tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83853929633478571342024-03-13T04:08:04.275-05:00Blog of Pro-Porn ActivismA sanctuary for supporters of sexual free expression and the adult sexual media. Renegade Evolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17905949172886730262noreply@blogger.comBlogger493125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-25587978244721555062015-03-10T21:10:00.001-05:002015-03-10T21:10:50.649-05:00Jewish Currents Says: "Happy Birthday to Nina!"Spank me if you must, but I am a victim of Spock Shock.<br />
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Having been major-league distracted by the death of Leonard Nimoy - my childhood idol, inspirer of America's first female-authored hard-core porn ("slash"), nude photographer of plus-sized women - I forgot that today was Nina Hartley's birthday.<br />
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But you know who did NOT forget? Jewish Currents magazine, that's who! In their Jewdayo daily feature (inspired by Harry Belafonte's classic 'Dayo'), they hit the nail on the head 650 times:<br />
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<span style="color: #003b3a;">SPRING'S A-COMIN'!</span> </div>
Please watch our editor's two-minute video version<br />of "Jewish Lunacy" at</span> <span style="color: black;">our</span> <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NPaUbBs7A_j2dMooJADAbf9FD-i6qRcisjQ6_P0ZTFo69unczLcXx1Cgsl4JygmJ3otEmQkY1RdXKFrn64KvNlBN5bJXlzhrOfQiMa5UUwPbhUeWQ5epjZe3c9QNWjBC_mqLVfaY1uy1Joq97W6TDzDOnlBEaLFKU2bueymeTsyWuCqXhGkmOkjUbciKDtTp-kDns2rxepU=&c=TbOJluw5ez7UTg3rBxSHmGRT1SKAPWOt6-9SHLn7MK9nTsVlZ6PFvA==&ch=xkNJG61PG5TMc9ZYSx0uS7bIob5H9B7y7d8TiKgsoEawEAAF4OghJQ==" shape="rect" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">multi-media </a><span style="color: black;"><strong>room</strong>.</span></strong><strong align="center"><br /> And check out these resources for your Passover preparations,<br />only $5 each at our <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NPaUbBs7A_j2dMooJADAbf9FD-i6qRcisjQ6_P0ZTFo69unczLcXx79pEeiZLhu95j8IJzZTMbkZbzRfFuTcS2MsEsyDfA07xyqYbVt92hXsQLfPovZpN-SnSwLffmA5N-cl2Rlf2ZGZT8nMsm5Q8ZdMafqfwk75RSkJ3nLGI8P7MdoMLRbg5tJV_nCyV-l7oI_fuVXLR9qeN12glD4dyOFtYl_rMXqd6xi0KpO4YwH87vSFn8GU2Q==&c=TbOJluw5ez7UTg3rBxSHmGRT1SKAPWOt6-9SHLn7MK9nTsVlZ6PFvA==&ch=xkNJG61PG5TMc9ZYSx0uS7bIob5H9B7y7d8TiKgsoEawEAAF4OghJQ==" shape="rect" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">Pushcart</a>:<br /><br /><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NPaUbBs7A_j2dMooJADAbf9FD-i6qRcisjQ6_P0ZTFo69unczLcXx8P45J--vcv5mlkteUftCJzwalBsac-mX8OGDF0YrDdzsDxIM3ImJTEd5_wdQ091rXAia5wXrgLL2uSG5upxjCMZfsGbsE7lWTlSKf42iPCEQV2ZdFU2LhTrZsVfiFvdG5riLJUttToX_IAWQ7adzTQhtxFaJoW-I1UCBXAcBam_D1wt-ideRKg83aKG4xgDqi4K3fKas-gRcPOptm9AsQZFRglXpzicgz-DWhNF1oXZ&c=TbOJluw5ez7UTg3rBxSHmGRT1SKAPWOt6-9SHLn7MK9nTsVlZ6PFvA==&ch=xkNJG61PG5TMc9ZYSx0uS7bIob5H9B7y7d8TiKgsoEawEAAF4OghJQ==" shape="rect" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><img align="left" border="0" class="CToWUd" height="193" hspace="5" name="14c0616d0b7b2598_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.1594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEj_h_Ho5eERbgiF521_IziZ9ce9arIi8YEn5DqKm9UffVBbc33ZTwBIk5lmYdE9JxQhdIhCCVl240rbS0PxqRbDyeVRYUkLcimkVN5pwtYVAec4LX2IHhDSvdZwQW8rATP7lgcDoKEsYpnTCnBW22boppRTFbsAje-PrhwXumgLVjnoU_BzFNe5vtbJxBg=s0-d-e1-ft" vspace="5" width="268" /></a><br /><div>
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Porn actress and entrepreneur Nina Hartley (Marie Louise Hartman) was born to communist parents in California on this date in 1959. Her mother was Jewish, from Alabama, her father Lutheran -- and both became Buddhists. Hartley was studying to be a registered nurse when she entered into adult films in 1984; she achieved her nursing license, but with 650 porn films on her resumé, she's mostly used porn rather than medicine to "heal the sick." Hartley has described herself as a socialist and a sex-positive feminist, and is an outspoken defender of the industry in which she's made her career. If you're in it "for the wrong reasons," she says, "it's going to hurt your spirit. That's where the religious right is correct." But porn, she argues, provides a righteous and well-paid career for women who are highly sexed and free-spirited, and women in the business have high status and clout. Hartley has appeared at hundreds of feminist, free speech, show biz, and porn-industry venues; she sees herself as a sex educator and liberationist. "</div>
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Sex isn't something men do to you," she says. "It isn't something men get out of you. Sex is something you dive into with gusto and like it every bit as much as he does." To see her giving a talk about communication and generosity in bed, click <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NPaUbBs7A_j2dMooJADAbf9FD-i6qRcisjQ6_P0ZTFo69unczLcXx3xM04g0bhNLJtFcbJ2OtkAj2fDHlEtH8779tC4U71IUZdIk7cSGpSRovY-gK76DOHg1tGTu96jaCf3pNU8znXr29ICYz6qHJLIDo07fH8mi5XvMKu7R70cQaKvosfSl0ArbIIvOYBkbOQfE1ADK3ono3AJlbA4qS5dTewzZvrSNU9yLWTeOx12v5UUSFF-IOw==&c=TbOJluw5ez7UTg3rBxSHmGRT1SKAPWOt6-9SHLn7MK9nTsVlZ6PFvA==&ch=xkNJG61PG5TMc9ZYSx0uS7bIob5H9B7y7d8TiKgsoEawEAAF4OghJQ==" shape="rect" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">here</a> and scroll down. To read her talking with Sheldon Ranz about porn and Jews (in <em>Shmate</em> magazine, way back when), click<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NPaUbBs7A_j2dMooJADAbf9FD-i6qRcisjQ6_P0ZTFo69unczLcXx3xM04g0bhNL8fnHxMxjTXSI3ze-sEbZrg8EEvumOFV0m1QQzKo_GPB8SqWpUTCI_-JYF2P8ofW-aqd_RtHyC2rv75p4rkY831LM672hVtRXxd8nuFzICmXgE81bYpcd8NH2AsbbeBRVhBWzmA6f_AMg8yPdmYGLlCdisGfIRF7hxvKhzHA-b91gZqN6Yufe4Cbn-eSslmRefWZsjIs9Or8_uk5iJQkLxYSp8ZDGwZNk&c=TbOJluw5ez7UTg3rBxSHmGRT1SKAPWOt6-9SHLn7MK9nTsVlZ6PFvA==&ch=xkNJG61PG5TMc9ZYSx0uS7bIob5H9B7y7d8TiKgsoEawEAAF4OghJQ==" shape="rect" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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"The drawback of being in the adult entertainment business is that mainstream culture does not take me seriously. They don't take my ideas about sex seriously.... They still think that they get to point and judge. They still think they know something about me ... and conclude that I must be mentally ill, I must have had a bad childhood, I must be unhappy ..." --Nina Hartley</div>
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Want to comment? <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NPaUbBs7A_j2dMooJADAbf9FD-i6qRcisjQ6_P0ZTFo69unczLcXx3xM04g0bhNLWVE-lrSx8lAoom8luNcS52NksvjBtGhbM5SPxUYwXhis_CF8i_xM_9VKzEkBGot3BK8wuAb6x47yIkuxoLGovp2Ov0T6wQgz4lHuu9TBVPTQkA8o9dq_u_UHWfHOi7W7HDmICmeY6KTzAaRsEKY-FN55OdmcAKKNLE3QqDt3TIiAdfSyxpWZYR8iiaE2n_Hk&c=TbOJluw5ez7UTg3rBxSHmGRT1SKAPWOt6-9SHLn7MK9nTsVlZ6PFvA==&ch=xkNJG61PG5TMc9ZYSx0uS7bIob5H9B7y7d8TiKgsoEawEAAF4OghJQ==" shape="rect" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">Click here</a>.</div>
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<strong>On this Jewdayo in 2014: </strong></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">
<strong><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NPaUbBs7A_j2dMooJADAbf9FD-i6qRcisjQ6_P0ZTFo69unczLcXxxlBPZ5l67M1lGqcesr8AXS-jbOXQCq9Ss33pL3jCJKq4CqtbICiYF4wqazONFy12RvYA5nUcohvvglvRZSlqAvf3bc_kU5DJgnAO-36hOz5NrmmHKdXbciFV_JoShd_HW2vOkqUJp2gALb-SFKku6tAKD8WKnTrJA==&c=TbOJluw5ez7UTg3rBxSHmGRT1SKAPWOt6-9SHLn7MK9nTsVlZ6PFvA==&ch=xkNJG61PG5TMc9ZYSx0uS7bIob5H9B7y7d8TiKgsoEawEAAF4OghJQ==" shape="rect" style="color: black;" target="_blank">Ezra Jack Keats</a> (with video) </strong></div>
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<strong>On this Jewdayo in 2013:</strong></div>
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<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NPaUbBs7A_j2dMooJADAbf9FD-i6qRcisjQ6_P0ZTFo69unczLcXxyPuFs3GyL-CKI4YIG-7GR_TKZWSVmCpKxO7EES8nC_a55TT9ssYBKijLoYWOjkjnlJs3YVlWn6A2pLDCRrS7gEJcWSR6u_SDLQVMY5IDhoco0fAQKKziHfxEABF2CI4wKUTGtUnMLLUSv4wQLGoflqLwBtR2MyFA5utiBjyEMTg&c=TbOJluw5ez7UTg3rBxSHmGRT1SKAPWOt6-9SHLn7MK9nTsVlZ6PFvA==&ch=xkNJG61PG5TMc9ZYSx0uS7bIob5H9B7y7d8TiKgsoEawEAAF4OghJQ==" shape="rect" style="color: black;" target="_blank">Reconstructionism's Gay-Affirmative Policies</a></div>
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<span style="color: maroon;"><strong>On this Jewdayo in 2012:</strong></span></div>
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<strong><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NPaUbBs7A_j2dMooJADAbf9FD-i6qRcisjQ6_P0ZTFo69unczLcXxyPuFs3GyL-CB9-OTe9xKQaMAGRs_isuL5e9BO6DVYVLqKKoxXU86AsNjhE0kwOgcjwxP5XHfCJ0DXe9uP-ZBjNSzKYPdlojlPNq2i4njFQcdEeIvOXNmG_PhiFsAxV7PooJQS2uD5i0DRyN9Lr_PRSbyAeRgEamu3btBolmIZHy&c=TbOJluw5ez7UTg3rBxSHmGRT1SKAPWOt6-9SHLn7MK9nTsVlZ6PFvA==&ch=xkNJG61PG5TMc9ZYSx0uS7bIob5H9B7y7d8TiKgsoEawEAAF4OghJQ==" shape="rect" style="color: black;" target="_blank">The Hanafi Muslim Siege</a><div style="color: maroon;">
On This Jewdayo in 2011:<br /><div style="color: black;">
<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NPaUbBs7A_j2dMooJADAbf9FD-i6qRcisjQ6_P0ZTFo69unczLcXx5vSFmhjCuTzelyRP5Ldi3HSK1HSZO3nv0ZuZuV-hOuFTIrvXkcFO9FZZqNEi5nvZ7lgk-43iC2PCiEWIBtBQ3Ft0cnw8kEGQ87mlf2Yjs3F1SZQngxpb2T3dCYWHop2r8QTpgUhKGeuotV6HkVKnNO7copuuRygRg==&c=TbOJluw5ez7UTg3rBxSHmGRT1SKAPWOt6-9SHLn7MK9nTsVlZ6PFvA==&ch=xkNJG61PG5TMc9ZYSx0uS7bIob5H9B7y7d8TiKgsoEawEAAF4OghJQ==" shape="rect" style="color: black;" target="_blank">The Roxie Theater</a></div>
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Sheldon Ranzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458885781941849341noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-2093967826388782872015-02-16T07:46:00.000-06:002015-02-16T07:46:02.804-06:00Because Porn Women Are People Too: Support Cytherea's Recovery Through You CaringI would have hoped that once I removed the widget for Christy Mack's donation drive for recovery from War Machine's abuse, it would be the last time I'd have to reference an assault on a sex worker/performer. Sad to say, though, once again I have to come forth with a plea for supporting one of our sheroes.<br />
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Cytherea was a very popular adult performer in the late 90's and early 2000's, known originally as "Squirtwoman" due to her propensity for major gushing of her....shall we say, her lady pleasure juices. She retired from feature performing in the mid 2000's to pursue a more normal "soccer MILF" life.<br />
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Unfortunately, that life took a viciously tragic turn last month, when a group of thugs broke into her home while she and her family were present. Cytherea was badly beaten and sexually assaulted (yes, that means she was raped); and her home was robbed of several valuables.<br />
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The perpetrators of the robbery/assault <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/cytherea-rape-case-update-new-details-suspects-charged-adults-no-bail/">have been apprehended</a> and are currently awaiting trial; but the aftereffects of their attack have seriously affected Cytherea both personally and financially. Hence, <a href="http://www.youcaring.com/emergency-fundraiser/help-get-cytherea-back-on-her-feet/305446#.VNu5-ip9OEE">a fundraising drive has been established</a> through the site YouCaring.com by close friend/current performer Joclyn Stone, with the backing of TRPWL.<br />
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In addition, other performers have rallied in support of Cytherea as well: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheMercedesXXX">Mercedes Carrera</a>, known mostly as one of the fast rising porn girls as much as for her past educational achievements, is dedicating all of the proceeds of her camshows for this week to Cytherea's recovery fund. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z85GQF9--s&feature=youtu.be">Her announcement of this on her YouTube channel</a> also includes a biting rant at what she sees as the silence of feminists in supporting sex workers who are victims of assault. Here's her rant, taken before tonight's camshow:<br />
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In support and solidarity for Cytherea, I have added a widget for her fundraiser to the sidebar of this blog's home page. Please, y'allz...give whatever you can to help her.<br />
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Also....here's Cytherea <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAsd6vG1zuY">giving her thanks</a> to all who have and will contribute (from <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/video-cytherea-thanks-fans-love-support/">TRPWL</a>):<br />
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May she get a full recovery, and the perpetrators of her assault get the justice they deserve.<br />
Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-25309298167361111692014-12-31T02:11:00.000-06:002014-12-31T02:26:58.038-06:00HIV Porn Panic Returneth: The Latest HIV Gay Porn Scare, And The AHF/CalOSHA Attempt To Stoke Peak BS For Their Condom MandateWell...2014 was indeed the year of the attempted HIV Porn Scare, with the AB 1576 campaign going down in flames before the California State Senate....but I did say then that it would not be the last attempt by those wanting to impose condoms on porn shoots to attempt to shake the hive.<br />
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And this week, they almost got their panic. Almost, that is.<br />
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This whole story starts in September of this year, where an unnamed gay porn performer somehow managed to score a shoot in a gay video in Nevada while he was HIV+, and managed to infect at least one other gay performer in the process. Note the qualifier here: a <b><i>gay</i></b> shoot. Bookmark that one, really, because it will come in quite handy later on.<br />
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<i>Update: After further review of CDPH's alert, I rephrase that last paragraph: the original performer had tested negative, then performed unprotected in two shoots within the two week period where he unintentionally infected at least one other performer. Still, the question remains of the length of time between his last negative test and the shoot, as well as how he got infected to begin with. Also, the second performer was infected in a subsequent shoot, not the original.</i><br />
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Now, the second performer was ultimately confirmed to have gotten infected in spite of confirmation that he had been tested and cleared of HIV previously prior to the fateful shoot. No confirmation yet, though, has been made of how soon either performer was tested prior to shooting that scene; but it was confirmed that the test used was the more traditional ELISA antibody test. That's the HIV test that is 100% accurate when the antibodies are present, but also with a latency period of nearly 3 to 6 months where the antibodies can mask themselves in the bloodstream during seroconversion without detection. Bookmark that fact, too.<br />
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And remember, all this took place in September. Yet, it wasn't until THIS WEEK, that California's Department of Public Health managed to put out a public alert warning people about this transmission of HIV. Three months, y'allz. Here's a screenshot of the alert; the original is available from the CDPH website as <a href="http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohb/Documents/OccHIVinAFI.pdf">a PDF file</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7894fwpzgYB1ccLJ1A7UbuJtZAqk2m3muZ-eJsGHYkMhpvN9RwJWUSp03A_DMPm5uVBKxiZox5zAGJYNY-eHCmqRJb8yblVZytbboRbz89DNwZM2lpp6IAKtDoqfjssRhyphenhyphenI5qXtItMI/s1600/CalOSHAHealthAlertOnHIVGayPornShootScare.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7894fwpzgYB1ccLJ1A7UbuJtZAqk2m3muZ-eJsGHYkMhpvN9RwJWUSp03A_DMPm5uVBKxiZox5zAGJYNY-eHCmqRJb8yblVZytbboRbz89DNwZM2lpp6IAKtDoqfjssRhyphenhyphenI5qXtItMI/s1600/CalOSHAHealthAlertOnHIVGayPornShootScare.png" height="640" width="492" /></a></div>
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A few hours after that was released, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (that's right, folks, they're still at it, even after their legislation was booted out of the Cali State Senate) released <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20141229005691/en/AHF-California-Porn-Actor-Infected-Adult-Film#.VKIYTJ0M0k">this press statement</a> essentially declaring their usual total victory in the condom mandate fight. Then again, Michael Weinstein is not known for avoiding microphones when it warrants his greed.<br />
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Some high/lowlights of the peak bullshit spewing from AHF's "statement":<br />
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<blockquote style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">
LOS ANGELES--(<span itemid="http://www.businesswire.com" itemprop="provider publisher copyrightHolder" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Organization"><span itemprop="name"><a href="http://www.businesswire.com/" itemprop="url" rel="nofollow" style="color: #79a2bd; text-decoration: none;">BUSINESS WIRE</a></span></span>)--In a <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdph.ca.gov%2Fprograms%2Fohb%2FDocuments%2FOccHIVinAFI.pdf&esheet=51010573&newsitemid=20141229005691&lan=en-US&anchor=report&index=1&md5=6fb0eef41b8f85763c86370f3bcda7e3" rel="nofollow" style="color: #79a2bd; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">report</a> released earlier today, the California Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Branch says that it has documented the on-set transmission of an HIV infection from an adult film performer thought to be working out of state (in Nevada) to another performer the individual worked with. The case involves a male performer who was filmed performing with other male performers. The newly infected individual initially tested HIV-negative in California after what was on–set exposure out of state (shooting films without condoms or protective barriers); however, two weeks later, the individual in question then tested HIV-positive. In mid-October, the Free Speech Coalition (FSC), the adult industry trade group, instituted a <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.xbiz.com%2Fnews%2Fnews_piece.php%3Fid%3D186589%26mi%3Dall%26q%3Dmoratorium&esheet=51010573&newsitemid=20141229005691&lan=en-US&anchor=moratorium&index=2&md5=ff094aa541861a7f9044e067979433c9" rel="nofollow" style="color: #79a2bd; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">moratorium</a> on adult industry filming due to reports of an industry-related infection—due to what is most likely this latest HIV case. The filming ban was lifted by the FSC the following week.</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">
“This is not AHF or supporters of condoms claiming that an HIV transmission occurred on the set of an adult film. This is California’s Department of Public Health and OSHA Occupational Health officials who vetted the performers' blood samples with the CDC and concluded after genetic sequencing that this HIV infection occurred on set,” said<b>Michael Weinstein</b>, President of <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aidshealth.org&esheet=51010573&newsitemid=20141229005691&lan=en-US&anchor=AIDS+Healthcare+Foundation&index=4&md5=755552bdbd73e21a8cab4f5fc432258b" rel="nofollow" style="color: #79a2bd; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">AIDS Healthcare Foundation</a> (AHF). “For years adult film producers have claimed that performers who have tested HIV-positive while working in the industry did not contract HIV in the industry, but became infected through exposure in their personal lives outside and away from adult film sets. This new case puts truth to the lie that the industry has promoted year-after-year, years that sadly saw several additional performers infected while working in the porn industry.”California health officials confirmed the on-set transmission after sending blood samples to the <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov&esheet=51010573&newsitemid=20141229005691&lan=en-US&anchor=Centers+for+Disease+Control+%28CDC&index=3&md5=9b67cc0684c5cca4959c8a70b43fd9bd" rel="nofollow" style="color: #79a2bd; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control (CDC</a>), which genetically sequenced (genotyping and phenotyping) the virus found in the performers involved, and matched it to an adult film actor the infected performer worked with.<span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">
The adult film industry concedes that it did have three (3) confirmed on–set transmissions in 2004 after a male performer who had worked in adult films in South America returned to the U.S. and resumed filming adult films in Los Angeles—subsequently infecting three female partners on set.</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">
Since 2004 there have been numerous other cases of performers testing HIV-positive while working in California’s porn industry, including cases in 2010 (Derrick Burts) and 2013 (Cameron Bay and Rod Daily). However, despite the largest-ever OSHA fines levied against the adult film industry in the Cameron Bay case, porn producers continue the spin that these individuals did not contract HIV on set in the industry, but in their personal lives.</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">
“There is no proof that any of these HIV infections over the past decade have not occurred on set other that the porn industry’s word, with the general public and health officials relying on the industry’s own self-reporting,” added Weinstein. “This is a tragic repeat of last year, and of 2010 as well as previous years. Won't we ever learn?”</blockquote>
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Pretty much the usual Whinesteinian boilerplate distortion...and still way, way, way off.</div>
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Nevertheless, other outlets picked up on the story with the same distortion: <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/316f727ef9bf450fa99e67b1c6c1f3c8/alert-issued-after-likely-hiv-porn-set-infection">the Associated Press wrote a versio</a>n that conveniently reprinted AHF's version of the truth, which got picked up by such esteemed online media outlets like Gawker and the Guardian.</div>
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And even Shelley Lubben's Pink Cross Foundation ministry couldn't avoid piling on with <a href="https://www.thepinkcross.org/pinkcross-blogs/not-so-happy-new-year-porn-industry">their own touchdown dance</a>, either.</div>
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Problem with all this is: they only got one side of the story. Here's what they missed:</div>
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Remember when I said that the affair took place in a gay male porn shoot in Nevada? With only gay male performers? Well, in case you forgot: in early October, some health care authorities investigating that particular case alerted the Free Speech Coalition that there was a possibility that the infected performer may have crossed swords (so to speak) with an active "straight" performer whom had used the far more stringent testing protocols used via FSC's PASS system. The PASS system uses a far more accurate and far more effective test, Aptima, for detecting HIV. Unlike ELISA, Aptima can detect traces of the HIV virus within 6-10 days of initial serotransmission. That's 6-10 DAYS, not 3- 6 MONTHS like ERISA. </div>
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The response by the FSC was <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/3-day-moratorium-called/">to declare on October 15th an immediate 3-day moratorium</a> on porn production (later extended an additional 2 days) while the active performer was tested along with all of his first-generation contacts since his last clean test. This is the standard protocol for all of FSCPASS' testing whenever there is a threat of infection.</div>
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Thankfully, that active performer and his contacts were found to be free of HIV or any other known STD; and on October 20th, the FSC <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/official-fsc-statement-lifting-production-hold/">lifted the moratorium</a> and allowed production to resume.</div>
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The fact that no "straight" performer had been infected by this action, or the fact that even the contact had taken place in a venue that didn't adhere to FSCPASS protocols, must have been known to CalOSHA staff when they issued that "alert" last Monday, right?? RIGHT???</div>
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At least Weinstein's rantage can be excused by his one-sided moralism and his greed for condom dollars. But, what the hell is CalOSHA's and CDPH's excuse? Have they allowed Weinstein and AHF to anally fist them (figuratively speaking, of course) so much that AHF is now running their department? If this is any precursor of <a href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2013/10/measure-b-was-only-missile-calosha.html">the rules for "barrier protection"</a> that they want to impose on adult production nationwide, then the industry is really farked beyond rescue.</div>
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Then there is this claim by AHF in their "statement" that the second performer was in fact tested and found negative prior to that shoot, and that fact blows away the excuses of the anti-condom mandate crowd. Right....sure...really. If the test was an ELISA test as it probably was, then the question remains: how long was P#2 (or even P#1) tested before shooting? </div>
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More importantly, for my benefit: was the shoot condom optional, as most gay shoots are now, due to the essential bargin made to hire and shoot not only bareback porn, but also porn featuring HIV+ performers? If condoms were indeed available, why didn't either performer take the necessary precautions? Hell, even Cameron Bay was actually offered a condom in that infamous Kink.com shoot. (And need I remind you that AHF booster Derrick Burts was infected in a condom-only shoot in Florida??)</div>
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Maybe this post will get through as fast as all the AHF/CDPH propaganda bullshit has..or not. In any case, someone needs to wake up and deliver the whole story behind this before it metasizes into another condom mandate scam.<br />
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<i>See also <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/hiv-reports-out-of-vegas-are-from-october-shutdown/">this article</a> over at The Real Porn Wikileaks, and <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/recent-dph-report-addresses-non-compliant-state-shoot-september/">this FSC statement released yesterday</a> clearing up the entire issue of FSCPASS protocols being used, misused, and abused by AHF and CDPH.</i></div>
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Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-26204356142318777842014-10-21T04:41:00.000-05:002014-10-21T04:41:08.662-05:00Sigh....Another Month, Another HIV Porn Scare, And Another False Flag I know....the blog has been kinda sparse of late, because of both a lack of news and my night job interfering with my ability to post on issues. My sincere apologies for that.<br />
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This past week, though, was more than enough to break out of the mothballs with yet another potential HIV scare delivered at the adult media industry. Fortunately, like most of the previous scares, it has a somewhat happy ending, but not without its controversy.<br />
