LOS ANGELES - Inspired by the controversy surrounding "bareback" gay content - material depicting explicit sex without condoms - Channel 1 Releasing has created a public service announcement to educate consumers and the adult-entertainment industry about the risks. The PSA is available at SafeSexIsHotSex.com, a new website launched Thursday to increase awareness of and attention to the matter.
The four-minute PSA stars Chi Chi LaRue and addresses the difference between creating a fantasy world for consumers and the reality of creating a safe environment for performers. According to LaRue, bareback films run the risk of conveying a potentially deadly message to the gay community. Particularly vulnerable, he said, are young men between the ages of 15 and 24, among whom the rate of HIV/AIDS infection is growing at an alarming pace.
"This PSA was important for me, personally, to make because of the issue of model safety on porn sets, as well as to inform consumers that the gorgeous models they see in their favorite video are real people and the danger they are exposing themselves to in making barebacking films is real," LaRue said. "There's no arguing that having anal sex without a condom puts you at great risk of contracting the HIV virus, as well as a multitude of other sexually transmitted diseases, so why is it OK for models to do it on screen to please someone's fantasy?"
The website includes an open letter containing LaRue's stance on the barebacking discussion taking place within the gay adult industry. In the letter, LaRue promises never to shoot a barebacking movie. In addition, the website provides links to statistical and practical information provided by the Centers for Disease Control, AIDS Project Los Angeles, the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), AIDS Healthcare Foundation, AIDSMap, the Journal of the American Medical Association and The New York Times.
"I am certainly not saying that barebacking movies are solely responsible for the huge increase in HIV infections," LaRue said. "I think a lot of factors are at play. I think drug companies want us to think that HIV is just a simple and manageable condition: They never mention that a one-year supply of medication starts at $25,000. I think the lack of real sex education, thanks to our current conservative regime, is a factor. Let's not forget the rampant drug abuse in the gay community, which is definitely a factor.
"I also think gay men are really just tired of talking and hearing about [the controversy], but we can't stop talking about it. I think what we are seeing is a result of too many people being way too silent.
"My point is that there's a difference between reality and fantasy," LaRue added, "and this fantasy is affecting the real world."
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