In light of a Los Angeles City ordinance that would make condoms mandatory in pornographic films, porn stars are speaking out, and producers are threatening to move the industry out of its Los Angeles capital.
Most recently, Ron Jeremy, the 58-year-old porn star nicknamed "The Hedgehog," told the NY Daily News that he thinks the city is passing the ordinance because it indeed wants LA's porn industry to move elsewhere.
After revealing that he is STD-free despite appearing in more than a thousand films, Jeremy made his opinion of the ordinance clear: "What will they require next, dental dams and latex gloves? They call it a dental dam because damn if I'd wear one... It ruins the fantasy."
Industry officials are arguing that the use of condoms in films will diminish their audience at a time when the industry has already taken a hit from free Internet porn, foreign imports and cheaper, amateur films. Also, they argue that because companies require monthly STD test for actors, condoms are unnecessary.
However, 25-year-old former porn star Derrick Burts is one insider that disagrees. "Testing is a false security blanket. It doesn't protect you. It only notifies you when you have something," he said to the Daily News. "Before I started in the adult industry, I never had an STD in my life. Then in a period of four months, I contracted gonorrhea, chlamydia and HIV. You can't tell me the system worked."
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation has been strongly advocating for the condoms mandate. The organization says that the industry has been ignoring state laws that are already in place requiring condoms when actors are exposed to blood-borne pathogens.
The AIDS Foundation is focusing on Los Angeles for a reason. According to Mark Kernes, senior editor of Adult Video News, about 90 percent of the nation's porn films are made in Los Angeles and almost exclusively within the San Fernando Valley, the Associated Press reports.
Moving this pornographic hub could be difficult because of more than just its size: filming porn is legal in only two states --California and New Hampshire, the Los Angeles Times reports. Even still, attorney Marc J. Randazza of Las Vegas, who represents a porn company, said he doesn't think that Nevada, which allows some legalized prostitution, would stop porn production in its state.
Since the measure was approved 9-1 by the Los Angeles City Council Tuesday, next steps include an expected approval vote from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and a committee to determine how the ordinance would be enforced.