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On this last Wednesday, the Free Speech Coalition stunned the industry with <a href="http://fscblogger.wordpress.com/2014/10/15/free-speech-coalition-calls-three-day-production-hold-on-adult-film/">a rushed announcement</a> that a "precautionary hold" on porn production would be imposed for three days, pending the outcome of testing for a possible HIV infection that may have took place outside of California. The semi-moratorium, shall we call it, was precipitated on an alert by an unidentified state health care official that a perfomer (probably ex-performer, though that status was unclear) that had been confirmed with HIV who didn't use the protocols of the PASS system of testing, might have had sexual contact off set with another performer who did regularly use the protocols. This triggered the usual procedure of testing both the current performer and all his first-generation contacts, as well as this "precautionary" moratorium as a stopgap.<br />
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Keep in mind, this is different from the usual procedure regarding FSCPASS protocols, where a full moratorium is declared whenever there is a positive or reactive HIV test, pending the results of confirmatory and first-gen tests. In this case, the semi-moratorium was declared as a precaution, so that testing of the individual performer and his recent contacts could commence. Since the Aptima tests that FSCPASS uses generally posts results in 48-72 hours, it was thought that 3 days would be enough of a period to perform the testing...hence, the brief length rather than the full 2-week moratorium.<br />
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The only fly in the ointment, figuratively speaking, was that one of the first-gen contacts of the performer was not originally available for testing due to being out of the state/country....so everything had to pushed forward through the weekend. Hence, <a href="http://fscblogger.wordpress.com/2014/10/17/update-production-hold-extended/">FSCPASS on Saturday announced</a> that the "semi-moratorium" had to be extended through Monday to tie up the loose ends. Michael Whiteacre of The Real Porn Wikileaks gives a thorough explanation of the reasons for the delay <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/why-production-halt-was-extended-to-monday/">here</a>, in response to critics.<br />
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Thankfully, everything seems to have turned out OK, because <a href="http://fscblogger.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/production-hold-lifted/">yesterday afternoon, FSCPASS announced</a> that everyone had been cleared, the performer pool had not been contaminated, and that the moratorium was officially lifted; allowing production to resume.<br />
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Nevertheless, there has been some grumbling from the usual sources that: either FSCPASS acted too soon to lift the moratorium before the risk could be fully accessed, because people can lie to officials about their sexual contacts; or all this was a ruse to fill FSC's coffers.<br />
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Personally, I have my own druthers that this was all a false flag campaign by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's usual groupies to contaminate the adult performer pool, and use the resulting fear to once again sell the condom mandate. The fact that AHF shill Isadore Hall used the brohaha to announce his intentions to run for a California State Senate seat (Hall is term-limited out of his current Assembly seat), is just a bit too coincidental. Also, Shelley Lubben has briefly diverted from her crusade miming Belle Knox to pass a comment about another "scare".<br />
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In any case, all's well that ends well....I'm guessing, though, this won't be the last attempt to game the system by far. Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-56164137030564452002014-08-29T19:20:00.000-05:002014-08-29T19:20:13.554-05:00Ahhhhh....OOPS!! (And Hallelujah!!!) Latest Performer Test Was False Positive; Moratorium LiftedFor those of you who were just itching to write more of your panic screeds about the latest HIV panic in porn due to a initial "reactive" test of a performer last Wednesday? Fire up your shredders, please.<br />
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The confirmatory tests came in today for the affected performer....and it all turned out to be...<b><i>a false positive</i></b>.<br />
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The original sample that produced the tainted results was retested; as well as a fresh sample. Both came up negative for HIV (and I suppose, the rest of the panel).<br />
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Also, all the 1st generation contacts of the performer who were tested came up negative as well.<br />
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With that, FSCPASS has closed the book on this "scare", and lifted the moratorium on production imposed on Wednesday.<br />
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Here's FSC's full announement:<br />
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<blockquote>
<i>Yesterday’s potentially positive HIV test by adult
performer was a false positive. The performer does not have HIV.
Additionally, the first generation performers who were tested
proactively have also come back negative. Production on adult film can
resume safely.</i><br />
<i>We understand that a moratorium is nerve-wracking for performers and
difficult for producers. However, it’s essential that when it comes to
performer safety, we err on the side of caution. We thank the producers,
performers, agents and doctors who worked together during this
difficult time for maintaining the moratorium, and for quickly helping
establish a list of first generation contacts. While this was a false
positive, it is always essential that we remain vigilant in concern to
performer health.<br /></i><br />
<i><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The moratorium and testing system has enabled us to prevent any transmission of HIV on an adult film set for over ten years</span>.
While opponents of the industry often use our periodic moratoriums as
evidence that adult sets are not safe, quite the opposite is true.
Moratoriums have and continue to enable us to prevent HIV from being
transmitted between adult performers.<br /></i><br />
<i>Again, we thank everyone who worked so diligently and concertedly to protect performers during this current moratorium.</i></blockquote>
So, once again, the FSCPASS system is proven to work. And, once again, certain town criers hoping for another crisis to push their agenda are wiping the egg off their face. AGAIN.<br />
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Either way, we can now exhale and celebrate. Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-16573745482416358632014-08-29T11:10:00.000-05:002014-08-29T11:14:28.035-05:00And Away We Go Again: Another Potential HIV Scare, Another Moratorium...Another Nail In The Coffin For Condomless Porn??<a href="http://fscblogger.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/production-moratorium-called-after-positive-hiv-test/">Here. We. Go. AGAIN.</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
(August 28, 2014) – Free Speech Coalition (FSC), the adult industry
trade association, called for a production moratorium today after one of
the testing facilities in its PASS testing system reported a possible
positive HIV test for an adult performer.<br />
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“There was a positive test at one of our testing centers.
Confirmatory tests are not yet back but we are taking every precaution
to protect performers and to determine if there’s been any threat to the
performer pool,” said FSC CEO Diane Duke.<br />
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“We take the health of our performers very seriously and felt that it
was better to err on the side of caution while we determine whether
anyone else may have been exposed.”<br />
The next steps will be to perform additional tests, determine a timeline, and identify any first generation partners.<br />
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“We want to make sure all performers are protected. The performers’ health and safety is the most important thing,” Duke added.<br />
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<b>As of this notice, FSC calls for all production to halt immediately, until further notice.</b></blockquote>
As this only broke yesterday afternoon, speculation is running rife about the identity of the affected performer, how or if she got infected (or whether or not this may be a false positive), and whether or not the impact of this new moratorium will be enough to undercut performer solidarity in favor of mandatory condoms. However, the following is known information, based on actual verifiable sources (and <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/information-adult-performer-preliminary-hiv-positive-test/">documented over at The Real Porn Wikileaks blog</a>):<br />
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1) The initial reactive test results were preliminary; confirmatory testing has been done on the affected performer and all her 1st-generation on-screen partners, with results due to be released later today at the earliest.<br />
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2) At least four major performers have been verified to be part of the 1st gen quarantine list, and have been tested. That does NOT mean that they are indeed infected, just that they have engaged with the performer most directly isolated. Since 2004, it should be noted, there has not been one case of any performer getting infected with HIV on set.<br />
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3) <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/information-adult-performer-preliminary-hiv-positive-test/">According to Michael Whiteacre over at TRPWL</a>, the affected performer is in her 30's, has performed for around a year in adult, has maintained a regular two-week testing regimen with FSCPASS (including a full panel of testing at the beginning of the month), and is romanticaly involved with another performer.<br />
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(<i>Per BPPA policy, we <b>do not</b> and <b>will NOT ever</b> reveal the name of any potentially infected performer or 1st gen partner without direct permission or until they themselves feel fit to reveal themselves publically. </i>Any attempt to reveal such info via comments or linkage on this blog will be immediately deleted and/or redacted.)<br />
<br />
<br />
Not surprisingly, all the usual peanut gallery rogues are at their loudest squawking tones about how this latest "infection" proves once and for all that only condoms can protect performers from HIV; and that the FSCPASS protocols are an abject failure for HIV prevention. Then again, they were pitching the same BS for the last two or three "outbreaks", and they were proven so wrong.<br />
<br />
At least this time, there are sane voices out there calling for calm and solidarity.....the newly formed performers' group <a href="http://www.apac-usa.com/">Adult Performers' Advocacy Committee (APAC)</a> released <a href="http://apac-usa.com/?p=221">a timely and well structured statement</a> on the latest scare that deserves reprinting in its entirity for its depth of common sense and reason in the face of the fear and psycho terror that must be affecting a lot of LA performers.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
APAC is requesting that all adult performers honor PASS’s
call for a moratorium and treat each other with compassion and respect
during this time.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
When an industry moratorium, especially one related to HIV, occurs,
performers are often concerned about their health, the health of their
co-workers, their financial security, and public perception of the porn
industry. Fear and mistrust are understandable reactions. Desire for
facts and belief in rumors when no facts are available are also
understandable reactions.<br />
<br />
The only facts available at this time are that a positive HIV result
has been reported to the FSC and that a call has been made to stop all
production while a confirmatory test is done.<br />
<br />
The Adult Performer Advocacy Committee’s mission is to support the
safety, happiness, and well-being of individual performers, and our
community. Therefore we stand against blaming specific performers for
contracting HIV, and we encourage them to take steps to ensure HIV-
negative scene partners are not exposed. We also firmly stand against
any homophobia (ie blaming “crossover” performers or gay studios) in a
time of industry moratorium.<br />
<br />
APAC is asking all performers to refrain from exchanging body fluids
during this moratorium. This includes girl-girl only performers, trans
performers, “gay” performers, queer performers, and “straight”
performers, and includes performers based out of Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami, New York, and anywhere else adult
productions are shot in the United States or with performers who have
recently been here. This also includes trade shoots and recreational
activities.<br />
<br />
The blending of gay and straight performers; transgender and
cisgender performers; queer, homo- and heterosexual sexualities; is an
increasing reality in our industry. There is no “gay” or straight”
industry, even if there are straight and gay audiences.<br />
<br />
HIV is not transmitted by gay people to straight people, it is
transmitted from a positive partner to a negative partner by very
specific sexual acts that are not specific to sexual orientation.<br />
<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">This request to honor the
current moratorium is made for the safety of our community as a whole
and for your safety. Regardless of your feelings towards the FSC or any
other entity in the adult film industry, we believe this is the right
thing to do</span>.<br />
<br />
APAC is also asking fellow performers to show compassion towards each
other and to our unnamed peer who is currently waiting for the results
of their confirmatory test. Their entire life has just been turned
upside down and shaken. Any one of us could be in that person’s shoes.
Think about what it might be like to be in those shoes before you point
fingers, throw accusations around, or tweet about who you might guess
they are.<br />
<br />
As performers, it is our responsibility to understand how HIV is
transmitted and to show care for other performers. At APAC, we offer
resources on HIV and STI education and a private, performer only
platform for performers to support and discuss concerns about
moratoriums with each other.<br />
<br />
Moratoriums are an opportunity for performers to be a voice of reason
and stability about sexual health, to educate ourselves, and to show
care for each other.<br />
<br />
When moratorium-related concerns turn into anxious blame or trying to
figure out whose “fault” it is, performers are pitted against one
another.<br />
<br />
When these concerns are instead played out as care for one another,
our industry and the community of performers becomes stronger.<br />
<br />
APAC encourages performers to reach out to their existing support
systems, and to remember we’re all in this together and should be able
to lean on each other.</blockquote>
Personally, I think that this is the direct effect of laws like Measure B coming back to bite some asses hard by driving performers underground into less safe ventures. A part of me that's more into conspiracies might see the hand of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in all this, paying and supporting "moles" to infect performers "off-the-clock", or introduce HIV+ "crossover" performers into the adult performer pool in order to poison it, and use the insuing panic and terror based on the fear of an outbreak and the loss of livelihood during the moratoria period to push their "condoms only" agenda. (That's solely MY opinion, not reflective of anybody else here at BPPA.)<br />
<br />
But, that's not important right now. The real thing at the moment is to remain calm and await the results of the testing, and then act accordingly as to what the legitimate level of threat really is. This could be bigger than what took place in 2004 with Darren James; it could also be a false positive. Or, it could be just like many of the other "outbreaks" we've seen these last two years: an isolated off-the-clock event that was caught before anyone else got harmed. What we will see, we will see. Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-85829762836000243522014-08-16T02:56:00.000-05:002014-08-16T02:56:46.044-05:00AHF's Latest Diversionary Bedazzle of BS: Attack Kink.com Oral/Toy Shoot In Nevada For....What Now???Let's just say that you are a national organization of health care, and that you have had a pretty bad week. Your org is now under attack by its own doctors and professionals for unionization due to overwork and under paying conditions. You just got stoned in your attempt to build another thrift store in San Francisco. You are presented a big-ass bill for overcharging yet another major city off their public health rolls (namely, Los Angeles County). And, your major political effort to impose condoms in porn just got shot down for the second year in a row.<br />
<br />
What do you do? What <i>do</i> you do??<br />
<br />
If you happen to be the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, you get off the floor, shake yourself off....and fire a dozen press releases rewriting defeat as victory...and then you fire off your lawyers for diversionary tactics to hide the pain of getting your asses kicked.<br />
<br />
Early this week, in the wake of the defeat of AB 1576 in the California State Senate, AHF announced that they would be filing a complaint with the Nevada state branch of the Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA-NV) regarding a porn shoot done in that state by the site Kink.com. The complaint, according to AHF's press release, states that Kink.com allegedly violated the Nevada and federal OSHA standards for "bloodborne pathogen" protection by not requiring condoms in the filming of one of their videos....in particular, the video <i>Vegas Road Trip</i> (misreferenced in the AHF filing with the title <i>Hoghtied Whores</i>, which featured performers Krissy Lynn and Skin Diamond, and was shot for the Kink-registered site Hogtied.com.<br />
<br />
A screen cap of the letter AHF (through their latest propagandist.....errrrr, "public health consultant" Adam Cohen, follows (h/t <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/exclusive-see-aids-healthcare-foundations-complaint-nevada-osha-kink-com-oral-sex-scene/">The Real Porn Wikileaks</a>):<br />
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Let us ignore all the beddazle of the continuous hot streaming crap about how the industry "violates OSHA health and safety laws" by not mandating condoms, and get to the basic fact that the all of the scenes in <i>Hogtied Whores</i> are either oral or solo with sex toys wrapped with condoms. No anal or vaginal here. In fact, the scenes would have been fully compliant with all of the protocols required by Measure B, the ordinance that mandates condom usage for most of Los Angeles County, as well as AB 1576, had that measure been effective in Nevada.<br />
<br />
So, where's the beef??<br />
<br />
The answer to that lies in the current attempt in California to rewrite the "barrier protection" codes to apply to adult filming, and impose condoms through legal regs rather than legislation.<br />
<br />
The current revision to CCR 5193, which regulates "bloodborne pathogen/other potentially infectious materials" barrier methods for general purpose exposure in hospitals and other high-risk exposure occupations, is CalOSHA's attempt (with the full collusion of AHF, of course) to apply that law to the adult realm.<br />
<br />
As <a href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2013/10/measure-b-was-only-missile-calosha.html">noted previously here</a>, that revision would severly impact porn shoots not only by mandating condoms for all penetrative sexual acts -- not just anal and vaginal, but also even oral; there is a brief exemption for oral sex provided that participants are subjected to vaccinations and clearances by an approved physician before hand, but that expires on January of 2018) -- but would even prohibit any potential exposure of "OPIM" to any oral area. Meaning: facials, pop shots in the vicinity of the vagina or anal area, and "creampie" ejaculations would also be banished as well.<br />
<br />
The problem for AHF is that that process won't be resolved for another 1-2 years, since regulations have to go through a process of review and public comment; and CCR 5193.1 hasn't even gotten to the draft stages as of yet. To cover the time until then, AHF is essentially suggesting that the current rule 5193, normally applying only to hospitals, should also apply with equal strength to porn shoots, and that California's "interpretation" of the health and safety codes should be adopted by OSHA-NV in going after Kink.com (and any other porn producers shooting in Nevada without condoms). There is also the debate about whether porn performers should be considered to be "employees" of the companies paying them or "independent contractors"; the latter would remove them legally from OSHA jurisdiction.<br />
<br />
You will also note how Cohen attaches the meme that condom usage is mandated in Nevada's legal brothels....ignoring the fact that the condoms are imposed on the clients/buyers of sexual services, not the sellers; and that porn is treated much differently legally as a form of adult entertainment, not as a direct sale of sex.<br />
<br />
But, the biggest presumptive lie of all this is what Cohen implies about the four performers (Krissy Lynn, Skin Diamond, James Mogul, and Maestro).....which parallels all the implied assumptions projected by AHF on the Kink.com shoot that Cameron Bay participated in. Notice a gradual shift in emphasis away from the charge that Kink.com <i>deliberately caused</i> an HIV outbreak (proven false, of course), to the charge that Kink.com merely <i>increases the risk</i> of STI's. Never mind that all four participants were more than likely tested and found to be STI free, and therefore couldn't infect anyone, even if they went full on with an active gang bang. That seriously fracks up AHF's propaganda, so they have to now move to the "higher risk" card to keep the deception of "protecting the industry" going.<br />
<br />
Of course, as Kink.com CEO Peter Acworth noted, this could just be scattershot to mask the real goal of AHF: to essentially nationalize their crusade to ban all bareback porn from the face of the earth, and to ultimately regulate individual sexual activity so that the only non-procreative sexual activity left to be legal would be condomized sex. And, to rake in the $$$$ off condom/dental dam placement ad deals.<br />
<br />
Thanks to their power over CalOSHA's adjucative procedings, AHF has actually convinced some judges to rule in their favor in filings of OSHA complaints in California. Let's see if Nevada falls as equally hard for this fakery. <br />
Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-19971902364484956672014-08-16T00:42:00.000-05:002014-08-16T00:42:48.835-05:00Because Porn Women Are People Too...BPPA Supports Christy MackThis blog would not even exist were it not for the labor and beauty of its female performers.<br />
<br />
Yes, the male performers have more than just a bit to do with the success of porn, too....but it's the females who are out there, naked in more ways than you can imagine, taking all the risks to sell the belief that sex isn't a horrible thing after all.<br />
<br />
The fundamental principle that BPPA was founded on from the very beginning up to today is that performers who do explicit adult sexual entertainment are as human as anyone else in any other profession, worthy of equal rights and responsibilities and respect for what they offer.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Christy Mack, posing for her Inked Magazine cover (via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristyMack">her Twitter page</a>)</i></span></div>
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It is in that fundamental principle that we rise in support of performer Christy Mack in the wake of the absolutely horrific violent assault and battery and even attempted murder she suffered recently at the alleged hands of her former boyfriend Johnathan Koppenhaver, aka MMA fighter "War Machine". <br />
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I could go off for paragraphs on what this says about the misplaced hyperaggression of violent sports, or on how the media and sex-negative culture tends to dismiss violence against sexually assertive women or women involved in one form of another of sex work/sexual entertainment because "sluts/whores/tramps get what they deserve"...but that's not really important right now.<br />
<br />
<br />
The most important thing is that Christy get the chance to fully recover and heal from both the physical and psychological injuries to both her body and her soul. Her own personal strength will do a lot to get her through, but it's not so bad to give her some boost through our own.<br />
<br />
A fundraising drive is currently ongoing for Christy's mounting medical bills through GiveForward.com (which, hopefully, has learned their lesson from the Eden Alexander debacle not to dismiss porn women so lightly). I've added a special widget/gadget (please, Blogger, get with the program!!!) in the blog sidebar for those who want to donate generously.<br />
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You don't have to sell your house, or your car, or anything drastic...just collect some pennies or dimes or quarters and help an awesome porn woman heal, recover, and reload.<br />
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<br />Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-82619171639735514342014-08-15T23:43:00.002-05:002014-08-15T23:44:30.507-05:00Too Close For Comfort, But #BAHLOCKED Again!!! For Realz, Too!!! Condom Mandate Bill AB 1576 Finally Whacked By California Senate For 2014 YearIt may have gone on a bit longer for some people's comfort, but the battle over #AB 1576, Isadore Hall's proposed condom mandate/testing/documentation for porn bill finally ended last Wednesday, when the California State Senate Appropriations Committee tabled the bill without a vote, or even bringing it up.<br />
<br />
Last week, after testimonials both for and against the bill, which would have mandated both condom usage and testing for all shoots performed within 14 days, that committee placed the bill "in suspense" without a vote, essentially preparing the bill for ultimate closure.<br />
<br />
The main sticking point was more than likely that the bill would have violated the fiscal threshhold limit of $150,000 for costs of enforcement, which is the standard used for rendering a bill fiscally responsible enough. However, the fact that the industry rallied hard, and was able to actually turn some favorite press with some powerful mainstream institutions (including <a href="http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-condoms-porn-20140810-story.html">this powerful editorial</a> from the Los Angeles Times), combined with the universal opposition ofporn production companies including Kink.com, and performers, led admirably by <a href="http://www.twitter.com/MissLoreleiLee">Lorelei Lee</a>, to name just one of many, was as much a factor as any.<br />
<br />
Considering the pessimism that existed when AB 1576 was able to pass the California Assembly generally with little discussion or debate, the quick turnaround was indeed surprising, yet most certainly welcomed, in the midst of this bad lawmaking.<br />
<br />
Both Assemblyman Hall (who will be term-limited out of his seat after this year, but is comtemplating a run for the Cali Senate), and his backers at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, issued the usual press releases expressing such sorrow that the Senate decided to place "profit" over "worker protection", and AHF announced that they would try again next year with similar legislation.<br />
