Blackballed for Being Responsible
(Photo: lalate.com)
Jan Meza was willing to work. All she wanted was working conditions that wouldn’t permanently disable or kill her. But the California adult entertainment industry responded by running her out of town. If you find Jan Meza borrowing money for car loans, know that she’s a lot like you. She wants to be happy, she wants to get around town and she knows that Personal Money Store can help. She also wants to have sexual intercourse on film, provided the conditions don’t endanger her life.
OK, maybe that last part is different than most of us. But shouldn’t Jan Meza have the right to practice her chosen trade without facing debilitating or even deadly diseases?
Complaint filed with CalOSHA
The Associated Press reports that the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, on behalf of former adult entertainment stars like Jan Meza, has filed complaints with California state officials against 16 separate adult film production companies that depict unprotected sex in their films. The action was filed with CalOSHA, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, on the grounds that the practice is an extreme health risk due to sexually transmitted diseases.
“We will not stop until there is a policy of requiring condoms to be used in porn,” said AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein in a statement.
Providing a safe work environment
Current U.S. law states that “adult film actors must prove they have tested negative for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases within 30 days of going to work on a film,” reports the AP. You can see the problem here. Is that 30 days BEFORE going to work, or within a 30-day period after filming begins? If an adult entertainment worker knows they’re infected and doesn’t want to spread word, can’t you see the more selfish among them keeping it to themselves? I can. I can also see criminal prosecution, and they’d deserve it, depending upon the severity of their sexually transmitted disease.
Speaking of any industry, Dean Fryer of CalOSHA said that workers are required to reduce the risk of transmitting disease whenever there is a “possibility of transmission of fluids.” In some cases, that could be blood, in others saliva or… other discharges.
“The employers of porn actors are required to provide a safe and healthy work environment,” Fryer said.
Larry Flint says people want it barebacked
Hustler publisher Larry Flynt told The Associated Press that “people who enjoy viewing adult films do not want to see people using condoms.” So Larry, does that mean that you and your audience condone the spread of diseases that can kill?
Companies like Hustler Video, Maverick Entertainment, Vivid and others named in the complaint are part of a multibillion-dollar industry. Some producers claim the industry would leave California if condom use became mandatory. Do you think that industry will suddenly become unprofitable if some people who don’t want to see condoms jump ship? I don’t think so. I do think you’re a greedy and irresponsible. At least you support monthly testing. But what if production happens to fall between the testing dates? What if a star with HIV passes it on? Is profit still more important to you in that scenario, Larry?
“You’ll never work in this town again!”
It has been said that there are people who receive their sex education from watching adult films. While it sounds like a built-in adolescent excuse, I can see where it could theoretically be possible. Of course it is still fantasy of a kind, and young people shouldn’t necessarily expect to hear guitars with wah-wah pedals in the background their first time. But if people are using these films for educational purposes, then responsible, life-preserving behavior should be encouraged.
That’s the position former actress Jan Meza takes. When she entered the industry in 2006, she asked about the use of condoms and was told that they were verboten.
“I was told that I would never get work again,” said Meza. But she did continue to work until 2007, and she had herpes to show for it. Now she works for a charity that helps performers transition out of the industry.
Medical files up for grabs
CalOSHA has taken proactive steps to secure proof that the danger in California’s adult film industry is very real. This included a surprise visit to the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation in the San Fernando Valley. It is known that at least one actress tested positive for HIV there recently. Their attempt to access medical records is currently being ruled on by the court. It seems that the American Civil Liberties Union is seeking an injunction to prevent CalOSHA from accessing those files.
“Our elected officials and our government are treating the young people who are performing in these films as trash that don’t deserve protection,” Michael Weinstein said. Currently, no California legislators have agreed to sponsor the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s move to mandate condom use in adult films.
Safety is American
Apply Now!
Workers in any American industry deserve a safe working environment. Jan Meza and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation aren’t asking for anything unreasonable. If the adult entertainment industry is concerned about seeming reputable at all, they should do the right thing. The money will still be there, which is clearly what drives them. Borrowing money for car loans may not be on the minds of the executives, but what about the former stars who have left the industry because their health is more important to them than money, open sores and respiratory failure?
Related Video:
