L.A. to vote on requiring condoms for porn stars
Among the next President of the United States and local lawmakers, Los Angeles County voters will also choose whether or not they think porn actors will be required to wear condoms on the set.
If Measure B, or the "Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry Act," passes, producers will be required to apply for a permit from the L.A. County Department of Health to shoot pornographic movies, according to CBS Los Angeles. A fee for the permit would pay for random inspections to assure that performers use condoms.
Violators of the measure would face a civil fine (an unspecified amount at the moment) or even misdemeanor charges.
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The AIDS Healthcare Foundation played a major role in getting Measure B on the ballot. The group argues the rule would help safeguard the public and their website cites and L.A. Times report that said L.A. porn actors have, on average, more STDs than Nevada prostitutes.
CBS Los Angeles reports that condoms are rarely used in straight pornographic films, although the vast majority of gay porn actors wear condoms. Proponents of the measure also argue that porn actors often lack health insurance, so taxpayers may end up footing the health care bill.
"Pornographers should not be exempt from the basic safety rules that protect everyone else," reads the county's ballot guide, signed by AHF President Michael Weinstein and two doctors. "Public health should not be sacrificed on the false claim that this is a free speech issue; this is a public health and safety issue."
Some opponents of Measure B, however, fear that the law would drive adult film production out of Los Angeles, costing thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenues. California and New Hampshire are the only two states that legalize adult film production.
"Safe sex practices are a good idea. However, they should be forced on adult film actors," reads the Libertarian party voter guide, according to CBS Los Angeles.
"Our individual rights have been fading fast since the Patriot Act. Do-gooders such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg seek to create a nanny state where our behavior is increasingly regulated for our own good," she said, referring to a 16 oz. limit on soda beverages that recently passed in New York City.
Porn star Nina Hartley called Measure B a "bad idea" with many other adult performers speaking out against the proposed law at Déja vu in Hollywood Sunday.
"It's bad for public health. It's bad policy. It's bad politics. And it's unconstitutional," she said, according to CBS Los Angeles.