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So...that's one less stumbing block for the LA- and California-based adult entertainment industry to endure. There's still the ongoing court cases over both Measure B (the original referendum which imposed the condom mandate on most of Los Angeles County), as well as the original ordinance passed in the City of Los Angeles. Plus, there is <a href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2013/10/measure-b-was-only-missile-calosha.html">the continuing attempt by CalOSHA, assisted by AHF</a>, to rewrite the workplace codes to impose mandatory "barrier" protection for adult performers, via proposed CCR 5193.1, and expand that nationally through the federal branch of OSHA.<br />
<br />
But, at least for now, the threat to porn production in California is significantly less than it was even one week ago. Props to the good guys for winning one, and may this be only the end of the beginning.<br />
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More info via <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/ab-1576-is-as-dead-as-the-papal-penis/">TRPWL</a>, <a href="http://www.xbiz.com/news/183565">XBiz.com</a>, and <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/legal/AB-1576-Defeated-in-Appropriations-Committee-UPDATED-569992.html#.U-09EX1_6QY.twitter">AVN</a>. <br />
<br />Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-46568345594934314182014-08-06T04:50:00.000-05:002014-08-06T04:54:27.522-05:00AVN's Mark Kernes Chases The #AB1576 "Crapnado"; Survives To Tell The Story Thanks to Mark Kernes at AVN, we now have <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/legal/Senate-Appropriations-Committee-Puts-AB-1576-In-Suspense-File-568608.html">a full reading</a> of that hearing last Monday at the California Senate Appropriations Committee on AB1576, Isadore Hall's condom mandate/"testing documentation" bill that had already passed the Cali Assembly last month. And, it was every bit worth its weight, both from the mountain of bullshit spewed by the proponents of the bill and the spirited efforts of the opposition.<br />
<br />
For those of you not following, AB1576 was ultimately placed "in suspense" without a vote on passage following spirited testimony at that hearing; which pretty much dooms its passage unless Izzy Hall can convince four committee members to reserrect the bill and pass it before all the "in suspense" bills get dumped next week.<br />
<br />
But, that's next week's issue....what took place last Monday, upon further review, deserves a much detailed analysis. Fortunately, Mr. Kernes was there first hand, and he delivers as usual a full accounting of all the hijinks. All references will be to his AVN article, which can be found <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/legal/Senate-Appropriations-Committee-Puts-AB-1576-In-Suspense-File-568608.html#.U-FoGhi0_Ro.twitter">here</a>.<br />
<br />
First...we have to live once again through the virtual Crapnado of Izzy Hall's sorry-ass arguments in favor of his bill...now jacked up to even higher fever pitches of stank.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"AB 1576 is a workplace safety measure that would require employer-paid
mandatory STD testing on adult film actors at least every 14 days and
documentation that a condom or other personal protective equipment was
use in all adult films produced in California," [Hall] began, adding that
three policy committees—the Assembly Arts & Entertainment and
Appropriations Committees, as well as the Senate Labor Committee—had
already had "extensive public debate on this bill" and "received
bipartisan support."</i></blockquote>
Right...."extensive public debate", I suppose, meaning biased hearings where he was able to control the microphone and weed out any real facts; and "received bipartisan support" meaning that his benefactors over at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation were able to grease the wheels of local politicians with some of that $2 million in lobbying funds.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Hall went on to state that "Existing state and federal OSHA laws already
require the use of condoms in adult films, period. In fact, existing
federal OSHA law requires the use of condoms in adult films produced
anywhere in the nation"—which of course begs the question of why AB 1576
is even needed.</i></blockquote>
Yeah, really. Never mind that Hall could never produce any law anywhere other than Measure B in Los Angeles County and the ordinance in the city of Los Angeles that specifically mandates condom usage for performers. And, forget about the fact that CalOSHA is currently in the process of revamping their "bloodborne pathogen"/"barrier protection" standards in order to cover adult porn production....something that probably would not be needed if it was already the law. Existing law is currently designed strictly for occupations where direct exposure to bloodborne pathogens or internal body fluids is most likely (re: hospitals, morgues, meat processors, etc.). The CalOSHA rewrite for adult production (proposed as CCR 5193.1) is currently in the preliminary draft stages, with a <i><b>draft</b></i> form scheduled for release sometime this fall.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Hall also claimed that the bill has "negligible general fund impact,"
ignoring the fact that CalOSHA or some other state agency would need to
hire several additional inspectors to make sure adult movie and internet
content producers are complying with the law. However, Hall sidestepped
that fact by claiming that not passing the bill would cost the state
even more—over $600,000 per person, he said—for treatment of performers
who contracted HIV and other STDs, further claiming that most performers
don't have health insurance, even though the Affordable Care Act
requires them to obtain it.</i></blockquote>
This is critical, folks, because the Cali Appropriations Committee has an iron clad threshold of $150,000 for the acceptable cost of enforcing legislation...and AB1576 is in serious danger of reaching or exceeding that threshold, even before the costs of legal action against the state and the costs of hiring enough inspectors to enforce this law. I suppose that Hall thinks that AHF will step in with the funds to hire their own "inspection" force??<br />
<br />
On that "$600,000 per person" expense that condoms are supposed to protect the taxpayers of Cali from: you mean, Izzy, that the expense per person of people already striken with HIV/AIDS in your own district isn't nearly as much a financial drain? Especially considering that the actual expense to the state of California for HIV treatment of porn performers is....well...<i><b>ZERO</b></i>, since there hasn't been a single case of a straight performer contracting HIV on set since 2004, as compared to the new cases of HIV cropping up every day in LA?? And no, Izzy, contracting HIV off the set through off-the-clock private sex or IV drug needle sharing, or getting infected in a condom only shoot, does not count. <br />
<br />
Finally, to the fact that many performers do not have effective health care insurance to cover for tragedies as such? My two word response to that: <i><b>Single. Payer.</b></i> <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Many California studios require condoms on the set today, and are
still extremely successful and profitable," [Hall] further claimed. "In
fact, as recently as May 9 of this year, one adult film director made
the switch to condoms and testing after acknowledging that the only
reason he didn't require condoms before was because he put profit before
worker safety."</i></blockquote>
<br />
Nice try, Izzy...but, WRONG.... <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>That director was Axel Braun, and what Braun <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/video/Axel-Braun-Adopts-All-Condom-7-Day-Test-Policies-560095.html" target="_blank">actually said</a>
was, "Maybe the last one [HIV-positive performer] hit too close to
home, since patient zero was booked on my set the day he was diagnosed,
or maybe my integrity is becoming more important than my bottom line,
but I have finally come to believe that our system is broken, and I’m
simply trying to do what I can to fix it on my end.” Braun also adopted a
policy of only allowing actors with tests less that one week old, and
required that actors be at least 21 years old.</i></blockquote>
It should also be noted that Braun is also a fervent public opponent of AB1576, and stated that he was only acting for his company, not for others.<br />
<br />
Gee...I wonder why Hall didn't also cite Tristan Taormino and Dan Leal, two producers who have also decided to go condom only + tests? Too worked up in spewing his BS??<br />
<br />
Next up was Rand Martin representing AHF, with the usual swill:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Rand Martin followed Hall, claiming that
"The bill does two things: Number one, it requires documentation that
protective barriers were used when it was necessary to do so; number
two, that an STD test was taken no more than 14 days before a scene was
filmed. That is all the bill does." He also claimed that since he had
worked with CalOSHA to "align the bill" with the agency's existing
regulations, that no additional costs would be incurred—except, of
course, for the additional inspectors, which Martin did not mention.</i></blockquote>
And then the stank really hit the eyewall...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Cameron Bay and her boyfriend Rod Daily also spoke, with the former
actress dropping her claim that she had contracted her HIV on an adult
set, but claimed today that "Adult producers know ... that they could
take advantage of workers like myself. They know the high turnover rate
for workers like me and they know that they're breaking the law when
they deny a worker like me the cheapest workplace barrier protection in
existence, which is a condom. And they do all that because they don't
have to pay for the treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted
infections. You, the citizens of California, have to pay. While the
producers laugh their way to the bank, you're left with the bill: over
half a million dollars in medication just for a single HIV infection
like myself."</i></blockquote>
That's kind of interesting, Cam...you mean that you weren't given the option after you bit too hard into Xander Corvus' schlong to wear a condom to finish? In a scene where no one else was infected, and has tested negative since? And, that those "4 cent" condoms really are more effective than stingent testing? And, that the people of California (and by extension, the USA) shouldn't have to pay one red cent to treat HIV+ people? And, how exactly do you "break the law", Ms. Bay, by having bareback sex <b><i>where no one is infected???</i></b> If condoms are that effective, shouldn't they be mandated for <b><i>everyone engaging in sex</i></b>, not just people making porn??<br />
<br />
Oh, wait..this isn't about prevention; it;s about "mentoring" and selling the beauty of "safer sex". And.....well placed condom ads that could make AHF more $$$$. Never mind....<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>But while Bay claimed that "AB 1576 insures women like me are protected
from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections," her boyfriend Rod
Daily began his testimony by saying, "During my time as a performer, I
only wore condoms in all of my scenes. Because of these, I was protected
from STDs on set." So either Daily didn't contract his disease on an
adult set, or the condoms didn't protect him—neither of which argues for
the passage of AB 1576.</i></blockquote>
Or...I guess he must have meant "my time as a <i>gay</i> performer", where condoms are mandatory due to direct potential interaction with HIV+ performers, and the lack of the kind of stringent testing the "straight" porn industry maintains. So, I guess mandating condoms in porn doesn't protect you very well off-the-clock. <br />
<br />
The only other proponent of note was Adam Cohen of the UCLA Reproductive Health Interest Group, who has been one of the main colluding groups between CalOSHA and AHF in the condom mandate campaign. Michael Whiteacre has already debunked his nonsense here.<br />
<br />
As bad as that portion of the testimony was, it didn't compare to the good that was the opponents' response. To put it bluntly, they were armed, locked, and loaded....and their arguments did much to disenfect the air.<br />
<br />
First up, performer Lorelei Lee, who happened to be the third performer in that Cameron Bay/Xander Corvus scene at Kink.com (and whom is also HIV-, and always has been).<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>When de Leon asked for speakers in opposition to the bill, Lorelei
Lee stepped forward, bringing with her a petition signed by "over 650
adult performers" opposing the bill, out of the 1,000 to 1,200 active
performers in the industry, "so there can be no quesiton that the
majority of performers oppose this bill." She also noted that the
committee had received letters from members of the Adult Performer
Advocacy Committee, the industry's only all-talent group, which also
oppose the bill.</i><br />
<i> </i><i>"I want to make clear that the author of this
bill does not speak for performers," Lee said. "The sponsors of this
bill do not speak for performers. They have not worked with us, they
have not reached to us, and no one cares more than we do about our
health and safety."</i><br />
<i> </i><i>"This bill would seriously degrade the health
and safety protocols that we already have in place and that we have
been working to improve over the last decade," she added. "I want to
emphasize that we would not work in this industry if we did not believe
that our protocols have kept us safe. Under our current protocols, we
have not had a single on-set transmission of HIV in over a decadel. ...
Performers who have tested positive in the last decade have done so
after an exposure in their private lives and our mandatory test-and-stop
protocols have prevented any on-set transmissions from occurring."</i><br />
<i> </i><i>She
also expressed concern about performers' medical information being
shared with CalOSHA, noting that "Forced consent is not consent. This is
a privacy violation and we do not consent to it."</i><br />
<i> </i><i>She observed
that "legislative condom mandates do not lead to more condom use in
adult films," noting that after Measure B was passed, many productions
moved out of the jurisdiction, "taking thousands of California jobs with
them," including not only performers but the myriad technicians that
work behind the scenes. She also noted that many productions that can't
afford to move have gone underground.</i><br />
<i> </i><i>"When our jobs become
illegal, our employers have even less accountability, and both the
stigmas and the on-set dangers that we face rise exponentially," she
concluded. "Our voice and our concerns should be more important than
bills that a politician is simply trying to pass a bill."</i></blockquote>
Next up...adult industry attorney Karen Tynan:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Attorney Karen Tynan next took the microphone, claiming that, "Let me
be clear: AB 1576 is costly to the state, far beyond the suspense
threshhold. It undermines efforts to implement a complete and effective
worker safety plan." She added that the industry had spent years working
with medical professionals and experts to devise the industry's current
testing protocols, which she said are "more comprehensive than AB 1576,
and we have the support of the workers, the performers themselves."</i><br />
<i> </i><i>She
reminded the committee that CalOSHA is working on its own set of
regulations, and called AB 1576 "an assault on that process."</i><br />
<i> </i><i>"We
believe this bill will also cost money with the California Department
of Public Health," she stated. "The recommendations will require the
development of a list of recommended HIV tests and it's impossible to
believe that this will not require additional costs to the state. This
would have to be a public and inclusive process so that the Department
of Public Health can understand the nuances of this industry and could
listen to performers and primary care physicians," noting that such
costs would require Public Health to "divert resources from more
pressing matters."</i><br />
<i> </i><i>She concluded by noting that six Bay Area
production companies had already moved to Nevada, as well as a "San
Fernando-based adult film company with $30 million in revenue
transferred their entire operations out of state."</i></blockquote>
And, as if that wasn't enough to convince the legislators, a new witness emerged with a decisive new argument against the bill:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The final speaker in opposition to the bill was a new one: Aaron Fox
of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, who noted that his organization was one
of the ones that had sent an opposition letter to the committee last
week, with the other two being Project Inform of San Francisco and AIDS
Project Los Angeles (which de Leon made sure to note was a different
organization from the bill's sponsor, AIDS Healthcare Foundation).</i><br />
<br />
<i> </i><i>"Mandatory
state-mandated HIV testing has never been something that this
legislature has been in favor of except one time in its history, which
was in 1996, when a boxer tested positive for HIV and the legislature
passed a law that professional boxers and martial artists must be tested
for HIV before they can compete in the ring," he stated. "We believe
that any way of expanding state-mandated HIV testing violates privacy
rights, stigmatizes people with HIV and is not something that's in
congruence with all of the HIV testing laws in California that not only
require consent but also require people to have the right to decline an
HIV test. There's nothing in this legislation that allows people the
right to decline an HIV test and that has been something the California
legislature has always supported throughout its history."</i></blockquote>
Keep in mind that the protocols used by PASS are enforced through peer pressure and the honor system of production companies not hiring performers who test positive for HIV or other STI's, not through any government intervention. Since AB1576 would require documentation for testing for HIV or condom usage by a public board, it would effectively violate both antidiscrimination laws against HIV+ persons in employment, AND direct consent for mandatory HIV testing. If that segment is rendered unconstitutional by a later court action, and all that remains is the condom requirement, then the risks to performers would be elevated to a magnitude, since there would be no effective means in which a performer could know if her on-screen partner was infected prior to that scene. And, if the condom broke....<br />
<br />
The backup support was there in droves as well, too:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>At that point, de Leon called for those in the audience who oppose the
bill to step forward and state their opposition—and more than 30 did,
including performers Anna Cherry, Mia Coleman, Veruca James (who's also
the recently elected treasurer of APAC), Jiz Lee, Mick Blue, Anikka
Albrite, Aiden Starr, Ariel X, Lea Lexis, Maitresse Madeline, Owen Gray
and Mickey Mod, as well as FSC CEO Diane Duke and Michael Chate of
MindGeek.</i></blockquote>
Based on all that, you'd think that Izzy Hall would reel in the rhetoric in his final push for his bill before the committee. You would be wrong.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>None of the committee members had questions or comments, but de Leon gave Hall the last word, though, and he didn't disappoint.</i><br />
<i> </i><i>"I
know this is not a sexy bill," he began. "We're talking about
protecting the lives of those without a voice," apparently ignoring the
"voice" of the 650-plus petitions presented to the committee earlier.</i></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> </i><i>"These
individuals who have come forward today deserve a badge of honor for
the courage that they have to come back and forth to Sacramento for the
last several months testifying in front of members of the legislature
both on Senate and the Assembly side, talking about how they were
impacted on their places of employment," he stated, apparently referring
to Bay and Daily rather than the dozens of other performers who have
attended those same hearings, "where they contracted a disease that will
affect their lives for the rest of their lives," Hall added, implying
that Bay and Daily contracted their HIV on-set, which implication has
been shown to be untrue.</i><br />
<i> </i><i>"For the record, Mr. Chair, this bill
does not mandate testing," Hall lied. "This bill mandates documentation
of testing, and there is a big difference. This bill does not mandate
testing; this bill mandates the documentation of testing, and the
question as I close is, Mr. Chair and members, is how many lives must be
taken for profit? How many people must come up here each and every week
or every other week and talk about how their lives and families' lives
and many others are drastically impacted by going to work, performing a
job, not receiving a reasonable level of protection afforded other
employees, and as a result, now their lives have been turned upside
down, their families and all of their associates?"</i><br />
<i> </i><i>The answer to
that question appears to be just Cameron Bay and Rod Daily, neither of
whom caught their HIV on an adult set, while more than 650 other
performers signed petitions and wrote letters against the bill's
passage.</i></blockquote>
So, to review and condense Isadore Hall's case: Two performers with questionable histories are more truthful than over 650 performers with solid records of protecting themselves without his or AHF's help; we absolutely must save those performers who can't save themselves with protections from HIV and STI's, and only 4-cent condoms are the proven means to do that; only an organization with well over $250 million in revenue is capable of fighting against the Evil Porn Profiteers who infect their "employees" with impunity, then go on to infect the general population; and, requiring documentation of testing is not the same as actually requiring testing...even though if you don't test, you get punished just the same. Hurry up and pass this bill before our opportunity to make money off condom placement ads goes past.....errrrrrr, before another performer gets killed by AIDS!!<br />
<br />
I guess that we will all see by next week, if not by August 15th, whether his lunacy and AHF's money tree are able to overcome actual logic and truth. At least, for this year. <br />
<br />Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-64013014545599063182014-08-04T17:48:00.000-05:002014-08-04T18:26:40.677-05:00"Curses....BAHLOCKED AGAIN!!!" AB 1576 (AHF/Isadore Hall Sponsored Condom Mandate Bill) Placed "In Suspense" By California Senate Committee (BREAKING STORY)Well...it seems like it took a bit longer than comfort allowed, but it appears that common sense and reality will prevail again.<br />
<br />
The California Senate Appropriations Committee, after hearing testimony on both sides about Assemblyman Isadore Hall's bill (AB 1576) which would have mandated condom usage and testing for all porn shoots in that state, has placed the bill "in suspense", effectively killing it for the session.<br />
<br />
Hall was there to testify for the bill, along with both Cameron Bay and Rod Daily, the two principals of last year's HIV scare. Representing the forces against the bill in testimony were performer Lorelei Lee (backed by a petition signed by nearly 650 performers in opposition), and adult attorney Karen Tynan repping the Free Speech Coalition, among other dignitaries.<br />
<br />
Obviously, this is a breaking story, and reaction is coming fast and furious. I'll add more details and update this post as events warrant and more information is revealed.<br />
<br />
For now, please go over to The Real Porn Wikileaks for <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/ab-1576-calif-senate-appropriations-committee/">Michael Whiteacre's live posting</a> of the hearing, and reactions thereof to the decision to effectively table AB 1576 for the session. <br />
<br />
See also XBiz.com's writeup on the hearing <a href="http://www.xbiz.com/news/182930">here</a>. XBiz did note that the committee is scheduled to reconvene on August 15 for what could be a final resolution of AB 1576. Four "aye" votes would be needed for passage on to the full California Senate. There was no vote today, because the committee chair made the decision to place the bill "in suspense". Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-76054252363284295942014-08-01T01:01:00.000-05:002014-08-02T08:28:53.994-05:00Presente, Christian Mann: A Decent Man In A Dirty World Passes On (Updated By Michael Whiteacre)<i>[I might not be an insider to the porn world, but I was nevertheless shaken by the announcement on Wednesday night that long time Video Team owner/producer Christian Mann had lost his earthly battle with cancer. Before his more recent activism against the condom mandate and his refuting of the "arguments" of Peanut Factory criers like Mike South, Mann was first known by me as one of the first porn producers to attempt to humanize Black men through consensual interracial porn. He was also one of the first producers/distributors to face the full wrath of the government's attempts to criminalize sexual speech, having even faced jail for tweaking the noses of racists and prudes everywhere. </i><br />
<br />
<i>I probably am not qualified to post a worthy tribute to Mr. Mann's legacy...but thankfully, someone far more worthy than me has. My friend Michael Whiteacre just posted over at The Real Porn Wikileaks a touching eulogy to properly celebrate Christian's life and work....and he and Sean Tompkins has allowed me permission to repost their tribute in full here.</i><br />
<br />
<i>All I will say is that it is criminal that warriors like Christian Mann are taken from us before their time.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Anthony]</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Link to the original TRPWL post is embedded in the title. </i><br />
<br />
<h1 class="post-title">
<a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/presente-christian-mann/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World">Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World</a></h1>
<br />
“He was the best of us.” ~ From James Dickey’s <i>Deliverance</i>, 1972<br />
<br />
<i>With love and respect from Michael Whiteacre –</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo-2-1.jpg"><img alt="photo 2 1 Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-31198" src="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo-2-1.jpg" height="462" title="Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" width="345" /></a><br />
<br />
Christian Mann was a friend, mentor, and inspiration to me. He was a
decent man in a dirty world. I won’t even attempt describing the anguish
I feel today…<br />
<br />
In 1996, I started covering the adult business after answering an ad
posted by an international news syndication company looking for someone
familiar and <i>comfortable</i> with the world of adult. They needed
someone to cover the Video Software Dealers association (VSDA) show in
Las Vegas, and since I was already heading out there to cover the
mainstream side of the event, I got the job. By chance, one of the first
people I met at VSDA was Christian Mann.<br />
<br />
As my friend Gram Ponante writes this morning, Christian “was one of
those people you meet in this business who reaffirms your need to
believe that it’s OK, that there are good people here, that you’re not
going to Hell.”<br />
<br />
I knew him back then as the owner of Video Team, a highly successful
“boutique” operation that, as Jules Jordan recalls, “was like <i>the</i> ethnic company. It really brought the ethnic genres to a more mainstream light.”<br />
<br />
Because Christian was friendly and eloquent, whenever I needed a
quote — any quote — while covering an adult event, I sought him out.
