LOS ANGELES — James Deen has filed a Cal/OSHA complaint of bloodborne pathogen violations under section 5193 of the California Code of Regulations against Bellator MMA and its owner Viacom, Inc.
This development comes after Deen was cited and fined under the same section violation due to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation filing a complaint against the adult actor. By filing these complaints, Deen hopes that Cal/OSHA will shift the focus of their work to creating safer, valid regulations that can be better applied to the citizens they work to protect instead of reinforcing political agendas such as that of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
Currently, adult entertainment is being held to a specific standard and regulation, which Deen believes was never designed for entertainment of any kind. These same Cal/OSHA regulations are applicable to all entertainment such as professional fighting, wrestling, football, basketball, hockey and any other form of entertainment with the possibility of blood or Other Potentially Infectious Material (OPIM) exposure. In light of this reasoning, Deen said, “You can’t pick and choose how to enforce the law. Cal/OSHA knows that section 5193 is not designed to protect entertainment workers. If the government is choosing to say that 5193 applies to the adult entertainment industry, then they are also saying that it must apply to all sports and entertainment.”
Deen has been vocal about the unfair persecution of the adult industry and he thinks this is an unexpected and important step forward in the fight towards equal treatment of sex workers everywhere. While both the adult film and professional fighting industries require their performers to undergo testing for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and the like, only the adult industry is being fined and reprimanded under section 5193.
When asked, Deen was adamant that the adult entertainment industry does not want to be exempt from regulations. His comments echo that of many in the adult industry from the February 2016 Cal/OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board meeting where Cal/OSHA’s own standards board decided to vote against adopting a vertical regulation that would make section 5193 more specific to the adult entertainment industry.
“I’m not saying I want our industry to have zero regulations,” he explained. “The workers in the adult entertainment industry have never said that. However, we are saying that we want to see proper regulations that actually benefit and protect us as entertainment workers.”
“In light of this reasoning, Deen said, “You can’t pick and choose how to enforce the law.” I don’t think that’s the kind of argument that will win people over in our lifetimes. As I told JD’s representative in the XBiz forums, he’s opening a serious can of worms that will likely backfire. That JD further states in the press release how “I’m not saying I want our industry to have zero regulations,” he explained. “The workers in the adult entertainment industry have never said that.” is just digging in deeper. I wish him well but hope he doesn’t spark… Read more »
I doubt Deen thinks past lunchtime…
James Deen is one of the male performers I’m tired to see and hear. Wasn’t he accused of raping many girls in the industry? ¬¬