CHATSWORTH, Calif.—The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) put out a call Saturday afternoon for a "precautionary" halt on all adult production effective immediately due to a performer possibly testing positive for HIV.
FSC's statement regarding the hold follows:
The Free Speech Coalition is calling for a precautionary production hold after a possible positive test for HIV by an adult performer listed in the PASS database. The performer had not worked on an adult set during the window of transmission, and had not participated in any fluid exchange shoots since their last negative test.
The test has not yet been confirmed, and we will know whether or not it is a false positive in the next several days. If it is a false positive, the hold will be lifted on Wednesday.
Out of an abundance of precaution, we are asking that producers stop filming until we are able to confirm all facts. We will also proactively begin partner notification and retest anyone who might have had contact with the performer since their last clear test.
The Free Speech Coalition periodically calls production holds if there is a possible HIV exposure within the adult film community. Production holds are an important part of the safety protocols in adult film, but does not signal an actual on-set transmission, nor a confirmed positive test. The adult film industry has not seen an on-set transmission of HIV on a PASS-regulated set in over a decade.
The Adult Performer Advocacy Committe (APAC) issued its own call for a production halt shortly after the FSC's that added, "Based on the current genealogy, there is low-risk to the performer pool." It went on to say, "APAC is asking fellow performers to show compassion towards each other and to our unnamed peer who is currently waiting for the results of their confirmatory test and to abstain from speculating about the patient's identity." Read APAC's full statement here.
AVN will report further details about this developing story as they become available.