Looking back, I don’t think I ended up printing very much of what we
talked about — Christian possessed a massive “bank” of knowledge on so
many subjects, from music to American presidential elections, and it was
easy for the two of us to go off on tangents completely unrelated to
the event at hand. I guess that’s how our friendship began.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_31200" style="width: 281px;">
<a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo-3.jpg"><img alt="photo 3 Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" class="size-full wp-image-31200" src="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo-3.jpg" height="352" title="Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" width="271" /></a><br />
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Christian in the 1980s</i></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />Back then, as Christian would tell me years later, “the [adult]
business was mostly good guys, and we all got along.” What Christian,
and the other <i>giants</i> I met back in “the old days”, managed to
instill in me was a sense of history regarding the adult business, as
well as an appreciation of <i>legacy</i>.<br />
<br />
As Christian later recalled to <i>AVN:</i><br />
<blockquote>
I officially started in the business in the summer of
1979 when I was 18 years old. My job was packing magazines in my dad’s
warehouse and delivering them to our local customers in the beat-up
company van. Seven months into my job, on Valentine’s Day 1980, I was
delivering a van full of <i>How to Enlarge Your Penis</i> magazines to
CPLC in Central L.A. As I turned the corner, I saw the entire block
swarming with news media trucks … and the CPLC parking lot was filled
with big guys wearing FBI windbreakers. I knew enough to not stop and
instead made my way to the nearest phone booth to call my dad who had
been worried because he knew raids were going down all over the country …
and he couldn’t reach me in the days before cell phones. This wasn’t my
first day on the job, but it remains one of my earliest and most vivid
memories from my freshman year in our business.</blockquote>
One of my main takeaways from knowing Christian was that attacks on
free speech and sexual freedom are a bipartisan affair. That Valentine’s
Day raid occurred under a Democratic president, while in 1989, when
Christian was brought up on federal obscenity charges in Texas (and
prevailed in his trial there), the political winds were blowing from
another direction.<br />
<br />
Although we had done some business together during the 8 years I was a
content distributor to TV and hotels, we didn’t really socialize. I
would sometimes run into him — usually with Steven Hirsch — at various
concerts around town. Elvis Costello at the Wiltern stands out in my
mind.<br />
<br />
Christian ran Video Team for 12 years. Out of conscience, Christian
and many other producers went all-condom in the wake of the 2004 Darren
James HIV infections. The market did not want all-condom titles,
however, and those companies either folded or dropped the condom
requirement. Video Team took a hard hit, and Christian eventually sold
the library to Metro in 2006.<br />
<br />
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_31195" style="width: 570px;">
</div>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_31195" style="width: 570px;">
<a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Christian-and-John-Amsterdam-2010.jpg"><img alt="Christian and John Amsterdam 2010 450x334 Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" class="wp-image-31195" src="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Christian-and-John-Amsterdam-2010-450x334.jpg" height="416" title="Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" width="560" /></a><br />
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">
Christian and John Stagliano – Amsterdam, 2010</div>
</div>
<br />
After Video Team folded, the next time I saw him was November 2009,
about a year into his position of general manager at Evil Angel. Larry
Flynt, John Stagliano, and others were to be honored at an FSC-sponsored
gala at the Skirball Center in L.A., and I was asked to put together <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT5ZsK9_5yY">Flynt’s video tribute</a>.
I ended up directing the evening’s presentation, which involved running
down all the various cues between the speakers and presenters on stage,
and the audio-video team behind the board. Christian was set to
introduce Stagliano, and he was worried about being “left hanging there”
onstage if there was a flub. I remember us bonding all over again as we
worked out his cues with great precision — and it came off perfectly.<br />
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_31926" style="width: 460px;">
<a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/christian-mann.jpg"><img alt="christian mann 450x314 Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" class="size-large wp-image-31926" src="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/christian-mann-450x314.jpg" height="314" title="Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" width="450" /></a><br />
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Christian at the Nov 2009 FSC gala</i></div>
</div>
<br />
In 2011, he surprised me by coming up to me at an expo in Los
Angeles, and singing my praises in front of a group of adult industry
“players”.<br />
<br />
“Here’s a guy who is out there every day making the case for us,” he
said as he patted me on the back. I was amazed, as I had no idea
Christian was even reading my stuff. He was, he assured me, and I later
learned that he would share my work<em> </em>with many in the adult business, particularly during the campaign against Measure B during the fall of 2012.<br />
<br />
Our friend Glenn King recalls,<br />
<blockquote>
<i>On December 30, 2012, Christian canceled our golf outing
because of a stomach ache. I laughed at him and said “Seriously? A tummy
ache? Be a man and play golf, ya pussy”. We agreed to play the next day
instead. On December 31, he said his stomach ache had gotten worse and
he was going to go to the emergency room. I told him he was being a
baby. I said “You have heartburn because of all the terrible crap you
eat. They are going to give you some Prilosec and send you home”. He
said “My family has a history of cancer. That might be what it is”. I
laughed and said “You are a hypochondriac. You don’t have cancer. You
have an ulcer maybe, but most likely you ate something bad”. To my
credit, the doctors gave him an antacid and sent him home. They referred
him to a specialist. A few days later, he found out he had pancreatic
cancer, one of the worst kinds. The doctors estimated he had 5 months to
live.</i></blockquote>
Christian wrote about his cancer diagnosis in <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/video/Evil-Angel-s-Christian-Mann-Pens-Letter-to-Industry-After-Cancer-Diagnosis-505811.html">a January 2013 open letter</a>, which was published in <i>AVN</i>. He also created a blog where he wrote updates about his medical condition at <a href="http://www.christianmann.com/">ChristianMann.com</a>.
Christian made it very clear that he was not simply going to curl up
into a ball. The outpouring of love he received from the adult community
was both immense and mutual.<br />
<br />
During this time, Christian wed his beautiful wife Melissa. Theirs is
a pure and genuine love story, the details of which I will leave to
Melissa to share. She has called Christian the love of her life, and
Christian left absolutely no doubt with me that he felt the same about
her.<br />
<br />
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_31196" style="width: 530px;">
<a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Group-seated.jpg"><img alt="Group seated 450x259 Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" class="wp-image-31196" src="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Group-seated-450x259.jpg" height="300" title="Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" width="520" /></a><br />
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Melissa and Christian Mann helping me celebrate my birthday, with director Anna Arrowsmith (right)</i></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_31204" style="width: 530px;">
<a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Siri-Melissa-Christian.jpg"><img alt="Siri Melissa Christian 450x315 Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" class="wp-image-31204" src="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Siri-Melissa-Christian-450x315.jpg" height="365" title="Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" width="520" /></a><br />
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Siri (left) with Melissa, Christian, and his ubiquitous cell phone –September 2013</i></div>
<div class="wp-caption-text">
<br /></div>
</div>
By the late summer of 2013, Christian was convinced he had beaten the
cancer. Lunch or dinner at Hop Louie’s in Chinatown became our thing,
and those were wonderful times that I will cherish forever.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo-1-1.jpg"><img alt="photo 1 1 350x261 Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-31197" src="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo-1-1-350x261.jpg" height="261" title="Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" width="350" /></a><br />
<br />
His level of wisdom and candor was breathtaking. He was an
intellectual with a tremendous sense of humor, and could easily summon
the perfect anecdote or analogy to illustrate his point. Christian was a
great person to go to for advice because never lectured; he was direct —
often “ruthlessly honest”, in John Stagliano’s words — but he helped
you reach your own conclusions. And then he’d offer to help.<br />
<br />
As our mutual friend Glenn King notes, “<span style="color: #3a3b3c;">Christian
was never satisfied with being the best he could be. He wanted to help
others improve their lives. He was always willing to take others’
burdens upon himself. That’s the kind of guy he was.”</span><br />
<br />
Christian worked hard as <span style="color: black;">point man for the Free Speech Coalition’s <a href="http://fscpass.com/" style="color: #f37221;">PASS testing/test verification</a> system for adult performers — a system he vigorously defended, as in <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/christian-mann-emails-mike-south/" style="color: #f37221;">this 2013 letter</a> which we were proud to post on <em>TRPWL</em>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">He wrote, in part:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<i>I have devoted a lot of time and effort as the FSC Board
Member chairing the PASS initiative. I have received no recompense and I
have no ulterior motive other than to be of service to my industry. The
scores of performers and agents who have encountered me over the last
thirty years would likely vouch for my integrity and genuine care for
them as people and as a vital component of the business. I’ve never
viewed the performers in an “us and them” paradigm. A simple collective
“us” has always been my approach.</i></blockquote>
<span style="color: black;">As John Stagliano reminded me today,
“Christian was a unique, very intelligent, very morally aware executive
in the porn business. He cared about the talent, he cared about all his
employees.” </span><br />
<br />
Christian was an extremely rational <em>diplomat</em> with a well-deserved reputation for being a peacemaker — “<span style="color: black;">he was so good at getting people to come together,” as director Kevin Moore says</span>. Christian once described himself to me as a very <i>political</i>
man; just as he valued human decency, he understood the importance of
allies in this business. He didn’t suffer fools lightly (as that 2013
letter also demonstrates), but he always had tact and grace.<br />
<br />
If Christian liked someone, and trusted them, he helped get ahead. He
was great at matching people up, and lobbying for them, ether behind
the scenes or in their presence. Steve Javors credits Christian with
getting him his job at AVN: “He called me on Paul [Fishbein]‘s behalf to
see if I was interested, and set up a meeting of the three of us.” He
would later make similar introductions for me, usually over lunch in the
Valley.<br />
<br />
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_31193" style="width: 530px;">
<a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/3-Julia-Christian.jpg"><img alt="3 Julia Christian 450x310 Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" class="wp-image-31193" src="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/3-Julia-Christian-450x310.jpg" height="359" title="Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" width="520" /></a><br />
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Julia Ann with Christian at the 2013 Vivid Holiday party</i></div>
</div>
<br />
In March of this year, when I received word of <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/rip-jake-malone/">Jake Malone’s passing</a>,
I rang Christian. He wanted me to do justice to his friend’s story, and
provided some moving reminiscences. I was struck by his insight and
eloquence under stress, but what I remember most was the way his voice
cracked as he spoke of his departed friend. I’ll never forget the sound
of it.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">“Up until March of this year he thought he was going to beat this whole thing,” says Stagliano, b</span>ut
by May, Christian’s cancer had returned with a vengeance, and had
gotten to his spine. Melissa never left his side, day and night. When I
visited, I learned that Christian was no longer able to hold food down.
The chemo had become too much for his body to take, and he and Melissa
opted to suspend treatment. On July 7, he was started on comfort
medications to ease his pain, but no artificial IV hydration or
nutrition.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo-5.jpg"><img alt="photo 5 350x344 Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-31202" src="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo-5-350x344.jpg" height="344" title="Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" width="350" /></a><br />
<br />
In these last few weeks, it fell to Melissa, and a few others such as
Christian’s old friend Luc Wylder, to keep people informed of
Christian’s status via social media. On July 10, Melissa reported:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>The most beautiful part of this transition has been the
opportunity to surround Christian, day and night, with the love of
friends and family. Since he was awake this afternoon, we read him a few
of the hundreds of messages about him that have been left on Facebook.
We love you, they say. You’ve made the world a better place, and we’ll
miss you. So much love and support from so many friends. He lay back on
the pillows with a smile on his face. “Do they know I’m not dead yet?”</i><br />
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<i>The nurse offered him disposable briefs this morning. He didn’t even hesitate. “Well, it depends…”</i></blockquote>
“As the second week of hospice begins,” Melissa shared on July 14,
“I’m reminded of the physician’s remark that we are not in control of
this process.”<br />
<br />
Christian was a tenacious fighter, as is reflected in the cartoon Melissa texted me on July 21:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo6.jpg"><img alt="photo6 450x606 Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" class="aligncenter wp-image-31927" src="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo6-450x606.jpg" height="727" title="Presente Christian Mann: The Passing Of A Decent Man In A Dirty World" width="540" /></a><br />
<br />
Our dear Christian could not let go until last night, July 30.<br />
<br />
I love you brother. I’ll see you again.<br />
<br />
<br />
Read tributes to Christian from those who knew and loved him <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/rip-christian-mann-february-3-1961-july-30-2014/"><strong>here</strong></a><br />
<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br />
<br />
<br />
<i>[Also...read AVN's official eulogy to Christian Mann <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/video/The-Adult-Industry-Remembers-Christian-Mann-1961-2014-568317.html#.U9rwZT6OWtU.twitter">here</a>, updated as tributes roll in.]</i><br />
<br />
<i>[UPDATE 8-2-14: Michael Whiteacre has updated the <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/presente-christian-mann/">original post over at TRPWL</a> to reflect his personal tribute to Christian Mann; and this repost has thusly been updated as a reflection.] </i>Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-44679348538698978852014-07-21T13:35:00.001-05:002014-07-21T14:00:11.186-05:00Etology Of An "Outbreak": The 2013 HIV Porn TimelineSince I posted my thoughts on Cameron Bay's interview with TRPWL's Michael Whiteacre yesterday, there has been some questions raised about the timing of the events ensuing during the outbreak, and whether or not they cast some light or doubt on Cam's assertions about getting infected on that Kink.com shoot.<br />
<br />
In order to aid in at least better understanding the questions, if not to resolve them, I'm issuing this rough timeline of all the events leading to and through the 2013 HIV "outbreak". I will do this without any commentary on my part, so that you can reach your own decision and make your own opinions based on this and other information.<br />
<br />
July 10, 2013: Rod Daily's last clean HIV/STI test, using the PASS protocols.<br />
<br />
Mid-July 2013 (approx.): Rod Daily and Cameron Bay meet in Los Angeles before they initially "break up", according to Cameron's subsequent testimony.<br />
<br />
Mid-July 2013: Cam Bay, Sofia Delgado (later to become "Performer #3" to be infected with HIV, verified in mid-September), and Austin Lynn (who was cleared w/ clean test in September) roomed together at the model house for the agency ATMLA (then led by Shy Love) for approx. 2 weeks. Delgado also shot various scenes in different venues during that period, before returning to her home in Arizona for the Fourth of July holiday.<br />
<br />
July 27, 2013: Cameron Bay's last clean HIV/STI test, again using PASS. She flies to San Francisco to meet Daily for Kink.com Public Disgrace shoot.<br />
<br />
July 31, 2013: Bay shoots scene for Kink; Daily accompanies her to hospital afterwards for treatment of breast tissue wound.<br />
<br />
End of July (approx.): Sofia Delgado's last clean HIV/STI test using PASS. <br />
<br />
August 1, 2013: Daily shoots TS scene for gay Kink.com site (with a condom, per Kink protocols). Note that all performers who did scenes with Daily have been cleared as HIV-. Daily then accompanies Bay back to LA before connecting flight by himself back to Arizona. Bay returns to Arizona the next day for further treatment of her breast tissue.<br />
<br />
August 3, 2013: Cam Bay tweets "thank you" notice to Xander Corvus (screen partner in Kink scene) for "awesome PD scene". Later that day, though, Bay serves up troubling series of tweets (capped and reposted by TRPWL <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/the-third-hiv-performer-and-the-cameron-bay-rod-daily-connection-trpwl-exclusive/">here</a>) implying some serious shocking life changing event.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPHGe0hmse75Pc6X36R6LZkrar33BgDsy0u6UFasafmp71ivgd7P8iOKvchyphenhyphenTWsQPYM6RXYH4b1ujMQLc8FR3a-BLrY52AEH68m9jjHU3yWZ5oVCZX5PqN8877RseBNW9eTkfDUuV2SQ/s1600/CameronBayTweets20130803.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPHGe0hmse75Pc6X36R6LZkrar33BgDsy0u6UFasafmp71ivgd7P8iOKvchyphenhyphenTWsQPYM6RXYH4b1ujMQLc8FR3a-BLrY52AEH68m9jjHU3yWZ5oVCZX5PqN8877RseBNW9eTkfDUuV2SQ/s1600/CameronBayTweets20130803.png" height="272" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
August 8, 2013: Sofia Delgado (P#3) does one more shoot in LA before returning to Arizona. It would be her last for that month.<br />
<br />
Mid-August 2013: Cameron Bay and Rod Daily temporarily reunite (or at least "meet up") in Arizona.<br />
<br />
August 17-19th: Bay hospitalizes herself for stomach issues, gets tested, then retested for HIV due to a bad blood sample.<br />
<br />
August 21st: Cam Bay's HIV+ status officially confirmed by FSC/PASS; production moratorium imposed.<br />
<br />
August 22nd: Blogger Mike South posts incendiary article claiming Xander Corvus as "Patient Zero"; Corvus strenuously denies.<br />
<br />
August 24th: Corvus releases via Twitter his most recent clean HIV/STI test through PASS. (He has tested clean since as well.)<br />
<br />
August 27th: PASS announces that all other active performers have been cleared as clean; moratorium will be lifted on August 31st. <br />
<br />
September 3rd: Rod Daily announces that he is HIV+ and has been "for weeks"; dodges questions on why he didn't use PASS protocols, but rather, his own private physican for diagnosis. Later that day, ATMLA announces that a shoot scheduled for Sofia Delgado on September 8th in LA would be pushed back to September 15th.<br />
<br />
September 6th: PASS confirms "Performer #3" (Sofia Delgado) infection via their protocols; moratorium reinstated.<br />
<br />
September 11th: Cameron Bay is featured in an Huffington Post column by Kathleen Miles in which she makes the accusations that she was decieved into performing the Kink.com shoot without a condom, among other issues.<br />
<br />
September 17th: PASS announces that based on clean tests of all other performers/contacts of P#3, moratorium can be lifted on Sept. 18th, pending new protocols and fresh tests. <br />
<br />
September 18th: Cameron Bay and Rob Daily offically become propagandists for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's condom mandate campaign and Isadore Hall's original condom bill; appearing in a press conference with AHF President Michael Weinstein.<br />
<br />
December 3rd: In a case totally unrelated to the Bay/Daily saga, a gay male performer (subsequently ID'd as TJ Cummings) is confirmed to be infected with HIV using the PASS protocols, prompting another moratorium. No other performer is found to be infected, and the moratorium is allowed to expire on Dec. 13th.<br />
<br />
June 25, 2014: Cameron Bay testifies before the California State Senate Labor And Industrial Relations Committee in support of Isadore Hall's AB1576 condom mandate bill, rehashing all her accusations against Kink.com for allegedly getting her infected with HIV. She also added the new charge that she was "forced" to perform without a condom under threat of not being paid for the scene she did. That charge was denied by officials from Kink.com (cited <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/legal/Misinformation-Abounds-at-Senate-Labor-Committee-Hearing-565216.html#.U6uAWn6AKGc.twitter">here</a>), citing their stated procedures for paying performers. Also, Sofia Delgado gives brief support testimony; later investigation reveals her formally to be "Performer #3").<br />
<br />
July 19, 2014: Cameron Bay is interviewed by TRPWL's Michael Whiteacre, in which the former attempts to clarify her statements against questions raised about her accusations. (results <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/cameron-bay-talked-michael-whiteacre-last-night/">here</a>).<br />
<br />
<br />
If I missed anything here, by all means let me know. And....what you make of this is your business and yours alone....goodness knows, I have my own.<br />
<br />
<br />Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-41643446749125044452014-07-21T01:51:00.000-05:002014-07-21T02:41:47.824-05:00HIV Porn Panic 2014: Cameron Bay Goes Interviewing With TRPWL's Michael Whiteacre To Clear Herself, But Raises More Questions Than Answers<i>[This is a slightly revised version of <a href="http://redgarterclub.com/RGClubNetwork/rgclub3dot2/2014/07/20/cameron-bay-interviews-raises-more-questions-than-answers/">a post I did for my Red Garter Club blog</a> yesterday.]</i> <br />
<br />
Those of you here at BPPA who have been following the entire saga of the fight to mandate condoms in porn, as well as the more recent HIV "outbreaks" of last year, already know all too well by now the
story of Cameron Bay.<br />
<br />
For those hiding under a rock these last 2 years, Ms. Bay was one of the confirmed porn performers to become
infected with HIV during 2013, and is currently the main perfomer spokesperson for
California Assemblyman Isadore Hall's and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's attempt to force
condoms and other forms of "barrier protection" on the Cali-based porn industry through legislative
action. Their bill before the California Senate, AB 1576, is now
scheduled to be heard before the Senate Appropriations Committee on
August 4th; passage there would then allow it to be heard by the full
Senate for approval. It has already passed the California Assembly.<br />
<br />
As
a prelude to the Assembly meeting, apparently AHF and Cam Bay decided
that it would be a good idea to send the latter out on the interview
circuit within the porn media, mosty in order to response to criticism
that Ms. Bay is essentially ducking her own responsibility for her
infection (and that of her boyfriend, performer Rod Daily) in order to
serve as paid henchwoman for AHF's condom mandate agenda.<br />
<br />
Which is
how Cameron Bay managed to contact Michael Whiteacre, contributor for
TheRealPornWikileaks.com and one of her strongest critics and opponents
of the condom mandate, for what ended up as a 45-minute phone interview.<br />
<br />
The results, along with Whiteacre's analysis, <a data-mce-href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/cameron-bay-talked-michael-whiteacre-last-night/" href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/cameron-bay-talked-michael-whiteacre-last-night/" title="Michael Whiteacre of TRPWL analyzes his phone interview with Cameron Bay">was posted to TRPWL last Thursday</a>, and they make for some interesting reading and analysis.<br />
<br />
In
the interview, Ms. Bay attempts to answer all of the criticisms and
questions that Whiteacre and TRPWL has raised about her acquiring HIV,
as well as her paid testimonials for AHF and Izzy Hall's bill. Her
answers do clear up some aspects of the controversy...but they also
raise, in some parts, some new questions.<br />
<br />
I'll use Whiteacre's TRPWL post as a template for my own personal thoughts and reactions.<br />
<br />
It
should be noted that Michael does give Cameron Bay her respect for
being cordial and for responding in a mature adult manner, and renders
no ill will for her due to her illness. I will share that sentiment
120%; all criticism of Ms. Bay here reflects the hope that she survives
her illness with all the best.<br />
<br />
That said, though, there's plenty
of Cam's original testimony that doesn't pass the smell test....and some of her
answers to Michael's questions don't do enough to totally kill the stink, either.<br />
<br />
All quotes from here on out, except where clearly stated, are from <a data-mce-href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/cameron-bay-talked-michael-whiteacre-last-night/" href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/cameron-bay-talked-michael-whiteacre-last-night/">Whiteacre's TRPWL post</a>.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>At
the outset of our conversation, Cameron said that she wanted to explain
why her earliest statements related to her infection stand in
stark contrast to statements made later — i.e., after she hooked up with
AIDS Healthcare Foundation to join its campaign against the adult
business. Cameron explained that she “didn’t want to be that graphic” at
first. This statement is odd because <a data-mce-href="http://business.avn.com/articles/video/Cameron-Bay-Comes-Forward-HIV-Result-Unconfirmed-526307.html" data-mce-style="color: #f37221;" href="http://business.avn.com/articles/video/Cameron-Bay-Comes-Forward-HIV-Result-Unconfirmed-526307.html" style="color: #f37221;">her earliest interview was with <i>Adult Video News</i> (<i>AVN</i>)</a> — an adult business trade magazine. Why would it be less okay to be “graphic” with AVN than with the Los Angeles Times?</i></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<i>Cameron’s
move to reconcile her differing statements is strangely reminiscent of
2010 ‘Patient Zeta’ turned AHF spokesman Derrick Burts’ attempts to do
the same. In <a data-mce-href="http://www.poz.com/articles/Derrick_Burts_HIV_401_20686.shtml" data-mce-style="color: #f37221;" href="http://www.poz.com/articles/Derrick_Burts_HIV_401_20686.shtml" style="color: #f37221;">a 2011 interview</a>,
Burts sought to pass off his latest version as mere elaboration: “I
gave this version to the media, but I’m sure you can see why they
omitted it—it was probably a little too graphic.”</i></blockquote>
Maybe,
Michael, because this time she is being coached by AHF to say whatever
graphic Gothic tale will suffice to scare the public into favoring
mandatory condoms, perhaps?? As we will see further along, Cameron Bay
seems to have discovered the way to inflate her charges with each venue
she offers.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>Cameron, who has been shooting scenes
since 2008, also justified statements made to the California legislature
that she had only been in the business for three months at the time of
her HIV infection by stating that she only considered herself a professional
adult performer for three months. Prior to that she hadn’t had an agent
and was only shooting scenes for her husband — or when she was in need
of cash. Whether this distinction is relevant or not may be debated, but
there’s an old saying, “amateurs don’t get paid.” Furthermore, many
professional adult performers don’t have an agent.</i></blockquote>
So..if
you don't shoot any scenes in California, and/or do not have an agent
representing you, then all of your history doesn't count or exist?? You
mean, then, that Derrick Burts flashing his AIM tests on Rentboy.com
doesn't count, either?? Not to mention, her involvement with Shy Love
(then head of ATMLA) in 2012 in setting up shoots for her??<br />
<br />
The
main focus of Michael Whiteacre's post, though, was to attempt to
reconstruct a timeline for when Cameron Bay was infected, and to rebuke
her claims that she was infected through that controversial Kink.com
shoot on July 31st....the foundation that underlies the entirity of
AHF's/Izzy Hall's legal rampage.<br />
<br />
Cam asserted to Whiteacre that
she had "broken up" with Rod Daily prior to her trip to San Francisco
for the Kink.com shoot, and that the last time they had sex together was
in July when they got together in Los Angeles.* Since Daily's last PASS
test was on July 10th (which he was found to be HIV/STI-free), that
would put their last tryst by mid-July. (A screenshot of Daily's final
PASS test is posted in Whiteacre's interview post. Remember, though,
that Daily refused to use the PASS system after that, announcing his
positive test on September 3rd through another source...either his
personal doctor or an AHF-backed physician using more traditional ELISA
testing.) Cam then retested, and was cleared, on July 27th, then
traveled to Frisco for the Kink shoot with Xander Corvus and Lorelei
Lee.<br />
<br />
The party line all along being pushed by Cameron Bay and all
the other proponents of the condom mandate was that Corvus was the
"Patient Zero" who infected her during that shoot. Considering that
Corvus tested negative before the shoot, tested negative right after the
shoot, and has not had a positive test since then despite shooting all
kinds of bareback scenes, that assertion could be highly questionable.
