It’s no secret that the first cases of HIV infection since 1999 have hit the straight porn industry. The mainstream media has obediently snapped up the eyeball catching headline and ran with it, undoubtedly scooping up additional ad revenue along the way.Straight porn looks at its queer counterpart for possible HIV solutions.

It’s no secret that the first cases of HIV infection since 1999 have hit the straight porn industry. The mainstream media has obediently snapped up the eyeball catching headline and ran with it, undoubtedly scooping up additional ad revenue along the way. Mailing lists throughout the Internet are abuzz with discussions on the topic and, predictably, the nurturing and protective arm of the government has once again offered to save the day by regulating the industry with mandatory condom use – and whatever else it can cook up, of course. The underlying message is clear: porn stars must be protected from themselves by the state of California since they’re not bright enough to do the job on their own.

The debate over condoms vs. no condoms in porn isn’t new. I’ve witnessed many a fiery online and face-to-face debate on the issue, with valid points being made on both sides – as well as some truly ghastly arguments being made against their use, including a belief by some fans that porn performers that use condoms are cowardly and undeserving of protection due to the nature of their employment. Mental health professionals probably have a name for that kind of hero hatred. All I know is that it makes my skin crawl and does nothing but muddy an important health and safety dialogue. Alas, given the current political climate and the position of the adult entertainment industry within that larger social context, this is a dialogue likely to experience a good deal of muddiness.

As I understand it, straight black male performer Darren James worked without a condom while in Brazil and contracted HIV, presumably from one of his female co-stars. Instead of being tested for STDs by Adult Industry Medicine (http://www.aim-med.org) before returning to domestic duty, James instead jumped bareback into the video saddle – and thus unknowingly infected at least one of the 13 women that he worked with before he knew his status. All of these women, as well as the men who have worked with them – and the women who have worked with those men – are currently on industry quarantine and either waiting for the results of their own tests or the results of their partner’s tests. As is the case with non-monogamy of any kind, the daisy chain nature of the situation shows how quickly an STD can move through a population and how confusing it can be to trace its source.

As heartbreaking as it is to know that at least two previously healthy individuals have contracted this virus, given the number of times professionals within the industry have exchanged body fluids, the number seems statistically infinitesimal. Nonetheless, for many of us, even one infection is too many. But what is the solution?

Although all major production companies require monthly, up-to-date STD screens, only two of the 200 straight companies also require condom use. A mere 17-percent of straight performers wear them on a regular basis while at work. Many within the industry cite concerns about product salability if condoms become commonly used, claiming that the “fantasy” element of porn is destroyed when a condom appears on screen. While this may certainly be true with some porn consumers, my experience with sexually savvy porn hounds has been quite the opposite, particularly with younger viewers — who frequently and loudly express horror when they see unprotected sex in adult videos. Of course, many of these younger viewers live in sexually dynamic metropolitan areas and have experimented with bisexuality and other forms of alternative sexuality, which may have influenced their opinions of safer sex techniques and how to eroticize them.

Although straight porn continues to wrestle with the latex issue, it’s old jimmy hat to the all-male side of the industry. Given the high numbers of infected gay men in the general population, condom use has been an essential topic of discussion for years not only in front of the camera but also in performer’s private lives, as well. When AIDS ravaged the gay community both in and out of the porn industry during the 1980s, gay production companies voluntarily adopted safer sex practices as the industry standard. Today, a majority of gay production companies continue to enforce condom-only guidelines for their performers, regardless of whether or not they are HIV positive. In fact, the assumption made within gay porn is that any performer may well be HIV positive and thus fornicating with protection is a given. Although no one knows for certain, health officials guestimate that the number of gay porn stars infected with HIV ranges between 30 to 50-percent. Condoms greatly decrease the chances of infected performers transmitting the virus to those still uninfected — and producers and AIDS activists within the industry are quick to point out that the high numbers of infection reflect the population from which the performers come, not protective shortcomings within porn itself.

This is important information to remember, particularly while governmental health agencies are looking at gay porn as some kind of role model for straight porn. It is also important to remember that the long-standing condom-only policy is breeding a bareback backlash. Although the numbers are still small, some productions companies are beginning to release condom-free videos, which are becoming increasingly popular and often feature fresh young talent. Crossing over from smaller condom-free performances to gigs with larger, safer sex conscious companies such as Titan Media is not easy, however. Titan, one of the biggest names in gay porn, has announced that it will not hire any performer who has worked in a bareback production. Hot Desert Knights, on the other hand, never shoots with condoms, doesn’t test its performers, and merely warns each model in writing about the risks he may be taking. In order to protect those performers who claim to be HIV negative, the company simply refuses to provide them with work.

Whether this developing industry schism will create a financially rewarding ghetto for performers willing to get laid without latex is yet to be seen, but does suggest that however laudable the condom-only policies of the gay industry are – they are not necessarily worthy of role model status.

So what is the solution? For more reasons than I can mention, the industry is not in a big hurry to let the state of California begin regulating it – not that OSHA has much legal authority when dealing with independent contractors. If nothing else, said governmental officials need to remember that not only does porn not have to be shot in California, but plenty of porn isn’t shot in the state of California. For all its sun and tan, the 6000 employees of adult companies and their 1200 performers could easily relocate to another state, including one with more liberal First Amendment laws such as my own state of Oregon. And, whether gay or straight, there is always the possibility of a thriving underground economy fueled by condom-free porn.

Personally, it doesn’t bother me to see condoms used in porn. But I live and work within a variety of sexuality communities that have already embraced safer sex techniques. What bothers me is seeing condoms poorly used. Color mismatches, ugly lube reactions, and poor editing during condom application are far more distracting than the condoms themselves. With creativity and enthusiasm, the presence of condoms in most productions can be minimized so that they are not a distraction.

The industry has already embraced internally enforced testing with wonderful results. The tragic infection of Darren James did not occur because of California laws, which wouldn’t have made any difference since the shoot was out of country. The tragedy occurred because James did not re-test once he returned to the states and that is where I believe the industry must focus its attention. I certainly applaud and encourage the use of condoms and expect that we’ll be seeing a lot more of them once the cameras start rolling again – but since we’ve seen results from testing, I would prefer seeing more emphasis upon fine-tuning testing schedules, especially for those who work out of country, where testing is often non-existent or done with vastly inferior equipment that often produces false negatives. Continuing to refine testing procedures seems a far less intrusive and ultimately long-term success strategy than turning the industry upside down with mandatory and inspected condom use and the forced release of performer’s legal names, which is currently what California proposes as a solution.

My thoughts are with the 60 plus performers collectively holding their breath while waiting for the results of their blood tests. Many on the quarantine list are people I consider friends and I hope to see them live, love, and fuck for many decades to come.

This article was originally published on Yes Portal.

Darklady is a full-time professional sex writer and erotic event coordinator with a decade of experience in all areas of the adult industry and the Internet. She writes erotica, screenplays, “How To,” Q&A, features, personal experience columns and reviews of adult products, gay, straight, bisexual, transsexual, and S/M related videos, DVDs, and publications. You can learn more about her plans for world conquest at www.darklady.com as and the Masturbate-a-Thon, her extremely innovative annual fundraiser, at www.masturbate-a-thon.org.