LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Wicked Pictures, the only major adult distributor currently producing condoms-only erotica, is pleased to announce that the company's Vice President of Special Projects, industry veteran Joy King, joined members of the industry trade organization, the Free Speech Coalition (FSC), this week on a trip to Sacramento to lobby state officials.
The topics of the action included the possibility of state-mandated condom legislation and issues of workplace safety within the adult industry. The conferences at the State Capitol followed recent issues raised by CalOSHA visits to several adult production houses, as well as the December 7 publication on Forbes.com of Alexandre Padilla's timely op-ed piece, "Not-So-Safe-Sex." Padilla's thoughtful commentary supports the FSC's conviction that mandating condom use in adult releases could potentially put the industry and its talent at greater risk.
An FSC board member who has been lobbying on behalf of the adult industry in Sacramento for over ten years, King was an integral part of a well-chosen team that also included Free Speech Coalition Executive Director Diane Duke, AIM (Adult Industry Medical Healthcare) consultant and University of Southern California Associate Clinical Professor of Neurology Dr. Aaron Aronow, 2010 AVN award nominated adult starlet Angelina Armani and FSC Board Chair and attorney Jeffrey Douglas.
As echoed thoughtfully in Padilla's Forbes piece, the FSC's concerns are that state mandated condoms-only policies could potentially drive some adult film production underground, leading to non-condom sex being shot without the benefit of the industry's current self-regulation and testing policies in place. Another concern is more economically driven—the fear that, should such legislation pass, a large portion of the industry may choose to abandon California in favor of more politically friendly climates.
"Although Wicked Pictures has been proud to be condom mandatory for over ten years,” King said, “we recognize the potential health risks to performers if production goes underground or out of state. The current testing protocols the industry uses have proven to be effective in safe guarding performer health, and any disruption in this system could be detrimental."
With the City of Los Angeles and the state as whole both reeling from an ever-worsening budget crisis, the loss of revenue caused by such a migration would almost certainly have a resounding impact on the local economy. In a prepared statement, FSC Executive Director Diane Duke made it clear that she feels the team accomplished their mission to educate members of the legislature in these areas.
“This was an extremely successful visit to the California state Capital,” Duke said. “The FSC was not only able to educate members of key legislative offices, but also learn the most effective way to approach potential mandatory condom legislation as well as increased pressure from CalOSHA. We had an incredible group of industry professionals—the adult entertainment industry was very well represented.”
To learn more, visit www.wicked.com and www.freespeechcoalition.com.