(Ditto for Lorelei Lee as well.)<br />
<br />
Cam's attempted response to all that?? The system is LYING. Really, it is.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>I
asked Cameron about her fixation on Xander’s bloody penis at the Kink
shoot, in light of the fact that he’s HIV negative. Her response was,
“How do you know?” She sought to denigrate <a data-mce-href="http://fscpass.com" href="http://fscpass.com/">PASS</a>
testing by saying that any PASS “administrator” could change a
performer’s status from “Not Available” to “Available” with a mouse
click.</i><br />
<br />
<i>This is pure propagandistic deflection by
Cameron. Aside from the fact that every HIV test result at a clinic
/ laboratory is automatically reported to the county health department,
regardless of PASS protocols, Corvus has shot hundreds of condom-less
shoots since July 31, 2013. If Corvus is HIV-positive, either he would
have infected dozens of people by now (who would have infected dozens if
not hundreds more), OR, mandating condoms in porn as proposed by AHF is not necessary because HIV is not transmittable on porn sets.</i></blockquote>
Forget
the basic fact that no PASS "administrator" would be that stupid to
modify an infected performer's status to make him/her available for
shoots and risk a cataclysmic epidemic of performers that would
essentially shut down the porn industry for good. And, forget
Whiteacre's point that any HIV+ result is mandated to be reported to the
health authorities post haste, with the threat of fines and jail as
enforcement.<br />
<br />
Indeed, you could even make a presumption that since
Corvus was clean but it was Bay who initiated the crisis at that shoot
by biting down just a bit too much on Xander's dick, she, not Corvus,
was the threat to transmit infection. I don't and won't make that presumption, of
course, since it's my unverified belief that Cameron Bay more than likely was either
infected right after or a few days after that shoot.<br />
<br />
Cameron then
attempted to explain away her charge that Kink.com exploited her by
"forcing" her to continue the shoot without a condom, in spite of reams
of testimony by others at the shoot that she had multiple options. This
time, she went to the "They violated the LAW" card:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>As
for Cameron’s claim that she was taken advantage of on the Kink set
because the shoot with Xander continued after she accidentally
scraped his penis with her teeth, she gave a similarly-crafted answer.
She agreed to continue shooting when asked, she says, but she claims she
did not know that to do so was allegedly in violation of Cal/OSHA
regulations, so therefore it was not a fully informed consent.</i><br />
<br />
<i>This
is a very legalistic answer, and perhaps explains how Cameron could
rationalize her statements to the California legislature, but it’s still
a dodge that does not reflect the tone and tenor her public testimony.</i></blockquote>
Really??
This is miming the standard AHF line that "condoms are already required
by law, so if you don't mandate them, you are in violation" canard. If
that's the case, then why is AB 1576 being pushed? Why is CalOSHA
attempting to <a href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2013/10/measure-b-was-only-missile-calosha.html">rewrite the regulations on "bloodborne/bodily fluid transmissions"</a> to include adult businesses and mandate condoms and other
forms of barrier protection? Other than the civil action AHF has filed
against Kink.com on their lack of mandated condoms with CalOSHA (which
should be a moot point anyway since, once again, <i><b>no performer in that shoot (other than Bay and Daily) has been found to be infected at that time of since</b></i><b> then)</b>, is there any other case that's not an AHF propaganda ploy to sell the condom mandate?<br />
<br />
Whiteacre continues with this:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>Cameron
told me that she has focused her blame on the brief time spent at
Kink.com not because they are a top AHF target, but instead because,
other than her on-camera performances, she had only had sex with one
person during the time period in question, and he has since tested
negative. Presumably, it’s okay to rely upon the result of his test…</i></blockquote>
Of course, she won't say what type of test he relied on, or whether it was followed up.<br />
<br />
And then, this happens. Remember when Cameron said that she had "broken up" with Rod Daily last July? Weeelllllll...<br />
<blockquote>
<i>In
any case, Rod was already in San Francisco when she arrived on July 31,
2013. Cameron confirms that when she arrived, Rod had been in San
Francisco for a “nearly a week”. Like the other times when “he wasn’t
around” her, she cannot speak to his activities.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Daily
shot a scene for Kink with a TS performer (using a condom) on August
1st; Cameron recalls him working with a blonde TS performer. This would
be <span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Aubrey Kate. </span>According to Kink, every performer who shot with Rod has since tested HIV-negative — <a data-mce-href="http://business.avn.com/articles/video/Kink-Testing-Condoms-Used-in-Daily-Aubrey-Shoot-UPDATED-527975.html" data-mce-style="color: #f37221;" href="http://business.avn.com/articles/video/Kink-Testing-Condoms-Used-in-Daily-Aubrey-Shoot-UPDATED-527975.html" style="color: #f37221;">including Aubrey</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<i>After
Rod’s shoot, Cameron and Rod flew to Burbank, California. Rod had a
connecting flight to Phoenix, but Cameron stayed in the Los Angeles
area.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Cameron has perviously stated, “My last shoot was
with Kink and the last time I saw Rod was a week later”, meaning they
met up in Arizona before her she tested positive for HIV.</i></blockquote>
Keep
in mind also that one of the options that was offered to Cameron at the
time of the Kink.com shoot, according to contemporaries there, was to
bring Rod Daily over to finish the scene. Would that be an option for
her if they had really "broken up"??<br />
<br />
And, the fact that Cam and
Rod would hook back up in Arizona the week after the Kink shoot is
highly problematic for a couple who had presumably "broken up" a month
ago.<br />
<br />
Could it be that Daily was infected doing some
extracurricular off-the-clock activity like Derrick Burts was in 2010?
And then, somehow, the week after the Kink shoot, he infected Cam Bay
when they met afterwards? Like I said, just my personal unproven,
unverified assumptions.<br />
<br />
In any case, everything changed after August 21st, when Cameron Bay learned of her HIV+ status.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>After her HIV diagnosis, Cameron returned to Arizona and got back together with Rod. They moved in together.</i></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<i>When
I asked Cameron why shy thought Rod did not test immediately after her
HIV-positive diagnosis, she said it was “we weren’t a couple” — meaning
that, since they had allegedly not had sex since mid-July, he didn’t
think he was at risk.</i><br />
<br />
<i>With all due respect to Cameron, who
was very open to answering hard questions, I find it hard to believe
that Rod would not at least take the precaution of an HIV test at that
point.</i></blockquote>
It was right about that time when Daily was
all over Twitter, running all sorts of smack about how he wasn't HIV+
and how he would be posting his test results to prove everybody
wrong....while simultaneously refusing to take the PASS tests. He
<a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/rod-daily-hiv-poz-big-suprise/">ultimately did confirm his HIV+ status</a> on September 3rd through Twitter,
testing through a non-PASS source, and then squawking about how the
PASS database was useless in preventing HIV because the medicine he was
taking for treatment was undercutting the tests by cloaking the virus.
(To which, actual AIDS testing researchers and people knowledgable with
retrovirals and HIV testing responded: Bull. Poop.)<br />
<br />
The only
logical explanation you could give for Daily's response was that he was
already infected at the time, and all his show-n-blow was either myopic
denial or deliberate playacting for the inevitable moment. And after
that, the AHF paychecks to pay for his treatment started kicking in.<br />
<br />
But, hang on....the intrigue only gets better.<br />
<br />
Remember
that there was a third performer in 2013 that got infected with HIV
during that crisis period; her diagnosis on September 10th is what
prompted the second moratorium following Cam Bay's announcement on
August 21st.<br />
<br />
Before now, she was just speculation....but now, we
can attach a name and a history to her. Sofia Delgado is her name, and
she officially introduced herself to the world at the California Senate
Labor Committee hearings as a supporter of AB 1576, albeit only briefly
as a sideshow to Cameron Bay's main Big Tent antics.<br />
<br />
However, she had already been partially revealed by Michael Whiteacre's/TRPWL's <a data-mce-href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/the-third-hiv-performer-and-the-cameron-bay-rod-daily-connection-trpwl-exclusive/" href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/the-third-hiv-performer-and-the-cameron-bay-rod-daily-connection-trpwl-exclusive/" title="The Real Porn Wikileaks Expose on "Performer #3" of the 2013 HIV Porn "Outbreak"">prior investigative efforts as Performer #3</a>, and as a close friend of both Cam Bay and Rod Daily.<br />
<br />
In
the actual phone interview, Cam Bay strenuously denied that she and
Delgado were actual lovers on the side, and that she could have gotten
infected indirectly from Sofia....even though, all three of them hailed
from the same area (Phoenix).<br />
<blockquote>
<i>She says that she never
had any sexual contact with Delgado, and never knew her in Arizona.
Delgado was (and still is) under 21, so Cameron says it would have been
unlikely for her — or Rod — to have met Sofia at a bar or club in the
Phoenix area.</i><br />
<i>Well…</i><br />
<br />
<i>Delgado had been a
stripper in the Phoenix area since she was 18, dancing at the
gentleman’s clubs Dream Palace and Elite Cabaret in Tempe, Arizona, so
there were many other opportunities for them to meet. Cameron countered
that Rod never liked strip clubs, so she finds it hard to believe that
he would have met her there.</i></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<i>But again, as Cameron stated, she “<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">wasn’t always around him</span>.”</i></blockquote>
Can't be your brother's keeper all the time, I guess.<br />
<br />
Whiteacre rounds out the sad tale thusly:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>If
that phrase sounds familiar, perhaps that’s because it is — to the word
— the same thing Derrick Burts’ girlfriend, performer <span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><a data-mce-href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/measure-b-spokesman-derrick-burts-hustler/" data-mce-style="color: #f37221;" href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/measure-b-spokesman-derrick-burts-hustler/" style="color: #f37221;">Kaycee Brooks, told an interviewer in 2012</a>.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i>Incidentally,
this was the same answer Cameron gave when I asked whether Rod was
escorting during the time they were together. “He never said anything to
me about it,” she says, “Unless he was living a double life…”</i><br />
<br />
<i>On the morning of September 3rd, <a data-mce-href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/rod-daily-hiv-poz-big-suprise/%20" data-mce-style="color: #f37221;" href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/rod-daily-hiv-poz-big-suprise/%20" style="color: #f37221;">Rod Daily announced on Twitter that he was HIV+, and implied he had known this for days</a>. A few hours later, ATMLA tweeted that Delgado’s L.A. trip had been pushed a week — to September 15th.</i></blockquote>
Funny how everything seems to go right back to Rod Daily, doesn't it??<br />
<br />
The
final piece of unfinished issues in that interview dealt with Cameron
Bay's new wealth since becoming AHF's official condom mandate
spokeswoman. It's one thing -- and no one should have any objection at
all -- for AHF to offer to pay for Cam's HIV treatment. But...<br />
<blockquote>
<i>Cameron claims she was not paid by AHF for her testimony. I asked where she suddenly got the money this year to buy a car, <a data-mce-href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/did-ahf-pay-cameron-bay-aka-cameron-adams-to-lie/" href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/did-ahf-pay-cameron-bay-aka-cameron-adams-to-lie/">get a new pad, pay $10,000 toward her court fines, pay for new boobs and be robbed of $10,000</a>?</i><br />
<br />
<i>Cameron replied that she won $16,000 at a casino.</i><br />
<br />
<i>I see <a data-mce-href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/did-ahf-pay-cameron-bay-aka-cameron-adams-to-lie/" data-mce-style="color: #f37221;" href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/did-ahf-pay-cameron-bay-aka-cameron-adams-to-lie/" style="color: #f37221;">a tweet about a casino on March 8</a>,
and that could account for the $9,027 payment to the court on April 8,
but Cameron got her boobs re-done in back in January and started
furniture shopping for her new place in February. The numbers don’t add
up.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Cameron claims, however that AHF has only “provided
transportation” for her. She also denied that AHF had hooked her up with
someone who would provide for her in one way or another.</i></blockquote>
You
mean that an organization with nearly $250 million in revenue wouldn't
give a penny in bonuses to their chief advocate that could potentially
bring millions more in revenue from condom advertising to their org??
Seriously??<br />
<br />
The point is not that Cameron Bay shouldn't get paid
for the job she's doing for AHF or that she shouldn't accept money for her treatment for her illness, but that both Cam and AHF should be just a bit more
transparent about what they are doing and call it for what it really
is.<br />
<br />
There is this to say about Cameron Bay, though: she has stones to
survive what she's been through.<br />
<br />
Even if I strongly disagree with her
message and her campaign, I gotta give her credit for that.<br />
<br />
<br />Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-88489921354539587892014-06-29T06:52:00.000-05:002014-06-29T06:58:10.249-05:00Porn Panic 2014: The Cali Senate Labor Committee Hearing on #AB1576 -- Part Deux (Now With 50% MORE AHF BS!!)OK..we continue now with my review of last Wednesday's hearing on Isadore Hall's condom mandate/testing/documentation bill, AB 1576, before the California State Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee. If you want to re-read <a href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2014/06/porn-panic-2014-update-ab-1576-passes.html">Part 1 of this essay</a> for background, feel free by all means.<br />
<br />
When we last left, the opposition of this joint effort of Izzy Hall and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation had just exited the microphone, but not without doing significant damage to the case for mandatory condoms in porn and weakened testing and forced documentation to the state. In particular, performer Lorelei Lee was especially devastating whole planks of AHF's illogic for justifying shoving condoms and dental dams and PPE down and up perfomers' orfices. Quoting again <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/legal/Misinformation-Abounds-at-Senate-Labor-Committee-Hearing-565216.html#.U6uAWn6AKGc.twitter">Mark Kernes' review</a> of the hearing from AVN:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>When it became Lee's turn at the rostrum, she noted that she was
delivering to the committee "a petition of over 600 performers who have
signed to say they have grave concerns with this bill and they strongly
oppose it.</i><br />
<br />
<i>"I also have reached out to and spoken with over 100
performers myself, who have expressed their concerns to me," she added.
"There can be no doubt that the majority of performers oppose this bill.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> </i><i>"The
author of this bill does not speak for performers," she charged. "The
sponsors of this bill do not speak for performers. They have not sat
down with us. They have dismissed our attempts to give input, and the
result is a bill that is shortsighted, that disregards any of our actual
labor concerns, and that would mandate testing protocols that are in
fact less strict and less rigorous than the ones we now have in place."</i><br />
<br />
<i> </i><i>Lee
also addressed the health privacy concerns: "In addition to
jeopardizing our safety, this bill would force us to consent to the
sharing of our medical information with the state. Mr. Hall has amended
the bill so we no longer share that information with our employers, we
share it with the state. This is a dangerous precedent to set, and I do
not believe they would ask this of workers in any other industry."</i></blockquote>
Also there to deflate the AHF balloon of myopia was FSC Chairwoman Diane Duke, who offered a sterling defense of the current PASS screening/testing system, as well as the caveat that the entire exercise would potentially be in vain due to constitutional issues with both the condom mandate and the documentation requirements. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>When it became Diane Duke's turn to speak, she emphasized that there
had been no on-set HIV transmissions in the adult industry in ten years.<br /></i><br />
<i>"The
speakers who spoke earlier today contracted HIV in their private
lives," Duke stated. "We have strict protocols, as Lorelei has
mentioned, in the industry already. That has resulted in no on-set
transmission of HIV, and that's nationwide we're talking about. Just to
put that in perspective, in LA County alone, daily, five cases, new
cases of HIV occur every single day. So in LA County, just five a day.
