Vandalia writes: Prior to the HIV meeting on Wednesday, the twenty-fourth, I knew the entire Industry had embarked on not only a divesting [devestating?] blow, as well as a needed re-evaluation of safety procedures. Now, having been present to hear the voices of such major players in our community: talent, directors, A.I.M., and even the lawyer who tried sharing his views; I am positive that we are all in danger of being morally divided!
Deciding to embark in the explicit adult entertainment industry is a personal moral and value searching decision already. What do you want to do? How far do you want to go? What do you want to accomplish by this? Of course, being an adult you are encouraged to have your own opinions, although not always welcomed to share them! One speaker that evening hit a nail on the head by reminding all of us, that most of us chose this industry because we are outcasts to the general, conservative public. We do NOT like others telling us what to do, nor do we like rules! I for one pride myself on my independence and have a history of a lack of appreciation of authority! But! What I have learned over the years about rules and regulations is, they are necessary for the safety of others!
Monthly testing has proved to be effective in the long run, comparatively to the past and to the mainstream population. In all, most of us are careful and aware of the obvious risks of our profession. Yet, I hear a lot of inconsistencies to the knowledge we all should commonly be aware of having accepted this responsibility. Responsibility of our own best interest as well as all others we come in contact with! I myself was confused about the difference in the HIV antibody testing. And now I am appalled by the ignorance of some other serious STD’s present amongst us all!
A picture is worth a million words, right? AdultFYI.com posted an obviously foul photo taken from the Lara Roxx/ Darrin James shoot. If you saw it, you know what I am talking about! If not, the picture was undeniably proof of an already STD infected individual WORKING! And all others present and participating, whether talent, camera, casting, P.A…. are ALL accountable for this. Yes, HIV is life threatening and one of the worst dangers as well as Hepatitis C, and any other unidentified strain of disease the CDC, (Center for Disease Control) has not even found present yet! But, the common curable and incurable STD’s we are subjected to are in need of just as much attention!
New news has just been broke of a stronger strain of Gonorrhea that is resistant to antibiotics! How many of us are aware of this new discovery?
My only conclusion for a solution to remedy our need for basic protection is mandatory orientations for ALL current and new to the industry members. Knowledge is a weapon proven effective in nearly every situation. We all need to have the same facts and information about our jeopardizing positions. We should be able to make our own decisions AFTER we have all the facts and are all on the same page. Upon entering the industry, not only should you have a full screen done at A.I.M., but also take part in an orientation of STD awareness and general adult industry procedures and clarification on how most scenes and sets are. Much like the Porn 101 tape given by A.I.M. to new talent, but this class should be more in depth and given in person by a deemed knowledgeable counselor, who may answer any questions or hesitations individuals may have.
For all of us currently within this community, we should be required to take this orientation as well, making it truly effective of our common knowledge. We can all come to our own conclusions to how we want to protect ourselves after we all have the awareness of exactly what we are up against to avoid or what is unavoidable.
Please relay this.
xxoo VanDalia http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vandalia