This is from the Daily Iowan, for the dumb ones, that’s a paper out of Iowa 🙂
Bipartisanship seems more and more like a fantasy these days. It seems Republicans and Democrats would rather butt heads for rhetorical points than make any meaningful attempts at compromise or progress. While meaningful ideological differences justify some of these clashes, a wide majority are simply just petty; for example, the continued delay on Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland’s confirmation.
So it feels shocking that the Republican Party and Democratic Party in California are in agreement on anything, let alone a piece of legislation concerning the porn industry. Proposition 60 mandates the use of condoms during all on-screen intercourse, as well as requiring production companies to pay for performers’ vaccinations, testing, and medical exams. On the surface, this seems like a strong move to protect sex workers’ health and hold porn producers accountable for the well-being of their employees. Proposition 60 is based on Los Angeles’s Measure B, approved in 2012, to do the same thing on a local level and would essentially expand Measure B statewide. If passed, Proposition 60 would be in a position to be the template for nationwide legislation regarding the porn industry.
So why do both major parties in California oppose Proposition 60? In the official California voter’s guide, the primary argument against Prop 60 is that what it says it will do and what it will actually do are two wildly different things. Opponents argue that the wording of the initiative opens performers up to a variety of liabilities with regard to lawsuits.
Essentially, Prop 60 gives not only the state but also all private citizens of California the right to directly sue performers, on-set crews, and porn distributors, as well as production companies, if they see a violation of the law. In other terms, any of California’s 38 million residents is entitled to sue basically anyone associated with a given production, including cable, satellite, and Internet providers. And because films of any variety take a long time from filming to commercial release, scenes shot before the law takes effect will still be in a legally gray area, despite the money and time already invested.
More critically, Prop 60 is actually opposed by the vast majority of porn performers in the state of California and beyond. Supporters of Prop 60 can talk all they like about the various health organizations that support them (it’s worth noting roughly as many oppose them), but without the support of performers, Prop 60 can’t be considered viable.
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