California Porn Stars to Wear Goggles in Film? Strict Hygiene Standards Pending Finalization

• comments
• 
• 

California is imposing strict hygiene procedures such as enforcing the use of goggles by porn actors while filming.

The proposal was started by the California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health Standards and it aims to minimize and prevent the spread of STDs, according to the Washington Post.

In addition to making the restricting and "unsexy" eye wear mandatory, the new rules also call for porn industry bigwigs to pay for medical examinations, Hepatitis B treatments and condoms.

However, adult industry performers and producers, joined by several health experts, strongly oppose the proposed Cal/OSHA regulations as this could greatly affect the industry.

"These are regulations designed for medical settings, and are unworkable on an adult film set - or even a Hollywood film set," Diane Duke, CEO of the Free Speech Coalition said. 

"We've come to San Diego with ways to amend the regulations, with input from both performers and public health officials, in ways that protect adult film performers without stigmatizing and shutting down an entire industry," Duke added.

The rules were imposed by Michael Weinstein, AIDS Healthcare Foundation President. For many years, Weinstein has been clamoring for mandatory use of condoms and stricter hygiene standards and testing procedures for the adult industry.

"This is really about worker protection, and what the Cal/OSHA Standards Board is for," Weinstein said last week in a statement.

He added: "at least four adult performers... have become infected with HIV while working in the adult film industry, while thousands of other adult performers became infected with thousands of other sexually-transmitted diseases."

The Independent reports that Weinstein's group is also responsible for LA County's condom law.

According to the Free Speech Coalition, no adult film actor has contracted HIV on set since 2004. The coalition has learned that Weinstein regards adult film performers as a threat to the general public and that he is currently looking for ways to become a taxpayer funded "pron czar," who will review all adult films being produced in the state. 

The 21-page draft, if adopted, will not only force adult film actors to disclose medical information and ruin porn aesthetics, it will also consider all bodily fluids to be "potentially infectious material."

"All equipment and environmental and work surfaces shall be cleaned and decontaminated after contact with blood or OPIM-STI at the end of each scene, and no later than at the end of each day of production," a part of the draft read.

According to the LA Daily News, some adult film production companies have decided to move to Nevada. The Cal/OSHA regulations committee said however that it is "unlikely" for the community to "leave the state." 

"The regulated community has a unique legal status nationally, resulting in no states suitable to the relocation of the industry," the committee said. "the regulated conduct is illegal in every state except New Hampshire." 

The decision on the finalization of the proposed regulations will be decided before March of next year.