US: California shelves law to ban bareback porn
The California Senate has shelved a law that would have banned the filming of bareback porn in the state.
The measure would have made condom use mandatory for all pornographic studios, with film-makers required to provide documentation to show that condoms had been used.
However, the bill today failed to make it past the Senate Appropriations Committee, stalling indefinitely.
Democrat Isadore Hall said: “It is unfortunate that some legislators don’t believe that protection should include keeping California actors safe while they are at work.”
LA County passed a similar ordinance in November 2012, banned the filming of bareback sex in the city, which has traditionally been a haven for porn studios.
Despite the huge fall in official shoots, it is likely that the regulation simply forced studios underground.
Hall’s chief of staff, Terry Schanz, told Bloomberg that he will attempt to resurrect the bill next year.
Porn industry advocate Diane Duke, of the Free Speech Coalition said: “Out of this grows a stronger industry, one not unintimidated by harassment campaigns like AB1576.
“The battle is not actually over, for we must always work to make sure our productions are safe and legal, that our performers have a strong voice in their own sexual health, and that we keep a thriving industry in California.”
No incident of an actor being infected with HIV on a porn set has been reported since 2004.