Nationwide, none on set in 10 years."</i><br />
<i>Duke also warned that there
is currently a lawsuit in Los Angeles County regarding Measure B, which
is "a very similar bill [a law, actually], not as onerous as this
bill"—and that portions of it had already been found unconstitutional in
federal court.<br /></i><br />
<i>"The enforcement provision of that has been found
unconstitutional," she noted. "The narrow issue of condoms has gone on
appeal. The oral arguments were in March, so we're expecting a decision
handed down by the end of the year. So this bill may be pushed through
and may be found unconstitutional before it is even able to make it to
law, so I really urge everyone not to create a law that may be found
unconstitutional."</i></blockquote>
That last paragraph was in relation to the ruling by federal district judge Michael Pregreson which upheld most of the provisions of Measure B, the condom mandate ordinance passed in 2012 by voters in Los Angeles County, while striking down provisions dealing with enforcement and collection of fees from porn production companies and due process procedures. That ruling is currently under appeal in the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals, both on the constitutional grounds that the mandate violates First Amendment rights of free expression by imposing a content-based restriction on legal speech, and on the ground that AHF has no legal standing to defend the law because they are a third party not bound to enforce the ruling.<br />
<br />
After that, there were brief statements of testimony from other opponents, raging from performers Jizz Lee, Amber Chase, Veruca James, and Chanel Preston of APAC; to reps from the St. James Infirmary in San Francisco, to reps from the porn syndicate MindGeek, among others.<br />
<br />
Then, the Q&A from the committee members got going....and it turned out to be eye opening. First...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>It was then the committee members' turn to ask questions, and Sen. Holly
Mitchell, who voiced support for the bill, asked if passage of the bill
would affect any plans that CalOSHA has to revamp its health code to
include regulation of the adult industry. AHF's Martin said it wouldn't
affect it at all, and noted that it was AHF which had brought the lack
of condom use in the adult industry to CalOSHA's attention in the first
place. Martin also noted, in response to one of Sen. Mitchell's
questions, that "You all just approved a restoration of 26 employment
slots at CalOSHA for investigation purposes, because one of the problems
during the recession is that they cut and cut and cut, and were not
able to enforce the law as vigorously as they would like. That will now
change now that you've been able to restore that money for them,"
referring to a budget bill.</i></blockquote>
Of course, that was no surprise, considering that CalOSHA had been colluding with AHF from the get-go on attempting to rationalize the condom mandate, and that one of the big issues that afflicted Measure B was that the funds for enforcement would come directly out of the permit fees imposed on the "pornographers". That issue wouldn't exist with 1576 because the enforcement would be entirely on CalOSHA's dime, with money probably appropriated to them from general revenue. (Though, I'm sure that AHF will be more than willing to chip in with all that grant money they get from the state as well.)<br />
<br />
In addition, that "revamp" of the health code to bring adult porn producers into compliance (and ultimately, be enforced nationwide through the Federal branch of OSHA) would effectively impose not only condoms and "barrier protection", but also effectively outlaw nearly every bit of current porn fashion in the name of "STI protection". No anal or vaginal penetration AT ALL unwrapped. No facials. No spooge shots in the vicinity of the butthole or vagina, or anywhere from the neck up or between the belly and the knee. No double anals or double vaginals, and possibly even no "double penetrations" (ass and pussy simultaneously) or "airtight" scenes (mouth, ass, and pussy simultaneously). No ass-to-mouth scenes, either. There was thought of allowing unwrapped oral sex scenes, provided that the perfomers therein subject themselves to doctor's approval and a regimen of Hepatitis C/HPV vaccinations prior to clearance, but that has not so far made it into the draft proposed regs. Effectively, the only allowed acts of "closure" would be internal ejaculation into a condom anywhere, or "nutting off" on approved parts of the body.<br />
<br />
Next up, this highly illuminating response by AHF legal counsel Rand Martin to an inquiry by Sen. Mark Leno on the potential constitutional issues. Naturally, Martin simply blew that off in a whiff.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Sen. Mark Leno, who gave an impassioned statement at the end of the
hearing about why he opposed the bill, asked Martin to comment on the
constitutional issues raised by the Vivid lawsuit against Measure B, but
Martin downplayed the possible effects of a ruling in that case.<br /></i><br />
<i> </i><i>"The
issue of First Amendment protections under Measure B is now before the
Ninth Circuit, and we have no idea when it will be decided," Martin
said. "So we acknowledge that this is not done in terms of the court's
ruling. However we don't believe that the issue of First Amendment is
ultimately going to prevail. We appreciate the trial court's decision in
that regard and [it] echoed our concerns. I would also point out that
ultimately, again, this bill is about documentation and not about the
underlying condom requirement, so I suppose in one scenario, that in the
future, the court could throw out the condom requirement, that could
ultimately have an impact on the regulation of it, which is what this
bill is, is about the regulation of that requirement. Obviously, it
would not be enforced at that point. However, we don't want to hold off
on moving forward with this important documentation requirement on the
off-chance that a court, a higher court will ultimately decide that
there are certain First Amendment protections that are not being
afforded under Measure B, and Measure B, of course, is what's being
enforced."</i></blockquote>
Of course, the documentation requirements have their own constitutional issues, including that federal law called HIPPA, on top of the free expression/content-based speech restriction issues. But, if this bill is not about mandating condoms, why is AHF, who has built their organization squarely on the condom mandate for the past 5 years, so readily backing it?? It's not as if they even have their own brand of condoms to pitch to people for the goal of making lots of money off condom ads....errrrrr, spreading the word about "safer sex", right??<br />
<br />
Then there is that little thing about the "FIVE!!! KNOWN!!! HIV!!! INFECTIONS!!! IN!!! PORN!!!!1111ONEHUNDREDELEVEN111!!!!" meme that turned out not to be so accurate...so much so that the Sacramento Business Journal had to print a retraction from the LA County DPH rebuking Hall's claim. When Leno inquired Martin about that bit, the response by the latter was classic....in blowing the roof off the entire Bullshit Mountain built around the condom mandate.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>What was of particular interest was Martin's response when Leno
brought up the fact that after the last Assembly hearing on the bill,
the Sacramento Business Journal was required to <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/legal/County-Health-Dept-Officially-Refutes-AHF-s-Misinformation-562520.html" target="_blank">print a retraction</a> of its previous statement that there had been some HIV transmission within the industry on film sets.<br /></i><br />
<i> </i><i>"There
has been a misunderstanding," Martin said, "and I'm sure we—and the
opposition is just as guilty about perpetuating this: The bottom line
is, because of California HIV privacy laws, it is impossible without a
county public health investigation to actually determine where a
transmission occurred. We have tried to be very careful to not say that
HIV transmission occurred; we have said that HIV cases have happened
within the adult performer community in a very short period of time last
year, but we have not said that they happened on the set. The
opposition has said, and they said it today, that it did not happen on
set. They don't know any better than we do whether it happened on set or
not. The bottom line is, because it could happen, and we believe that
it has, that doesn't mean it's right or it's accurate, but we believe it
has, it's important to make sure that protection is available."<br /></i><br />
<i> </i><i>As
previously noted, the industry does indeed know, because of its testing
procedures, that transmission did not occur on set, and AHF has
previously at least strongly implied that it had, and one might suspect
that Martin's backpedaling here might have something to do with Peter
Acworth's <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/legal/Acworth-Letter-to-AHF-Cease-Desist-Lies-About-HIV-on-Set-564695.html" target="_blank">recent threat</a> of bringing a cease-and-desist order against AHF for strongly implying that on-set transmissions did occur.</i></blockquote>
<br />
In the faraway magical Bullshit Mountain occupied and ran by AHF and Izzy Hall, facts that deviate from the party faith simply flow off their backs like....you know...crap through geese. "We don't know if it occured or not, and they don't really know either, but we BELIEVE people are DYING of AIDS because of them slutty pornsters not wrapping up with OUR brand of condoms, and Goddessdammit, we need to DO SOMETHING NOW before our gravy train runs out....ahhhh, I mean...before another performer gets infected and DIES!!!!!!" Also, I'd say that Cameron Bay's and Rod Daily's (and Derrick Burts') paychecks from AHF are essentially cashed with the assertion that the idea that HIV was indeed spread on that Kink.com set is more than just a "strong implication"....whatever the actual evidential facts may be.<br />
<br />
The discussion then turned to the porn performer surveys cited by Izzy Hall and AHF at the beginning to justify the condom mandate: the 2010 survey done by UCLA and CalOSHA, and the more recent 2013 survey done by UCLA, which were both used by AHF to allege that porn performers were up to their asses in STI's. The 2010 study had already been dissected and debunked by Lawrence Mayer (his pdf here); the later study has been effectively woodsheded both by Mark Kernes and this blog right heya. When Mark Leno attempted to call out these surveys for their lack of correlation and causation, this merriment ensued:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Martin, however, went on to tout two studies of STDs in the adult industry, one which was published in 2012 (and debunked <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/video/About-That-So-Called-Study-on-Adult-Performer-STDs-493251.html" target="_blank">here</a>) and the other done just one year ago, which AHF <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/legal/Weinstein-Uses-Unpublished-Study-to-Stump-for-AB-1576-Passage-564221.html" target="_blank">touted at a press conference</a>
just two weeks ago, and which was much discussed on AVN.com. However,
when Leno asked the proponents to respond as to whether those studies
indicated correlation or causation, Martin asked Dr. Paula Tavrow of
UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health to speak to it—and she dodged
the question.<br /></i><br />
<i> </i><i>"Two studies were conducted," she said. "One in
2012 was conducted over—in a single clinic over a five-month period that
ended I think in August, 2010, and in that study, we found that there
was a 28 percent prevalence of chlamydia or gonorrhea among adult film
workers, and then there was a second study that was just completed a
year ago, in June, 2013, of two clinics and that found that the rate
just of gonorrhea and chlamydia was 28 percent among that community of
adult film workers."</i></blockquote>
Actually, for the record, the first study, authored by Dr. Robert Kim-Farley and Dr. Peter Kerndt (he being the one who gleefully backed the condom mandate as a means of forced mentoring of the public on "safer sex"), only quotes "up to one fourth" of porn performers as having contracted either gonorrhea or chlamydia, and then later rounds off those quotes to "between 15 and 25 percent". Not quite 28 percent there. And, for those of you who missed that blockbusting infographic that AHF blew out when they released the findings of the second "survey", their percentage of performers stricken with either gonorrhea of chlamydia came out to 23.7 percent, rounded up to 24%...off again by four percentage points.<br />
<br />
But who cares about such namby-pamby things about facts and controls when there's DEADLY VIRUSES floating around???<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>But when Leno reiterated that his question was whether the studies
showed that adult film performing caused the infections, or simply that
they found infections but could not state a cause, Tavrow admitted,
"None of these studies can determine how someone acquired a disease,"
but later added, "The fact that, as Senator Hall was just mentioning,
that it's ten times higher among the performers than it is among a
comparable LA County population of 20 to 29 year olds does suggest to us
that it was due to their work."</i></blockquote>
Yeah, that's right. <i>Ten times higher.</i> As compared to what control group that you call "comparable"? The ones that test as often as porn performers? You know, like the prison population, where condoms are few and far between? How many "civilians" don't even know they have STI's until they go to a clinic and test themselves when they become sick? Oh..and what about the rate of STI infection inflated by the high impact of HIV/STI's on the gay male community and the gay male porn industry, where condoms are far more the rule than testing, and seromatching is done to attempt to prevent cross-infection...and gay performers and civilians still succumb to the virus every year?? Are you saying, Ms. Tavrow, that only porn performers, not the public at large, engage in "high-risk" sexual acts that leave them more vulnerable to infections? What about other factors like sharing dirty needles during drug use or non-wrapped anal sex leading to tearing and bleeding, which opens up the real risk of blood-to-blood transmission of STI's?<br />
<br />
Both Lorelei Lee and Diane Duke were ready for that nonsense, though.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>This "suggestion" was refuted soundly by Lorelei Lee, who stated,
"The UCLA studies that were mentioned, one factor in those studies is
that they were looking at performers who went to West Oak Urgent Care
clinic. This is not a testing facility; this is someplace where
performers go when they know they have an STI, so if you were to test
performers from that clinic, you would get a 100 percent result of
performers who have an STI. I have seen what's been published of the
study. I have not seen any peer review of the study. I also have not
seen it compared to a comparable population. I do not believe that that
has happened. I do not believe that there is a comparable population who
tests as often as we do, for example."</i><br />
<br />
<i> </i><i>"I need to point out it
is not a published study," Duke added. "It has not been published. There
is a poster out about the results, and it was presented at a
conference, but it is not a published study. They used two facilities.
One was a test facility that was a PASS testing facility; the other was a
treatment facility, so it would be like, as Lorelei said, like going to
an oncologist's office and saying everybody's got cancer. When you go
to a treatment facility, you're going to be surveying people who are
being treated, so that's why that is problematic."</i></blockquote>
The fact that even with all those cooked-up facts, created out of the the thin whiff of raw sewage, they still could find only 25% of adult performers in LA County suffering from either chlamydia or gonnorhea, speaks well about the discipline of the overwhelming majority of adult performers in playing safely, and the effectiveness of the screening system in place. The fact that even with 5 confirmed HIV infections within the last 3 years in the "straight" porn community, none of them have been found to have been caused by on-set action, and -- most importantly -- <b><i>no other performers have been found to have been infected as a result of any of these acts</i></b> -- speaks even louder about the effectiveness of the PASS system (and even the system ultimately refined by AIM before AHF targeted them for destruction as part of the condom mandate crusade. (And I won't even mention the inconvenient fact that two of those infections came from gay male condom-only sets. Oh, wait...I just did!!)<br />
<br />
Diane Duke also addressed yet another of Izzy Hall's wack memes: the alleged failure of industry moratoriums to prevent the spread of diseases.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Duke also described how moratoriums work in the adult industry, pointing
out that they're not done casually, but upon doctors' recommendations.
She also seemed to take umbrage with Hall's earlier statement that,
"While these moratoriums sound good to the press, they were unenforced
and largely ignored by the industry."</i></blockquote>
Now, during the syphilis scare and dual moratoria of 2013, there were some real grumblings from porn agents and some models/performers about why they had to suffer the loss of income while waiting for nearly a month without pay; and there was one attempt by a porn production company -- namely, Dan Leal's Immoral Productions -- to break the second moratorium and shoot product (with condoms, of course) which ultimately blew up in Leal's grill after performers blasted him back. Also, remember the controversy during the syphilis scare from some performers (Lisa Ann leading the opposition) to being forced to take a syphilis vaccine when not afflicted due to medical complications and the lack of an effective testing regimen for syphilis back then? In any case, the fact that everyone was ultimately cleared confirmed that the moratoriums did do their jobs, though not without some economic pain to those having to pay bills in the internim.<br />
<br />
If AHF had their way, of course, there would be no need for moratoria to begin with, because condoms would save both the world and the industry from all those bad STI's, allowing everyone, even those with full blown HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, or even HPV, to gambol around and fuck freely. Either that, or softcore simulated porn would come in and save the day....I guess.<br />
<br />
As to the other meme that "Condoms are already the LAW, HO-MAAAAYYY!!!" ...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Leno also asked the bill's opponents to comment on whether condoms were actually already required in adult film work?<br /></i><br />
<i> </i><i>"Regulation
5193 does not contain the word 'condom'," attorney Karen Tynan noted.
"We have trial dates set on this issue on July 9, 10, 15 and 22-24 for
two different companies, where ALJs [administrative law judges] employed
by the state will be making determinations about the exposure control
plan, but it's important to remember that that regulation, which was
written in 1994 for healthcare industries, created exposure control
plans that require testing that meets the standard of 5193, which says
you either eliminate or minimize the hazard. We believe we eliminate or
minimize the hazard with that exposure control plan through the
testing."</i></blockquote>
It should be noted that AHF has already won one case where they insist that condoms are the only true means of protection: the Treasure Island Media ruling where an ALJ upheld an earlier ruling (yet reduced the fine by two-thirds); that ruling is currently under appeal.<br />
<br />
All of this was rendered a moot point, when both Senators Mitchell and Committee Chair Ben Huesco both declared in favor of the bill's passage, both citing the need for protection. Mitchell, though, did gently rap AHF for not addressing the plight of HIV+ Black women, whom she called "the hidden face of HIV". Considering that there is no AHF clinic in Izzy Hall's district in Compton, in spite of nearly five new cases of HIV every day, that probably would fall on deaf ears.<br />
<br />
And speaking of Izzy Hall....the reverend closed his sales pitch for 1576 with an extra special and heretofor hidden punch to the groin of the industry...using Mr. Marcus' allegedly syphilis infected dick.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"I would just like to say, we had a witness here today, Cameron Bay, who
very clearly stated that she tested negative and still had HIV while
performing on the set, and you saw articles with Mr. Marcus in Los
Angeles who was found guilty of infecting and exposing to a female to
syphilis on the set and was fined $130,000 just this week and also
served jail time," Hall lied. "She's really a person, she's present and
she's telling you what happened. Mr. Marcus is a real person. The LA Times
didn't just make up a story. It's the reality of what happens, and it's
time that we start putting worker safety in front of profit in
California."</i></blockquote>
Of course, it probably wouldn't even register in Hall's brain that if Cameron Bay was indeed infected on that Kink.com set, it probably was because of her own off-the-set sexual activity (or that of her boyfriend); or that Marcus not only did not infect anyone with syphilis (not even the accuser, Lilith Lavey, went that far as to say she was infected, only that he, through cloaking his positive test for syphilis in the face of unemployment, exposed her needlessly to the possibility of infection), but probably couldn't even have infected her because he had undergone the full treatment for the infection and was thusly unable to infect anyone. Even the jail time served was for a parole violation from a previous offense totally unrelated. (Also...condoms would not have prevented the spread of syphilis in areas not protectable by "barriers".) The LA Times may not have the ability to make up stories, but Isadore Hall, thanks to his benefactors at AHF, sure has perfected that art to a crossed T and a dotted I. And a great big L-I-E.<br />
<br />
There was one bright moment for the opponents of 1576, though: Senator Leno declared his opposition to the bill in some of the most powerful and succinct tones possible, and it gives at least some hope if this bill ever reaches the full Senate.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Some of the concerns that have been raised with regard to protecting
the privacy of these actors, apparently overwhelming—I know it's
anecdotal—opposition to the bill by those who work in the industry,
concerns with regard to mandatory HIV testing, all leave me a little
uncertain as to whether this is the right way to go," Leno said. "I
would imagine with regard to Mr. Marcus, and I don't know why he wasn't
fined more than he was, though someone of his ilk very likely could do
what he did again even with this bill as law, and as a gay man who has
experienced the HIV epidemic in San Francisco over the past 30, 35 years
now, lost my own life partner to it, very close... Those that I worked
with in the community for the past three decades, the organizations
that started it in the early '80s and are still foundation stones of our
HIV/AIDS community in San Francisco, are not in support of this bill.
They've remained publicly silent, though I've had some conversations
with any numbers of them—I'll leave the names of the organizations out,
but they're both treatment and prevention advocates for treatment groups
and they have reservations about this—privacy, mandatory HIV testing,
things that they have been on the frontlines for the past many years, so
for those reasons, I will not be supporting the bill today."</i></blockquote>
Alas, he was alone in his opposition, as Senators Mitchell, Huesco, and ultimately Padilla following a brief break, voted to move AB 1576 forward to the Senate Appropriations Committee. It could face hearing there as early as this coming week. After that, on to the full Senate, and then, if it passes that without amendments to be reconciled with the Assembly, on to Governor Jerry Brown's desk for signature or veto.<br />
<br />
As always, we'll keep you updated on its progress or lack therof.<br />
<br />
<br />Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-44412567277994512442014-06-29T02:02:00.000-05:002014-06-29T07:00:11.859-05:00Porn Panic 2014 Update: AB 1576 Passes First California Senate Committee Test, But Not Without Fun And Frivolity (And More AHF BS)First, the bad news: It's beginning to look more and more like Isadore Hall's bill for mandatory condoms and "barrier protection" and testing and verification, House Bill #AB1576, may stand a chance of passing after all, following its initial clearance throug the California State Senate's Labor and Industrial Relations Committee.<br />
<br />
It still has to go through the Appropriations Committee and then pass the full Cali Senate before reaching Governor Jerry Brown's desk for his possible signature; but considering the money the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has to lobby legislators, and the apparent total dismissal of the concerns of porn performers and producers against the bill due to the latest sex panics, it's a lot closer to passage than could ever be conceived even a month ago.<br />
<br />
I wish that I could be less pessimistic about the outcome, but from what I saw and heard about the Labor Committee hearing on the bill that took place on Wednesday, it's not looking so good. Not even the articulate arguments of performer Lorelei Lee or Free Speech Coalition CEO Diane Duke could outdo the razzle-dazzle, presto-changeo, minstrel show clown act that Izzy Hall and AHF brought to the committee. This wasn't just a doubling down of propaganda and bullshit; this was a raising of two magnitudes of the usual AHF talking points, driven to new heights of hot, runny stinky garbage.<br />
<br />
I'm using <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/legal/Misinformation-Abounds-at-Senate-Labor-Committee-Hearing-565216.html#.U6uAWn6AKGc.twitter">Mark Kernes' review of the committee hearing</a> over at AVN as my template for commentary, since that's all we have right now. <br />
<br />
First off, Izzy Hall kicked off the comedy act with his usual bait-and-switch.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>For example, the first words out of Assemblymember Isadore Hall III's
mouth as he attempted to explain the bill to the committee were, "AB
1576 is a workplace safety measure that would require employer-paid
mandatory STD testing of adult film actors at least every 14 days, and
use of a condom or other protective equipment in all adult films
produced in California." Indeed, Hall wasn't the only one who's changed
direction and called this primarily a mandatory testing bill rather than
a mandatory "condom or other protective equipment" bill—and it should
be noted that Hall referred to "other protective equipment" at least
three times during the hour-long session</i>.</blockquote>
This is particularly hilarious because previously Hall and his AHF cronies have effectively denied repeatedly that any part of this bill, or any of the proposed changes in "bloodborne pathogen"/"sexually transmitable bodily fluid" regulations by CalOSHA, would involve anything other than mandated condoms. Not face shields or goggles or dental dams or any other form of personal protective equipment required for industrial use...only condoms would be required. Riiiiiight. Never mind that the proposed CalOSHA regulations would not only force "barrier protection" for anal/oral sex, but would also ban even external ejaculation over any areas (face, vaginal, anal) where the possibility of "transmission" could occur, as well as any internal ejaculation in the vagina or booty not wrapped up.<br />
<br />
Also...the newly formed respect for testing flies in the face of previous testimonials by AHF President Michael Weinstein stating that testing by itself is a fundamental failure and that with condoms, testing becomes a moot point. The previous attempts at mandating condoms did not even mention testing at all.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Hall also declared, "In 2013 alone, there were up to five documented
cases of HIV transmission of adult film actors," even though, as
activist/performer Lorelei Lee and Free Speech Coalition CEO Diane Duke
later noted, it has been proven that such transmissions did not take
place on any adult movie set.</i></blockquote>
Yeah, five cases. Of which, three were confirmed cases of HIV caught by the PASS system (Cameron Bay, "Performer #3", and an unnamed gay male condom-only performer); the other was Rod Daily (Cam Bay's boyfriend, who managed to skip the PASS system right when he got infected and became, like Bay, AHF's paid missionary for the condom mandate); and the fifth turned out to be a false positive. Not to mention, no other performer who worked with Bay or Daily in any straight shoot turned up HIV+ either during or since they (Bay/Daily/P#3) tested positive for HIV. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Hall also claimed, as he did before the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, "For all the talk that the industry will flee to Nevada,
Nevada is already clear on its regulation of sex work. Sex work is not
legal in Las Vegas. The counties that do allow sex work, condom use is
mandatory, period. This is in addition to the fact that only two states
in the U.S. allow for the legal production of adult film; that's
California and New Hampshire. The adult industry's home is and will be
in California. The fact is that the industry isn't going anywhere, and
frankly, I don't them to go anywhere but in California, where they
employ thousands of Californians, generating millions of dollars in tax
revenues."</i><br />
<i> </i><i>Doesn't matter that adult film acting is not
considered "sex work" under either California or Nevada law, and that as
Duke later noted, "A $30 million company from the Valley moved out of
state earlier this year, and is happily working in Las Vegas, where they
have welcomed us with open arms. They want the jobs, they want the
ancillary jobs that come with this industry."</i></blockquote>
The general gist of Hall's rant here is that the adult industry needs Cali more than Cali needs them, and that if they know what's good for them, they will just knuckle under and accept the condom mandate like good little menschs. Problem is, brothels aren't the only place to film porn; people can still use their smartphones and PC's/laptops to produce porn at home and bypass the regs, and porn can be made outside of even the US. Also..in Nevada brothels, condom usage is imposed on the clients of brothel prostitutes, not the prostitutes themselves. Plus, the opposite of "legally protected through legal precedent" is NOT "illegal"; there simply hasn't been a case like the Freeman case that has been tried as a template to determine the legality of porn as free speech expression.<br />
<br />
Next up in the Clown Show was AHF legal counsel Rand Martin with a variation of the same-old same-old.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Rand Martin of AIDS Healthcare Foundation apparently sought to derail
some of the opponents' arguments by claiming that condoms are already
mandatory in California under CalOSHA regulations (even though nowhere
in those regulations does the word "condom" appear); that the testing
protocols in the bill are superior to those currently used by the
industry (except that the bill mandates the CDC-recommended antibody
test for HIV while the industry uses the far-more-accurate PCR-RNA
test); and that performers' medical information won't be exposed to
employers or government employees (although the bill clearly states that
employers are required to certify that "the employee consented to
disclosing to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health that the
employee was the subject of a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test,"
and how would they know that without some sort of access ot the test
results themselves?</i></blockquote>
Yeah...."superior". Because a 24 hour swab using an ELISA antibody test that has a <i><b>3-6 month</b></i> latency period is far superior to the Aptima test with a <i><b>6-10 day</b></i> latency period, backed up by Western Blot and three Elisa analyses tests, right? And, condoms never tear or break, of course. And....lots and lots and lots of lube.<br />
<br />
And this nonsense that the documentation of adherence to testing and condom usage won't fall into government (or AHF) hands for misuse or abuse? Why require such things to begin with if you don't want "government employees" to have such information? And, once that info is gathered, what's to prevent it from being sold and channeled to private sources for either blackmail or propaganda or spamming purposes? Remember, it was 2257 info that was used to out Desi Foxx and for the original Porn Wikileaks (D****y L**g's version, NOT the modernized current version run by Sean Tompkins). Is there anything preventing, say, a Gail Dines or Shelley Lubben peep from attempting a FOIA action to reveal the medical records (and real names) of a performer whom is documented under this bill, and using it for nefarious means?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Martin also claimed performers shouldn't be allowed to make their own
decisions about whether to use condoms (and, one assumes, the "other
protective equipment") themselves much as, "We don't let construction
workers decide whether they're going to wear hardhats. We do not let
welders decide whether they're going to wear goggles. We do not let
doctors and nurses decide whether they're going to wear gloves in the
operating room." But as Lorelei Lee pointed out later, in discussing
vaginal chafing, or "condom rash" as it's called, which can cause
micro-tears in the vagina which in turn cause an "increased risk of
STI's," "Construction workers are not often harmed by their hardhats."</i></blockquote>
Of course, wearing hardhats at construction sites and goggles during welding and gloves during surgeries to protect against injury is a bit different from engaging in sex for long periods of time. People have been doing that for millenia without acquiring any STI's at all. In fact, the overwhelming majority of performers have been free and clear of disease and infection for themselves....mostly thanks to their own discipline in selection of on-screen partners and their own personal care in protecting themselves, and also thanks to the PASS screening system that AHF and Izzy Hall want to simply obliterate, all their bloviating aside.<br />
<br />
But, that was only a prelude to the pathos of their chief victim/witness, Ms. Cameron Bay herself. And she executed her role perfectly, even adding an extra dose of conspiracy never before heard of.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"I was an adult performer last year between May and August," she stated
to the committee. "July 31 was my last shoot. I got a job working for
Kink.com as an adult—which is an adult film studio in San Francisco, and
I was tested for STDs and I was available for work. When I got there,
there was up to about 75 extras on set and none of them were tested.
