from www.dailynews.com - Several adult-film studios across the San Fernando Valley and beyond halted production Monday after reports that a performer may have tested positive for HIV and could have infected local actors.
The Free Speech Coalition, the adult-film industry's trade group, asked for a temporary shutdown while the group works to confirm that the performer is HIV-positive and whether the virus has spread.
"Our first priority is to protect performers with reliable health services and assist producers with protocols that minimize liability, while remaining compliant with state and federal regulations regarding medical privacy," according to a statement by the Canoga Park-based Free Speech Coalition posted on XBiz.com, an industry news website.
Diane Duke, the executive director for the Free Speech Coalition, did not return phone calls.
Wicked Pictures, also based in Canoga Park, has heeded the request, said spokeswoman Hethalein Mares.
"Even though Wicked is condoms-mandatory, we have postponed upcoming productions until more information becomes available," she said in a statement.
Many other studios appeared to be respecting the requested moratorium, said Tom Hymes, a senior editor for Adult Video News, which reports on the industry.
Two of the largest talent agencies also have contacted workers and have told them to be retested for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, Hymes said.
While the Free Speech Coalition wouldn't confirm the information, Hymes and other sources said the unidentified actor was filming in Florida and had not performed professionally in Los Angeles.
"We are aware that limited shooting is taking place in Los Angeles, but also that some studios have agreed to suspend production immediately," Hymes said.
"Clearly, the call for a moratorium on shooting by the Free Speech Coalition was made to err on the side of caution, even though the actual health status of the performer in question has yet to be confirmed."
Earlier this month, the Free Speech Coalition launched a program that requires adult-film workers and other performers to be tested monthly for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
The Adult Production Health & Safety Services program is expected to test up to 2,000 performers a month.
The APHSS program is similar to the one established by Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, the 12-year-old clinic that closed in May because of financial hardship.
But AIM also had been accused of withholding information on HIV-positive cases from county health officials, and for allowing fragile medical information to be leaked to the public. Both of those allegations were false, officials with the Free Speech Coalition have said.
However, the performer in question was not tested at a APHSS site. Neither the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health nor the state's Division of Occupational Safety and Health heard of the possible infection, spokeswomen for both agencies said.
In 2004, an HIV outbreak among several actors in the Valley-based adult film industry prompted dozens of production companies to shut down temporarily. More than 50 people were quarantined because of possible exposure.
This latest scenario is an example of why test-only procedures are inefficient, and why condoms should be mandatory, said Michael Weinstein, president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which advocates for more government regulation.
"When will it end?" Weinstein asked in a statement released Monday. "This latest outbreak underscores the urgent need for immediate action by government to stop this occupational health hazard from continuing.
"This outrageous disregard for the health and safety of the performers and the community at large is a shameful blot on the reputation of LosAngeles."
