Performers Speak Out Against Measure B
YNOT – With Los Angeles County residents headed to the ballot box to vote on Measure B in just a matter of weeks, AVN has launched a platform for adult industry performers to voice their perspective on the issues.
Measure B, the so-called “safer-sex initiative,” is an attempt to force all adult productions to employ condoms and other barrier protection. The adult entertainment industry believes the measure is senseless and an unconstitutional attempt to suppress personal freedom and creative speech, in addition to a waste of taxpayer dollars.
The online platform, PerformersForChoice.com, features video clips of some of the industry’s best-known performers voicing their opposition to Measure B. The prevailing message is a demand for personal choice: The performers who’ve chosen to participate want the government out of their private parts and off adult film sets. Tori Black, Teagan Presley, Kayden Kross, Alexis Texas, Veronica Ricci, Puma Swede, Melina Mason, Ash Hollywood, Tanya Tate, Manuel Ferrara and Justine Joli are among the performers who’ve spoken out so far.
Performers For Choice is dedicated to allowing adult entertainers to express themselves. If passed, Measure B will affect performers more than anyone else in the industry. In the performers’ view, those who will be required to wear condoms and dental dams should have the loudest voice in the decision-making process.
Performers who would like to add their messages in opposition to Measure B are encouraged to submit a video by [email=web@avn.com]email[/email] or to upload a video here. Video files must be 25 MB or smaller. Every video submitted will be posted to the Performers For Choice website within 24-48 hours, according to AVN Chief Executive Theo Sapoutzis.
“In the video please tell the voters of Los Angeles [County] how you feel about Measure B and whether you agree to mandatory condom use in porn,” Sapoutzis said. “It’s your body and should be your choice.”
Measure B, funded and placed on the ballot by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, would require the L.A. County Department of Public Health to license and permit adult movie productions in the county and require performers to wear condoms and other barrier protection, as well as create an unworkable system of on-set inspections and enforcement by county personnel. The county estimates initial start-up costs for the program will exceed $300,000.