An activist for the new L.A. ordinance
It was a cold January day in L.A. (“cold” in this city meaning a high of 60˚F), when the news broke. The City Council of Los Angeles passed a law that, simply put, requires all actors in adult films produced within the city limits to use condoms while performing. Of course it’s not as simple and clear-cut, with a variety of potential loopholes. So, as this is the first legislation in the United States regulating porn (outside of the whole “don’t have sex with minors” thing), it might be a good idea to break this down in to the Who, the What, the Why, and perhaps even the Why Not.
The Who: I’ll resist making a Teenage Wasteland reference. Who does this law all apply to? Essentially, only the adult film companies that need to get permits to film. This is still significant, as Los Angeles (and particularly San Fernando Valley) is basically the capital of the multibillion-dollar porn industry. Still, there are some certified sound stages that do not require permits to film, and therefore need not comply with this ordinance. This also leaves the door wide open for those interested in creating their own personal amateur porn. With intent to sell, they would most likely need a permit, but who knows? This might open a door for an already booming porn genre.
The What: I already explained the gist of this, but the goal of this law is to prevent any bodily fluids from being exchanged between workers. This means always requiring actors to use condoms, making sure that any ejaculation outside of the body is not transmitted between workers, and even requiring any lubricants used to be “condom-safe” — i.e., water or silicone-based. Something else — film producers are required to submit a fee to pay for the enforcement of this policy.
The Why: This vote passed the city council 9-1 (The 1 being the representative of, you guessed it, the Valley). This is primarily due to the tireless campaigning of the AIDS Health Foundation, an L.A. based organization. After 2 porn stars in the past few years had been infected with HIV, advocates have been demanding regulations for the health and safety of adult film stars.
The Why Not: Needless to say, many people actually IN the adult film industry are livid. Statements have been made claiming that this law encroaches on their rights guaranteed by the 1st Amendment of the Constitution (something that’s kind of a big deal, if you haven’t heard). Claims have also been made that the law forces adult film producers to create a product that “the market doesn’t want.”
So that’s all well and good (or bad, depending on your point of view), but what does all of this mean for the big picture? Sex-positive groups (such as your friendly neighborhood Sex Out Loud) are very interested to see what kind of effects this will have on the public’s media perception. Will this law make condoms more normalized in society’s view and thus increase condom use? Or can one city’s regulations not have such a grand effect? Will the adult film production companies comply with this law, or will they simply relocate outside of the city limits? One thing is for certain: L.A.’s making sure their workers’ health and safety is protected.
This post has been brought to you by the Sex Out Loud staff. Click here to see the actual ordinance.
