By Susan Abram of L.A.’s Daily News
The adult film industry failed to come together and acted too slowly to fight against a Los Angeles County measure that made condoms in porn mandatory, those who work in the X-rated and erotica sector said Thursday.
The acknowledgement by performers and filmmakers came during a panel discussion on the issue on the second day of the XBIZ 360 conference held in Hollywood.
Since 2012, latex has obstructed the adult film industry’s ability to produce some pornographic material after Measure B won voter approval. The Los Angeles County law requires performers to use condoms while shooting intimate scenes, over the objections of those who work in the industry. They have argued their own testing standards for sexually transmitted drugs works better.
Christian Mann, the general manager of the production company Evil Angel, said the industry should have spent more money fighting against supporters of Measure B, and especially against the way the performers were being portrayed to the public.
“It’s clear to me that the method that was used to get this on the ballot was disingenuous and dishonest and I really think we already lost when it got on the ballot,” said Mann, who is a board member of the Free Speech Coalition, the trade association for the industry.
Christian Mann (courtesy Twitter @EvilCSM)
“I do believe if we had gotten involved sooner, before it got on to the ballot we could have won,” Mann said.
Read more about the Measure B mandatory condoms campaign
Yeah, well, I told them so. I told them so about a year before any of this shit happened. This isn’t hindsight on their part. it’s an admission that they blew it. They should have challenged the petitions (many of which were collected under false pretenses) that got the thing on the ballot. They should not have hired a Republican consultant to run an electoral campaign in an overwhelmingly Democratic, pro-labor, pro-regulation city. They should not have had company heads do the talking, emphasizing economic issues that mean zip to a city this size. They should have put performers out… Read more »