some SoCal Porn Productions

[Tripper11]

LOS ANGELES -- Adult movie producers shut down sets and dozens of performers were barred from working Thursday after an actor and actress tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS.

At least 45 actors and actresses were under voluntary quarantine because they had sex with the HIV-positive performers or the people they slept with, said Sharon Mitchell of the nonprofit Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation.

Mitchell said the male performer, whom she declined to name, was "conscientious" about having HIV tests every three weeks. On Friday, he tested positive for HIV and a follow-up test on Monday confirmed it, Mitchell said.

The organization, which screens about 1,200 adult movie performers a month for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, did not notify local health authorities because "we can respond more quickly," Mitchell said. A list of quarantined actors was placed on its Web site.

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/3011283/detail.html

[Occulus]

1. Nothing quite like responsibility after the fact, no?

I rethought my post; I was going to say "well, at least they were responsible about it."

Sometimes, I think people only learn anything after it happens to them. Then I realize, that includes myself.

It's kind of hard for me to know how to feel about this. Certainly, the adult film business is every bit as deadly as any high-risk profession, except that the death comes sllooowwwwlllllyyyyyy. One could wonder if hazard pay is warranted for porn stars.

On the other hand, it's also a rather strange business to be in; how many sexual partners does a high-ticket porn star have in a given year? Should anyone care, barring possible illness, and isn't that a reason to care, to not like the porn business in general?

It's a good thing the "actors" are voluntarily quarantining themselves. I wonder how many of them are violating that quarantine as I type. I wonder how many of them will end up being infected before this "little" scare is over. I wonder how many of them will end up infected in the long run. And most of all, I wonder how many people who just pick the wrong person to take to bed Saturday night pass along a little something extra to their partner(s), and so on.

Yeah- sometimes I think I wonder just a little too much.

[bluestateguy]

2. I'm sure Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and Dr. Laura are cheering now

Just wait. There will be the usual finger pointing about how this is "God's retribution for deviant lifestyles".

The religious right applauds the spread of AIDS. They like it. It gives them shits and giggles because of what it has done to gays and because they can use it to scare people into never having sex.

[Moderator]

3. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x489248