During filming, the main performer I worked with had cut his penis and
then was bleeding. They stopped shooting the scene to clean up the
blood. I wanted to use a replacement, and there was a replacement there
on set, but they chose not to because they could not pay the performer,
so in turn, I had to continue working with the injured performer and we
did not use a condom. They did not have an effective exposure control
plan and I had to carry on the scene without any protection at all. If I
had asked for a condom, another performer could have replaced me or
would have replaced me. I would not have been paid and I would have had
to pay my fee to my agent, which means I would have been out of pocket
close to $400 out of a payment that I never would have received."</i></blockquote>
Now, there is plenty of sympathy and empathy in me for Ms. Bay, who is indeed going through the crucible of a life-changing drama which will affect her for the rest of her life. Problem is, her story has more than a few, shall we say, issues with stated facts. Like: the known fact that it was her who bit into and ultimately bloodied Xander Corvis' penis, causing the stoppage. Or, the known and proven fact that neither he nor any other hetero performer (other than Bay and Rod Daily) who did that Kink.com shoot has tested positive for HIV either then or since. Or, also, the testimonial from other sources at that shoot who specifically stated that when the performance was halted, Bay was given the options of continuing the shoot both with and without a condom, or even having boyfriend Daily step in to finish the shoot, but chose to continue on as before, thinking that she would be OK.<br />
<br />
Cam Bay's revelation that she would be removed if she didn't finish the shoot without the condom is a new charge that she never pushed in her previous testimonials...and it would violate Kink.com's protocols in their basic Model Rights, which explicitly states that once a performer is under contract and performs in their scenes, they are entitled to full pay even if they bail out of a scene due to any concern of injury. <br />
<br />
But that wasn't the only bomb Cam dropped at that hearing:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Somewhat chilling was Bay's statement, "I could have continued
working that whole week that I found out I was HIV positive, because my
test said that I was still good to go in the PASS system. I still had a
checkmark next to my name stating that I was cleared to work, and I
could have infected a lot of people because I was in my most infectious
state at that time. I followed the adult film industry's
self-regulations and I stand here before you today HIV-positive."</i><br />
<br />
<i> </i><i>Aside
from Bay's repeated implication that she contracted her HIV on set, her
statement taken at face value would suggest that she was not tested by
an industry testing service because she would then have been mareked as
"unavailable" in the PASS system. However, <b>no matter where the test
would have been taken, an HIV-positive result would have prevented her
from working.</b> [Emphasis added by me.] What she likely meant to communicate, though, was that
there was a period of time (she characterizes it as a week) during which
she was positive with the virus but had not yet been detected via a
test, and it is her contention that she could have worked that week and
unknowingly exposed others.*</i></blockquote>
Remember that Bay's positive HIV test was confirmed on August 21th using the PASS system; and her last clean test was on July 27th, also using PASS. Also remember that the minute a test shows "reactive", a performer immediately goes off the clear list database and is informed and referred for followup testing. The infamous Kink.com shoot was done on August 31st, four days after Bay was cleared for shooting. The Aptima test can detect traces of the HIV virus in a person's RNA basically within the first 6 to 10 days of serotransmission. That would mean that if Bay was initially tested on or around August 14th - 17th, the latest that the test would be able to find transmission would be August 4th. Also, based on the 14-day testing schedule enforced by PASS, Bay would have to have been retested no later than August 14th. It may be that Bay used a private doctor that was not part of the PASS system for her initial diagnosis before it was verified on the 21st, but there was no indication of that publically by her or anyone else....other than a series of suggestive tweets she posted to her Twitter account on September 3rd.<br />
<br />
Now, it is functionally true that with 14-day testing, there is a small window where an infected performer could possibly work without his/her infection being detected until the next series of tests, thusly threatening other performers. However, the counter to that is that most reputable porn production companies insist on 2-3 day old clean tests in addition to clearance from the PASS database prior to hiring someone for shooting, and some performers require even stronger standards than that before they shoot scenes. Between that and the exercise of off-the-clock discipline and selectivity in sexual partners/sexual acts, this greatly reduces if not eliminates the risk of infection; and the cases where all infections since the Darren James episode of 2004 have been found to be off set with no other performers striken verifies that fact.<br />
<br />
It should also be known that female-to-male HIV transmission outside of direct blood-to-blood contact is very rare in real life, let alone in the porn industry. The only possible scenarios even plausible would be that either: 1) Cam Bay (or more likely Rod Daily) was already infected by the time they did that Kink.com shoot, but somehow miraculously managed not to infect Xander Corvus....although given the short time frame between her last clean test and that shoot, that would be a statistical impossibility; or 2) Cam Bay was infected off the clock either right at the time of or soon after that shoot, most likely either by her boyfriend Rod Daily or through some other extracurricular activity she or he had. That would put to serious question whether her current "I am a victim" testimony (and that of Daily as well) is simply bending her (and his) experiences to fit the template of the condom mandate talking points in exchange AHF paying for her treatment (and, allegedly, other perks and goodies).<br />
<br />
The rest of the pro-1576 testimony was anticlimatic, with nine persons speaking in favor....but one of those people raises some intrigue.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>After the testimony by Hall, Martin and Bay, nine people registered
their support for the bill, including one Sofia Delgado, who said she
was HIV-positive and also implied that she had contracted it on a
set—even though she has appeared in a grand total of two adult movies,
both all-girl, and two solo scenes for SexuallyBroken.com.</i></blockquote>
My initial impresion upon reading this was that this could potentially be "Performer #3", the female performer that was confirmed on September 3rd to be HIV+; however, according to the expose done by TRPWL, that performer had done a boy-girl scene prior to the calamity of testing positive. However, there is that perfomer in 2012 that was a confirmed positive test using the original APHSS (the predecessor to PASS) system. Unfortunately, Mr. Kernes gives no followup info about whether Ms. Delgado tested using PASS/APHSS, or whether her claims of getting infected with HIV on set can even be verified. Then again, AHF isn't known for their vetting of their advocates, as Derrick Burts can clearly attest.<br />
<br />
After that, the opposition, in the form of Lorelei Lee and Diane Duke, backed by a written petition signed by nearly 600 other performers and the physical testimony of 20 others, got their chance to shine. For reasons of space and out of respect for Mark Kernes' excellent journalism, I'll simply refer you to <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/legal/Misinformation-Abounds-at-Senate-Labor-Committee-Hearing-565216.html#.U6uAWn6AKGc.twitter">his article</a> for the testimonials. <br />
<br />
The next series of fireworks came with the questions from the committee members...and the answers were as awe inspiring as ever....in the same way a multi-train wreck is awe inspiring. I'll get to that in <a href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2014/06/porn-panic-2014-cali-senate-labor.html">Part 2 of this essay</a>, anon.Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-23366718502788662062014-06-13T17:55:00.000-05:002014-06-24T10:54:44.896-05:00From Goddess Damn Lies To Straight-Up Agitprop Bullshit: The AHF "Porn Study" DebunkedYou would think by now that the AIDS Healthcare Foundation wouldn't be able to bury themselves any deeper in their own assholes with all the lying in support of their condom mandate campaign. But, you quickly learn to never underestimate the ability of Michael Weinstein to raise the bar, deepen the ditch, and fill it up with more of his bullshit.<br />
<br />
And this week, he managed to outdo himself.<br />
<br />
On Tuesday, Weinstein had one of his many debriefings with the press where he updated them on the status of Isadore Hall's condom mandate bill, AB 1576, which was scheduled for its first hearing in the California State Senate later this month after passing the California Assembly earlier. However, this time, he also came armed with what he claimed to be the smoking gun that justified his campaign to force condoms down performers' throats against their will: a survey done by the UCLA School of Public Health which, according to Weinstein, proved that there was a "public health danger" involving porn performers having all kinds of monkey sex and catching STI's like dead meat catching maggots. The actual survey numbers are now posted as <a href="http://www.aidshealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Adult-film-poster-STD-Prevention-2014.pdf">a PDF file</a> online at AHF's website, but for the presser, Weinstein presented this "pictographic" which attempted to summarize the findings of that survey.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipo034Ud0EC7goG2ndV6hmonYtfJWIoJMXxpahf66_BxLfUT9vIwoGkVrj7RKnkLXWU2PBeu7tPZOOPJx80UUb0hVb4knN_fEBFETYKmAsfS609HuXpmkgzntiuAf6W8hvy9w9dcWXTtY/s1600/AHFPornStudyPropagandaGraphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipo034Ud0EC7goG2ndV6hmonYtfJWIoJMXxpahf66_BxLfUT9vIwoGkVrj7RKnkLXWU2PBeu7tPZOOPJx80UUb0hVb4knN_fEBFETYKmAsfS609HuXpmkgzntiuAf6W8hvy9w9dcWXTtY/s1600/AHFPornStudyPropagandaGraphic.jpg" height="640" width="496" /></a></div>
<br />
As you can plainly see, the attempt was to paint a picture of porn performers as oppressed, drugged out, abused, exploited, and basically unable to think for themselves on the subject of protection against STI's, such that the state absolutely had to step in and rescue them with condoms.<br />
<br />
Never mind the fact that over 600 performers were lucid enough to sign a petition in direct opposition to Hall's bill, or the fact that, as we will prove, that this "study" is essentially cooked, seasoned, and topped with AHF bias from beginning to end.<br />
<br />
Both <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/legal/Weinstein-Uses-Unpublished-Study-to-Stump-for-AB-1576-Passage-564221.html">AVN's Mark Kernes</a> and <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/9-outrageous-flaws-ahfs-performer-sti-study/">The Real Porn Wikileaks</a> have done fine efforts to debunk this agitprop, but there are some points that even their efforts do manage to miss which deserve additional attention.<br />
<br />
First off, the background for the "survey" itself. It was first proposed by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health's "Performer Advocacy Group" in 2012, during the peak of the Derrick Burts HIV scare. That that particular group was one of the most boisterous supporters of the condom mandate outside of AHF, and whose hearings and seminars on the issue of STI/HIV in porn were mostly biased antiporn rallies featuring the likes of Weinstein and Shelley Lubben, might have just a bit to do with the assumptions they precooked into the analysis. Remember how one such meeting attempted to entrap Mr. Marcus (before his unfortunate encounter with syphilis) into an ambush, forcing Free Speech Coalition head Diane Duke to intervene to give Marcus cover?<br />
<br />
The primary hook that UCLA offered for performers to take the survey was simple research into how the industry was affected by STI's as opposed to the general population....but performers were also induced to participate with the promise of $40 gift cards and free followup testing and treatment. In the end, a total of 366 performers lent their bodies to this survey during the August 2012- Jume 2013 time frame. <br />
<br />
Another very intriging and disturbing background is the involvement of Talent Testing Services in the formation and development of this "survey". Talent Testing was one of the two adult clinics in Los Angeles which took questions for the survey (West Oak Urban Care Center, which does not test but does offer treatment for those already suffering from STI's, was the other clinic...more on that anon), and TTS head Sixto Pacheco is listed on the byline as a survey author..but only in reference to his main clinics in Miami, not his LA branch clinics.<br />
<br />
In addition to that, TTS was at that time locked in a pitched battle with what was then their rival testing clinic, Cutting Edge Testing, which just so happened to have the backing of both the Free Speech Coalition through their then newly hatched APHSS screening/testing system, and the porn production syndicate Manwin (now Mindgeek). TTS had refused initially to join the APHSS system ostensively due to issues they had with database privacy, although it was more widely suspected that TTS back then was more worried about losing exclusive monopoly of performer testing, and that they were in cahoots with certain talent agencies that didn't want a consolidated testing system that could get in the way of shooting could any incident of infection occur. (APHSS ultimately refined themselves into the current PASS system, and the events of 2013 forced a resolution of issues in which TTS ultimately adopted in full the PASS protocols.)<br />
<br />
But at least, Talent Testing was a legitimate testing site. West Oak Urban Care Center?? Not so much. Quoteh Mark Kernes (emphasis added by me):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[A]ccording to the study, the surveys were provided to "adult film
performers seeking testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at
two clinics in Los Angeles." The study as it was released includes no
mention of UCLA researchers themselves conducting testing or treatment.
<b>Also of note, one of the clinics mentioned in the study, West Oaks
Urgent Care Center, is not a testing facility but a treatment facility.
In other words, performers do not go to West Hills to get tested, but to
get treated for conditions of which they are already aware</b>.<br />
<br />
In other words, unlike Talent Testing Service, which was presumably the other clinic that took part in the study, where talent <i>does</i>
go to get their routine testing done,<b> the performers who go to West
Oaks Urgent Care Center are already either infected with something or
seeking treatment for other ailments either work-related or not.</b> But
what the West Oaks pool of performers does <i>not</i> represent is a
group of performers who, like the study claims, are "seeking testing for
sexually transmitted infections."<b> Put simply, as an already-infected or
injured group of people, the West Oaks population used in the study are
contaminated for the purposes of the study because, unlike the TTS
population, there are no <i>non</i>-infected or uninjured performers
patronizing West Oak. That contamination would, of course, also pollute
the overall findings of the study by skewing them toward the very
outcome that AHF wants.</b></blockquote>
One could only wonder what the results would have been if AHF and UCLA had allowed Cutting Edge Testing to be the other testing agency rather than West Oaks, thusly providing a much more accurate control group for their survey.<br />
<br />
There is also this about West Oaks: its lead physican, Dr. Robert Rigg, Jr., was also listed on the byline as an author of the survey. Why is that disorienting? Because...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
For one thing, among the people apparently identified as authors of
the study, besides Talent Testing Services' (TTS) Sixto Pacheco, is Dr.
