The recent outbreak of HIV in the porn world has many performers, directors and studios shaking in their boots. Even Webmasters and content providers for adult Websites are wondering how this affects them. Should they, too, have to abide by the AVN-recommended 60-day moratorium?
Gay pornographers have long been aware of the dangers of HIV and have been promoting safe sex within the industry since the early '90s, when the AIDS epidemic ran rampant in their community. Yet, while most gay pornographers publicly rally against barebacking (anal sex without a condom), it still goes on, both on video and on the Web. How does this recent scare affect gay Webmasters?
"The gay community has never followed the same procedures as the straight community," ChiChiClicks.com manager Rob Novinger told AVNOnline.com. "We practice safe sex every day, and everyone is told to assume your partner is HIV positive, so it doesn't matter whether we are shooting for video or on the Web because we only use condoms. Most of our Web content is solo anyway, but if there is sex, there are condoms required.
"The gay community was hit so hard by AIDS, everybody lost everyone they know, so it's been an important issue to practice safe sex and show an example of how people should have sex, as a learning and teaching tool. Straight people sometimes think that AIDS won't affect them because they didn't watch everyone they know waste away and die. Thank God for them that HIV has come a long way and is no longer the imminent death sentence it once was."
"HIV has been a devastating factor in the gay community for 24 years, thus, we reacted proactively to HIV a decade ago," agreed Cybersocket Inc. (www.cybersocket.com) president Morgan Sommer. "Most of the major gay adult film companies made condom use mandatory. Chi Chi LaRue and other leading directors insist on it. It is presumed that models might be positive [for the virus], and therefore safer sex is the rule on set and has been for years. The only exception is the barebacking community."
"I have always told talent, having sex in a video is no different than having sex in your personal life," director/producer LaRue recently said. "You should always assume every person you are with is HIV positive and act accordingly. If everyone practiced the safe sex guidelines used on my set, HIV and other STDs would be on the decline."
In 1991, LaRue began insisting the studios he worked for use condoms in every scene he directed. Later the industry adopted this example to self-police its sexual practices to make the industry a safe workplace for talent and to set a positive example for viewers. Yet some of the smaller, more underground studios still film barebacking scenes, some even pairing HIV positive performers to avoid infecting those without the virus.
"My anti-barebacking policy has never been a secret," LaRue confessed. "I hate that it goes on in any way in this industry and I speak out against it every chance I get. The message [I send] is simple: practice safer sex, or as I like to say, 'Wrap it up!'"
Among the main focus of the safe sex procedures in the gay world, as outlined by Channel 1 Releasing, are:
- Anal sex only with a condom
- Talent only practicing safer sexual activity within their comfort level, as discussed in advance
- Talent only practicing safer sexual activity with partners with whom they are comfortable, as discussed and mutually chosen in advance
- Every effort made to not hire models that have been participants in unsafe sex videos, especially those who want future careers in unsafe sex videos.
Much like in the straight porn world, the bigger companies - such as Titan, Falcon, Raging Stallion and Lucas Entertainment - adhere to these safe sex practices, even when shooting content for the Net. For people who absolutely demand to see condomless sex, companies that have been around long enough even offer pre-condom "classic" videos and Web content.
Because the gay community has been so hyper-aware of the dangers of HIV, and the leading companies have been following the rules to avoid infection, many feel the moratorium should not be followed in the gay world, especially the gay Webmasters? community.
Sommer believes this recent HIV scare is "not a threat to the gay community. I don't think the gay adult Webmaster community should abide by the moratorium," he said. "This side of the industry is an example of how the straight side may evolve. There can still be condomless sex, but it will be perceived as risky."
"This doesn't affect us at all," Novinger agreed. "The straight industry is a totally separate business from the gay industry, always has been. There are irresponsible gay companies that are practicing unsafe sex - there will always be people doing anything they can for attention and shock value - but none of the major ones."
Maybe so, but with three straight performers infected with HIV as of this writing, and at least one of them a woman who has sex with other women, everyone in the adult community should be reevaluating their sexual practices.
"Testing for HIV is a good thing for any industry," summarized Novinger, "but even the test can be a false negative; or people catch HIV in their personal lives off the set, so the best bet is to practice safe sex always."
