from www.hispanicbusiness.com – The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is pressing the porn industry to mandate the use of condoms in films, saying current practices are unsafe for the actors and send a bad message to the public about unprotected sex.

The foundation on Thursday filed complaints with California officials against 16 companies, according to the Associated Press.

Speaking at a press conference hosted by the foundation Thursday was former porn actress Jan Meza, who said she personally has suffered from the industry’s practices.

Meza said that when her short career began in 2006, she asked producers about condoms, and was told bringing up the topic again could cost her a career in the industry. She later contracted Chlamydia and herpes.

Porn executives have often said that their viewership demands that the actors not wear condoms.

Hustler publisher Larry Flynt told The Associated Press, “people who enjoy viewing adult films do not want to see people using condoms.”

They also cite a U.S. law requiring all porn actors to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases 30 days before a shoot.

On her MySpace page, Meza said financial desperation drove her to answer an ad seeking “Big Beautiful Women” for adult films.

“I was in need of money, being a single mom of three and not getting the financial support I needed from my now ex husband,” she wrote. “I felt trapped.”

One hour-long scene, she said, landed her $300.

“Yes, that’s all I got paid, not much to sell ones soul is it. To me at the time it was a God send though, I was able to feed my kids and temporarily catch up.”

During her yearlong career, she did scenes with 25 men, she said.

“Even though I was assured that all of the STD testing had been taken care of by the producers, in my heart I realize now that this was probably a lie because I never saw the tests for myself,” she said in a statement.