Robert W. Rigg, Jr., owner of the aforementioned West Oak Urgent Care
Center in Canoga Park. Also as mentioned, unlike TTS, <b>neither Dr. Rigg
nor West Oak are part of the adult industry's Performer Availability
Screening Services (PASS) nor was West Oak an approved testing site even
during the AIM era—ask any veteran performer about Dr. Rigg's
reputation in the industry.</b> So it's unclear what contribution Dr. Rigg
made to the study, since performers attempting to test there could not
use said tests to be "approved for work" through the PASS system—an
approval required by the vast majority of Los Angeles area adult
producers.<br />
<br />
It is also noteworthy that APHSS, the predecessor to
PASS and the heir to AIM, had only been in operation since mid-2011, and
TTS has only been an APHSS/PASS endorsed testing services provider
since mid-October, 2012, though it had been sporadically providing some
information to APHSS for about four months prior to that time. However,
while the UCLA/AHF poster states that the study method was a
"Cross-sectional study of adult film performers seeking testing for
sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at two clinics in Los Angeles,
CA," Pacheco is identified as representing "BioCollections, Miami,
FL"—TTS's home base—making it even less clear which clinics provided the
data used in the study.</blockquote>
So....why would AHF and UCLA go so far to include Talent Testing Services in their "survey", yet exclude their LA-based testing facilities?<br />
<br />
Then, there is the omission of what was one of the main justifications for the survey: HIV. That's an issue because the original request for grant funding for the UCLA "survey" was heavy with the pathos about how STI's - including HIV -- were wreaking havoc on porn performers and then the general society at large. Here's the money quote from UCLA's Pamina Gorebach in her pitch for the $$$$'s:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Los Angeles is the largest center for adult film production worldwide
with an estimated 200 production companies employing up to 1,500
workers at any given point in time and producing and estimated 10,000
films per year. Throughout the course of their employment, adult film
performers (AFPs) are routinely exposed to sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) and are at high risk for acquiring and transmitting
STIs including HIV as a result of high-risk work including multiple and
concurrent sex partners over short time periods, high-risk sexual acts
such as anal intercourse, and lack of condoms or other barrier methods.<br />
<br />
Outbreaks of STIs including HIV have been well documented in the
adult film industry. In 2004, three HIV infections were acquired during
filming in Los Angeles, after a male performer infected three female
performers. There is additional data to indicate that as many as one in
three performers have other STIs such as chlamydia and gonorrhea. The
STI prevalence among performers is extremely high and demonstrates that
despite the industry's practice to routinely test performers for STIs,
testing alone is not effective in preventing performers from being
infected with STIs at endemic levels. Adult film performers are not an
isolated community and performers may serve as a bridge population in
passing STIs to and from the rest of the population. Previous studies
of AFPs show that the majority have at least one sexual partner outside
of work and the prevalence of unprotected sex with these partners is
high. However, data on sexual networks, sexual risk behaviors, and the
extent to which performers serve as a core transmitter group to the
larger population is limited. </blockquote>
It does seem that AHF went into the "survey" hoping that they would find some hidden HIV+ performers lurking within their control group pool....and having found none, they decided to switch the goalposts around and announce a general pandemic of "STI's"...never mind the fact that their original 2010 findings of rampant infections within the hetero talent pool have been proven<a href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2011/06/porn-panic-2011-update-new-report.html"> to be quite fraudulent</a>. It also does not quite square with the basic emphasis of pushing Darren James, Derrick Burts, Cameron Bay, Rod Daily, and other assorted HIV+ "victims" of the porn industry before every open microphone to prove just how the industry is pushing death and destruction on their talent, and only the strong wrapped fist of the government can step in and rescue them from their fate. Also, the original proposal was to also study the rate of syphilis, but apparently that effort failed because of lack of money to perform the necessarily tests.<br />
<br />
Once again, though, all this is prelimanary until we look at and break down the actual numbers. AHF decided that the infographic pictured above probably wasn't enough information, so they decided to raid an Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV conference in Atlanta with a more detailed inforgraphic. A screenshot of the single page doc follows; the original can be found <a href="http://www.aidshealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Adult-film-poster-STD-Prevention-2014.pdf">here</a>.<br />
<br />
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<br />
First off, the base numbers: of the 366 performers who did respond to the survey, 274 were women (leaving 92 men, aside from the possibility of transgendered performers passing as either male or female); and 219 of them were White (though there's no specific racial breakdown of the participants).<br />
<br />
Stunning number #1: 80% of the participants reported having done some shooting of porn within the past 30 days. That means that the other 20% -- which translates into roughly 73 performers -- did NOT perform any scenes within 30 days of participation. Of course, that says absolutely nothing about whether they were infected or not with any form of STI, or whether they engaged in some form of sexual activity in their private, not work life. In fact, the fact that one-fifth of the control group did not even shoot any porn to begin with should be the first red flag that something is just not right here...because how can you prove that porn performers are catching STI's in porn and then spreading it throughout society if a significant majority of performers don't even shoot regularly??<br />
<br />
The breakdown of condom usage on set is as expected, with the overwhelming majority of performers choosing not to use condoms ever being 196. But, WHOOPS...there's something not quite right here. The percentage graphic listed shows 69% of performers not using condoms.....but my trusty laptop calculator comes out with only 53% (196 never used condoms/366 total sample). WTF?? Now, if you recalculated based on the denominator being those who shot scenes the past 30 days prior to being surveyed (366 - 73 = 293), then you get the posted percentage of 69%. So, why didn't the UCLA surveyors explicitly deliniate between the total sample group and the smaller group of those who had indeed performed scenes? I smell home cooking here, 'ya think?? Plus, there is the inconvenient fact of 30% of performers being able to use condoms at least part of the time while shooting. So much for the thought of "blacklisting" performers for using condoms.<br />
<br />
The listing of sex acts performed is equally intriguing....with a distinct focus on the high risk "circus" acts such as double anal, gang bangs, double penetration, double vaginal, "creampie" (internal ejaculation in the vagina or anus) and fisting. Mark Kernes raised the issue, especially involving fisting, that many of those "circus acts" are more an enbodiment of gay male sex, where condoms are more used and HIV is far more prevalent. Considering the overwhelming female base of the survey control group, you could question that analysis.....but fisting is also a very popular act in some quarters of lesbian sex video making. The majority of acts listed, though, were the usual standards of creampie/internal ejaculation, followed closely by rimming, then gang bangs and DP. It should also be noted that the survey does not accurately measure whether any of those acts occur within the same scene or are part of seperate scenes....which would also tend to taint the sample percentage greatly.<br />
<br />
Once again, all the percentages are somewhat inflated because they use the base of only those performers who were actively shooting within 30 days, not the entire base of performers responding.<br />
<br />
That also impacts the "morals questions" that were asked of the surveyants, which seem to be deliberately put there as a means of propaganda. Now, any producer who insists on unsolicited sexual favors as a prequisite for performers to shoot for them should be condemned properly and immediately by any respectable producer...but considering that sex is the actual occupation here, I'm not so sure that it should come to any surprise to anyone that extracurrucular activity would occur. As for "injury" during shooting sex? Well...getting your dick snapped by an overenthusiastic cowgirl ride is not the same as bumping your head against the headboard or pulling a hamstring attempting to sustain an anatomically difficult sexual position for the camera. Plus, the protocols specifically state that should someone test for any STD listed in the PASS protocols, they are immediately pulled from the available database to seek treatment. <i>Any STD...not just HIV</i>.<br />
<br />
The "perform a sex act that you didn't want to do" question seems troubling...until you realize that many people in porn will often choose to do an act that they personally may dislike in real life simply to move themselves up the totem pole, to satisfy the demand of their fans, or simply to attempt to extend and expand their personal boundaries. They can also easily refuse to do such acts simply by not patronizing such producers.<br />
<br />
The "not paid at the end of the job" thing is simply irrelevant pile driving, since that has nothing to do with condoms or STI's, and because it is a fact that most performers are paid for their scenes indirectly through third-party processors, through checks that can appear days after the completion of shooting.<br />
<br />
Then we get to the "porn performers are such sluts" portion of the "survey", where the measurement of their private sex lives are supposedly exposed. Problem with that for AHF is, though, that the results reveal a quite passive group, with the overwhelming majority of performers sticking with their significant other or having only one or two other sexual partners for off-the-clock funtime. Naturally, they are usually condom free with their SO's; however, bear in mind that even off the clock, a small minority do choose to use condoms in their private lives.<br />
<br />
But that's not all....UCLA and AHF aren't satisfied with merely slut-baiting performers; they must also drug-bait them as well. Hence, the inclusion of data about "substance abuse"...though the main and most popular "drug" is listed as marijuana, which is only abusive to folk like Maureen Dowd and Puritan wannabes. As it stands anyway, only one-third of all performers are found to be hooked on drugs, and if you add the stoners to the list, you come up to 53% who are either drug free or using what is a relatively harmless product, even maybe legally as medicine. (Also...Xanax and Vicodin are included, but not alcohol???)<br />
<br />
And even that is just a prelude to where the tornado really hits the septic tank...in the actual results of testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia. The box score tells the tale:<br />
<br />
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<br />
Actually, it doesn't tell the whole tale, because the raw numbers reflect sampling rather than actual totals based on active testing. Also, the numbers may reflect the same person having multiple infections in different areas being counted as standalone infections to deliberately inflate the count.<br />
<br />
Compared to the AHF "infographic", the UCLA graph looks benign in comparison...especially since it breaks down by area of infection. Thing is, though, it only gives percentages, not the total number people who were found to be infected. That's a serious flaw, and potentially fatal, because it has already been established by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health that it is simply impossible to determine the etiology of a particular infection. Remember that one of the facilities used for the survey was a care center specifically for those who have been found to be infected and are undergoing treatment. That alone would introduce crippling bias into the system because the majority of the outside performer pool would avoid getting infected in the first place by screening and testing using the PASS protocols, which West Oaks simply does not use.<br />
<br />
But what really grabs your attention is the flip side of what is being said: if 23.7% of adult performers are infected with either gonnorhea or chlamydia at one point in time, that means that<b> 76.3% of adult performers <i>are not infected</i></b>. Considering Weinstein's assumption that porn performers are supposed to be so controlled by their dicks and clits that they run around fucking and sucking anyone and everyone in sight, the fact that they still remain relatively STI-free is both a testimonial to their discipline and the success of the PASS system.<br />
<br />
Besides that, someone may want to pass on to Weinstein that chlamydia and gonnorhea are both relatively treatable and temporary infections which do not even incapacitate a performer for that long, as long as they are consistent with getting the proper treatment. It's not like HIV, which can essentially disable you for the rest of your life. Yes, I am well aware of the latest strains of chlamydia and gonnorhea that are more resistant to antibiotic treatment and are more dangerous, and that should also be taken into consideration when deciding how best to protect yourself, whether you be a porn performer or a civilian.<br />
<br />
Basically, the bottom line for Michael Weinstein and AHF and their lackeys at UCLA is that because slightly less than one-fourth of the hetero porn talent pool risks getting infected from STI's, the other three-fourths must be forced to wear condoms and other forms of "barrier protection" for their own good and that of the general population. This isn't just the tail wagging the dog; this is <i>the hair at the end of the tip of the tail</i> wagging the dog.<br />
<br />
And apparently, Weinstein isn't even content with merely regulating porn performers' lives on set, either. Another quote from Mark Kernes:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Weinstein also quoted one of the study's (or at least the poster's)
conclusions that, "Given that most performers had sexual partners
outside the industry with few reporting consistent condom use within the
context of any partnership, targeted intervention strategies to limit
the spread of STIs <b>both within and outside of adult film work</b> are
needed." Weinstein used that "finding" to state that "the concern here
goes beyond the adult film industry and that this is leading to a spread
of STDs <b>outside the industry</b> as well as within it," but considering the
(hetero) industry's testing procedures, isn't the problem more likely
the other way around: That outsiders may be bringing STDs into the performer population?<br />
<br />
Certainly,
Weinstein and AHF have been derided previously as the "condom police,"
but does Weinstein and/or the study really seek to require adult
performers to wear condoms even in their personal lives?</blockquote>
In other words, is Michael Weinstein's real goal to use porn performers as unwilling forced guinea pigs for "safer sex" practices in the general community as a test run for intimately regulating the sex lives of everyone?? That goes far beyond condom policing...Weinstein himself made up the more appropriate term for that kind of policy: "Condom NAZI".<br />
<br />
<br />
************************************************************* <br />
<br />
One final quote from Mark Kernes displays the sheer arrogance and totalitarianism inherent in Michael Weinstein's worldview, as directed towards one of his sternest critics, <a href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2013/09/nina-hartley-speaks-out-on-latest-hiv.html">Nina Hartley</a>, who probably forgets more about sexuality in one day than Weinstein knows in his entire life. His beef was with Nina's concern of excessive condom usage during long shoots leading to "friction burn" and micro vaginal tearage that could potentially invite even further infection.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
By the way, the bulk of the 15-minute press conference was spent hitting
many of the points dealt with above, but Weinstein went out of his way
to bash vocal AB 1576 critic Nina Hartley and several other actresses
when he stated, "In discussions by the industry about condoms, [it's
said] they're inappropriate because they create a chafing... I won't go
into graphic detail here, but you look at a lot of the practices that
are being filmed and these defenders are involved in, obviously their
bodies took a lot more abuse than would be there with a condom, and this
idea of chafing is something that's really unheard of in the public
health community." Really? Is there some other statistical group that
has sex as frequently and for as long a time period—typically 1-2 hours
at a time—that the "public health community" is familiar with and
studied? No? So Weinstein really has no idea what he's talking about,
does he?</blockquote>
In other words, what Weinstein is saying to Nina Hartley, Kayden Kross, Kylie Ireland, and other female performers who would rather make that choice for themselves, is essentially the equivalent of "Shut the hell up, b*tchez, and take that condom, because a little burn is a small price to pay for saving your wretched life from sure death from deadly disease. What's the matter, you scared of a little lube???" As if Nina isn't a bonafide member of the "public health community" through her years as a sexual rights and women's health activist, or a certified Registered Nurse with an actual college degree in nursing? As if Nina hasn't written books and done videos on safer sex and sexual health during her 30 years of service??<br />
<br />
Needless to say, Ms. Hartley had a response to Weinstein's nonsensical whackery. As in, both barrels, and a stiletto boot up Weinstein's ass for good measure.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Hartley herself agrees: "I find it interesting that a man who does
not own a vagina, does not work in adult entertainment himself, has not
been on a heterosexual adult entertainment shoot deigns to comment on my
body and the bodies of my co-workers as to our experience with condom
shoots," she told AVN in an interview. "We're sick of Michael Weinstein
mansplaining to us our own bodies and our own experiences. He's just a
bully; he uses false information, he uses trumped-up stats, he uses
non-existent studies to promulgate informatioin he knows is false for
his own political ends. It's despicable and he is despicable.<br />
<br />
"We
are sick of hypocritical politicians like Isadore Hall, whose very own
district is full of people who need help with HIV prevention, education
and treatment," she continued. "I find it disgusting that there's no AHF
clinic in all of Hall's district where they're desperately needed, and
yet, Weinstein is still touting a solution in search of a problem, which
is the presence of deadly diseases on adult film sets, and that we pose
a risk to the general public. We do not. The stats show it, the results
show it. Why doesn't he just let it go? Mainly, I'm really upset that
he's telling me that my experience with my own body is somehow false or
that I'm making this up. It's just astounding."</blockquote>
When Nina Hartley drops "mansplaining" on you, you've been thorougly and properly served.<br />
<br />
Memo to Michael Weinstein: You're choking in your own ditch on your own poop. Stop. Digging. Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-26605337484741570782014-06-03T01:10:00.000-05:002014-06-03T11:25:37.694-05:00Lies, Goddess Damn Lies....And Izzy Hall/AIDS Healthcare Lies: The "FIVE 2013 HIV+ Performer" Hoax ExposedMemo to Isadore Hall and Michael Weinstein: If you are going to launch a campaign to force condoms down performers' throats and drive porn out of California, you might want to make sure you fact-check your talking points.<br />
<br />
One of the main agitprop points that Izzy and Weinstein have used in support of their condom/testing bill, AB 1576, now off to the California Senate after passing the Assembly, is to note the five cases of HIV+ that were allegedly spread within the adult industry. That, according to Hall and Weinstein, proves their case that the testing system used by the industry is a abject failure and that the government must intervene with condoms and "stronger" barrier protection methods for performers' own good.<br />
<br />
The main propagation of this "meme" was <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/ahf-buys-new-spokesvictims/">the press conference</a> that the AIDS Healthcare Foundation had held last September, at the height of last year's scare, where they officially welcomed initial infectees Cameron Bay and Rod Daily into the AHF propaganda fold. By that time, a third performer had been confirmed to have been infected with HIV; <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/the-third-hiv-performer-and-the-cameron-bay-rod-daily-connection-trpwl-exclusive/">subsequent revelations</a> have revealed that that she may have been a close personal friend of Bay and Daily, and possibly could have gotten infected through them or outside of shooting film.<br />
<br />
That presser also featured two other supposed "victims" of HIV+ porn infection. Joining through teleconference was an unnamed (other than "John Doe") male performer who claimed to have been infected within the previous six months, but offered no other pertinent information. (A related note: in December of last year, PASS (the agency that ,monitors porn performer testing, did confirm that a gay male condom-only performer did test "reactive" for HIV. No connection between this and "John Doe" has ever been established, however.)<br />
<br />
The "fifth victim" was a condom-only gay male performer named Patrick Stone, who claimed that he was booked for a shoot with Kink.com during the moratorium forced by Cameron Bay's infection. Kink.com's protocols do allow for gay men to shoot with a condom, and there was no information given that Kink knew of Stone's status when booking him in advance. Plus, it turned out that Stone's test was a false positive; he was ultimately cleared of any infection. <br />
<br />
It was those "five victims" that Isadore Hall bellowed down the halls of the California Assembly in order to pimp his bill through that chamber. Well, that, and Cameron Bay's crocodile tears of being "betrayed" and cast aside by the filthy "porn industry".<br />
<br />
The anchor in all this is the belief that both Cameron Bay and Rod Daily were infected at the notorious Kink.com shoot for a video the two did on August 31st. That was the one where Bay allegedly unintentionally drew blood on the penis of Xavier Corvus during an overaggressive blowjob, temporarily stopping shooting. Bay was given, according to her own re-accounting and that of other performers working there, the options of bailing out of the shoot, finishing the shoot with Corvus either with or without a condom, or having her boyfriend Rod Daily finish her off. Obviously, Cameron elected to continue on with Corvus unwrapped...though in her more recent testimonials of victimhood, she's been implying that she was coerced into continuing.<br />
<br />
Corvus was also forced to endure undue scrutiny when<a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/xander-corvus-talks-cameron-bay-rob-black-toxic-online-gossip-trpwl-exclusive-2/"> some people questioned his status despite testing negative both before and immediately after the Kink.com shoot</a>; with some folk questioning why he should not have waited longer (like, say, 3 to 6 months) to resolve whether or not he was really in the clear regarding HIV testing. Subsequent testing has further confirmed his status as free of infection, though.<br />
<br />
And that's the inconvenient fact that manages to escape Hall and Weinstein and anyone else who wants to exploit the Kink.com shoot for mandatory condoms: <i><b>Not one performer who did that scene who was tested has been found to be infected with HIV....either before, immediately after, or since then even to today.</b></i><br />
<br />
That seriously begs to question how Bay and Daily (and, by extension, Perfomer #3) did in fact get infected, and whether it was more off-the-clock activity was the source of their infection. But, the actions of particularly Daily, who deliberately removed himself from the PASS testing protocols just when he manage to get infected, and refused to cooperate with PASS regarding sourcing his infection through viral load analysis, especially raise some disconcerting issues. Could it be that Bay and Daily are deliberately cloaking their true source of infection in order to serve <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/did-ahf-pay-cameron-bay-aka-cameron-adams-to-lie/">their new paymasters at AHF</a>?<br />
<br />
The other aspect of this Big Lie was that Izzy Hall has been squawking to any microphone within range that he has the backing of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, which he says backs up his "FIVE KNOWN TRANSMISSIONS OF HIV IN PORN!!!!!!!" meme. He even asserted so much in a recent interview for <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2014/05/29/pornographers-threaten-to-flee-california-over.html?page=all">an article</a> in the Sacramento Business Journal. (In the same interview, Izzy pooh-pooh away the notion that the porn industry would leave California if his bill passed, because the only places where porn can be "legally" produced are Cali and New Hampshire.)<br />
<br />
Problem for Izzy was, the Sacto Biz Journal actually practices journalism; and they went directly to LACDPH to verify Hall's smack. This retraction, thusly included in the original article, was the result:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Due to misleading information provided by Assemblyman Isadore Hall, a
previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the Los Angeles
Department of Public Health documented five HIV transmissions of adult
film actors in 2013, and that commercial pornography was only legal in
California and New Hampshire. The LADPH drew no conclusive link between
HIV and adult film production in 2013, and notes that such connections
are difficult to determine. While California and New Hampshire have
legitimized pornography by determining that production doesn’t violate
prostitution laws, other states have been less specific on the issue,
and adult film production regularly occurs outside of California.</i></blockquote>
Of course, the LACDPH might have a particular bias about this, considering that AHF had originally wanted to break off the city of Los Angeles from their jurisdiction and form a seperate health care entity.<br />
<br />
And then, there are the studies that have been bandied about by AHF from the LACDPH allegedly proving how prevailent HIV/AIDS and other STI's are in porn as compared to other segments of the population. The problem there is that those studies <a href="http://peteracworth.com/dear-mr-weinstein-youre-lying/">have been alleged to be deliberately cooked</a> and fatally flawed by comparing the performer pool to the general population, miscounting multiple cases of performer treatment of the same infection as seperate infections, and generally throwing facts out of certain orfices. See Dr. Lawrence Mayer's particular debunking of those studies <a href="http://fscblogger.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/dr-mayer-report-fsc-afi-sti-06-03-111.pdf">here</a>.<br />
<br />
And to further sour Izzy's and Weinstein's day, the LACDPH simultaneously put out this statement clarifying their position on HIV/STI transmission in porn. (snipped from <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/los-angeles-department-public-health-calls-isadore-hall-liar/">The Real Porn Wikileaks</a>)<br />
<blockquote>
<div style="color: black;">
<i>The previous statements made by the Los
Angeles County Department of Public Health regarding sexually
transmitted disease (STD) prevalence among performers in the adult film
industry were based on estimates, as the total number of adult film
performers is unknown and individuals are not required to report their
occupation to receive STD screening.</i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div style="color: black;">
<i>Since 2010, the reporting of occupational
information for adult film performers has declined due to several
factors, including the closure of AIM Medical, patient concern with
privacy, and the likely substantial decline of adult film production in
Los Angeles County (LAC). Furthermore, most performers have private
sexual lives and non-film related sexual activity in addition to their
work in the adult film industry, and so it is difficult to determine
where STDs may have been acquired—as a result of personal sexual choices
or on set. Therefore, we cannot determine the current rates of STDs
among adult film performers in LAC.</i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div style="color: black;">
<i>In 2012, a total of 64,979 STDs were reported
in LAC, with an unknown percentage associated with the adult film
industry. The total includes all reported LAC HIV cases but does not
include gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia or other non-HIV STDs in Long
Beach and Pasadena.</i></div>
</blockquote>
Long Beach and Pasadena have their own standalone health departments, independent of LACDPH.<br />
<br />
Let's put this in perspective, y'allz: There were 64K cases of STD's in Los Angeles County in 2012. During that year, there was only ONE possible case of a porn performer testing positive for HIV...and that turned out to be a false positive. Meaning, there was ZERO cases of any porn performer in Los Angeles County contracting HIV from a porn set...as there has been since 2004.<br />
<br />
And, the only cases where there was the <i>potential possiblilty</i> of HIV spread on porn sets (which were subsequently proven to be negative) occured in gay porn sets. Where condoms were freely available and used. By performers who also escorted on the side. And, outside of California. See <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/measure-b-spokesman-derrick-burts-hustler/">Derrick Burts</a>.<br />
<br />
Yeah....I can see the flames emmitting from Izzy Hall's ass from clear down here in South Louisiana. That's not climate change, fool...that's your lies coming back on you.Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-72147508033903315832014-05-30T03:35:00.002-05:002014-06-03T11:43:32.910-05:00Trading A Crackhead Ford For A Benz With Plenty Of Booby Crack: Could Nikki Benz Really Become Toronto's Ciccolina?? Porn and politics is always a combustible mix as it is.<br />
<br />
But one element that has been more than lacking is the thought of porn performers IN politics. At least, not in North America.<br />
<br />
Of course, the worldwide template in the 80's/90's for practicing porn performers actually representing in office was Illona Staller, the Hungarian porn performer known and loved in Italy as Ciccolina, who later parlayed her XXX fame into two terms as a member of the Italian Parliament under the libertarian Radical Party. <br />
<br />
There have been a few other passing attempts at mixing pro-sex politics with politics, such as Australia's Sex Party and Anna Arrowsmith's run for British parliament...but other than that, most attempts to bring more progressive views of porn into political bodies have fallen to the dominant Puritanism of our time.<br />
<br />
In the United States, the closest you could find to a porn performer attempting a political run was Mary Carey's PR attempt to sell her Arnold Schwarzenegger parody, thinly disguised as a run for California governor during the 1990's, resulting from the recall of incumbent Gray Davis. Unfortunately for the libertarian Carey, that didn't turn out so well even in the PR aspect; nevertheless, she has survived and thrived in her more natural environment as a porn performer.<br />
<br />
Times have progressed, however, to the point that social media have greatly improved the popular reach of porn performers; and combined with the popularity of hardcore porn political satire (see Sarah Palin pilloried by Lisa Ann in the <i>Who's Naylin Paylin</i> series), has increased greatly the possibility of a breakthrough in porn performers seriously challenging to serve in office.<br />
<br />
Given the common stereotyping of porn performers as airheads more interested in the next blowjob than creating jobs, it would take a stupendously smart and savvy, as well as sexy, woman to shatter that particular glass ceiling and assume the position of pioneer.<br />
<br />
Someone, you could say, like <a href="http://www.nikkibenz.com/">Nikki Benz</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FfOyofj4vTOJYu9sOBD7DhcxdaG_pDVAWXxM8VjvzhRlAd_ntTHLmMjdYW8o4Gzq0cAwlZZtVD1jAnJaIg4C3e90l5w2WD8ubH_iR6-73Y_o1h84zVaEV2wBYF_9zOKhdF_NV87a-o0/s1600/BMdYQRMCAAAdUGq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FfOyofj4vTOJYu9sOBD7DhcxdaG_pDVAWXxM8VjvzhRlAd_ntTHLmMjdYW8o4Gzq0cAwlZZtVD1jAnJaIg4C3e90l5w2WD8ubH_iR6-73Y_o1h84zVaEV2wBYF_9zOKhdF_NV87a-o0/s1600/BMdYQRMCAAAdUGq.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
The native of Toronto, Canada, and long time performer, feature dancer, and owner of her NikkiBenz.com website (part of Vicky Vette's Vette Nation Army network), is on track to file official papers this week in order to launch her campaign to oust her home city's incumbent mayor, Rob Ford. (See Update below.)<br />
<br />
That would be the same Rob Ford, people, that has graced Toronto's City Hall for the past 4 years under nonstop hilarious wacky controversy after controversy. You may have heard about those rumors of him smoking crack cocaine in his offices (those are true), or his mouthing off against charges of sexual harassment of his staff because "I get enough pussy at home" (also true); or even the reports that he went on drunken spurts with his buddies, even going as far as driving drunk, and even having the brass to make YouTube videos of his exploits under the influence.<br />
<br />
Now, in most cases, getting caught smoking crack and Moellering* up behind the wheel rolling 1.7 BAC would be enough to get your ass run from office. Problem is, Canadian law somehow prevents impeachment or removal of officials from office, so the Toronto City Council was reduced to curtailing Ford's powers and shifting some of them, as well as his staff, to his Deputy Mayor, Norm Kelly. