LAS VEGAS - American bareback studio Hot Desert Knights has reached an agreement with the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation that requires all HDK performers to undergo AIM-administered tests for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases including gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia and hepatitis A, B and C.
Effective immediately, the company will require AIM-certified HIV/STD documentation from every performer before he is allowed to participate in HDK projects.
Previously, HDK addressed the potential for disease transmission during unprotected sex by relying on a process called sero-sorting - pairing positive performers only with other positive performers and reportedly negative performers with other reportedly negative performers. The studio required each model to declare his status prior to filming but did not require documentation of recent HIV/STD testing, although HDK founder Bill Gardner has said counseling and a lengthy interview were part of the process in order to protect performers' health.
Garner said the new rule is groundbreaking, because his is the first studio to adopt it. The company will continue to sero-sort, he said, but the sorting will be based on AIM test documents and not just on a model's word.
Among the factors influencing Gardner's decision is the popularity of bareback content, which has encouraged a number of new studios to enter the market. Many of the new studios are located in parts of the world where HIV/AIDS education, testing and treatment resources are limited, he said. In addition, AIM has agreed not to disclose any gay performer's HIV/AIDS status to anyone except the studios for which he works and other models with whom he will be performing.
The testing and information-sharing protocol AIM will use on the gay side of the adult industry is similar to one the foundation developed for straight studios: It requires performers to be tested every 30 days and manages the distribution of health alerts. The gay protocol differs from the straight protocol in that a positive result on an HIV/AIDS test will not prohibit a gay performer from participating in sero-sorted shoots. A positive diagnosis on the straight side of the industry delivers a death blow to a performer's career. Gardner and AIM founder Dr. Sharon Mitchell hope HDK's decision will inspire other gay studios to participate as well.
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