OAKLAND, Calif.—Over one hundred adult performers are expected to appear at Thursday’s Cal/OSHA hearing in Oakland, where Cal/OSHA board members will vote on new regulations that mandate not only condoms, but also dental dams, eye protection and other barriers for use on adult film sets.
The meeting is scheduled to take place in the auditorium of the Harris State Building, 1515 Clay Street in Oakland, CA 94612, at 10 a.m.
“These are unworkable regulations based in fear and stigma, not science or public health,” said Eric Paul Leue, Executive Director of the Free Speech Coalition. “Cal/OSHA has repeatedly refused to listen to performers' concerns over their health and livelihoods, and performers are rightly furious. This will be a heated hearing.”
The Cal/OSHA vote will cap off a seven year process during which performers and performer groups have repeatedly been denied a voice. A companion ballot measure, sponsored by Michael Weinstein of the controversial AIDS Healthcare Foundation, would allow private citizens to sue performers who don’t use condoms.
“We are not opposed to regulation,” said Siouxsie Q, a journalist and adult performer. “We are the most tested population on the planet, and we care about our sexual health. But regulations that prohibit 90% of contact between adult performers only pushes us to the margins, and makes our work more dangerous.”
Performers will gather outside the Harris State Building in Oakland prior to the 10 a.m. hearing. Over 80 performer, producers, activists and health care advocates are expected to testify against regulations the hearing, but according to Leue, the overall crowd could be much larger.
“This is an issue that has brought together performers like never before. Whether they currently use condoms or not, performers are coming in from all over the state for this meeting," Leue said. "They are passionate and they want to make sure their voices are heard. They know that if these regulations pass tomorrow, it may signal the end of the legal adult industry in California.”
For more information contact Mike Stabile, Media Director, Free Speech Coalition by email at [email protected] or by phone at 213-797-0050.
