by Casey Calvert in The Huffington Post
My decision to do porn wasn’t an easy one. I spent months debating and talking to people: girls, agents, directors, my parents, my boyfriend at the time. I made many pros-and-cons lists. At the top of every con column? Sexual health.
Eventually, obviously, I decided that the reward was greater than the risk. And I was right. I feel sexually safe every time I go to work. But California’s A.B. 1576 is going to change that.
A.B. 1576 is a California Assembly bill sponsored by Michael Weinstein of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and introduced by Assembly Member Isadore Hall. It requires that condoms be used for all vaginal and anal scenes and includes a government mandate on STD testing and disclosure of results.
Right now I very rarely use a condom at work. If the company requires it (which some do), or if my scene partner would prefer it, I don’t argue. But let me make it very clear that I prefer shooting without them.
Now, I’m sure you’re wondering how I could feel more at risk when I’m using a condom. Let me explain.
I trust the testing system we have now. It’s not perfect, but it works. It’s called Performer Availability Scheduling Services (PASS), and it’s run by the Free Speech Coalition, the trade association for the adult entertainment industry. Every 14 days or fewer, every performer gets tested for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, and trichomoniasis.
If everything is negative, the performer gets a green checkmark next to his or her legal name in the PASS database, which can only be accessed by agents, producers, and other performers. If there is a positive result, that performer gets a phone call from the testing facility notifying them of the result. Gonorrhea and chlamydia are treated immediately, and the performer retests after seven days. If something more serious shows up, in addition to the performer getting treatment, we have an industry-wide moratorium to address it.
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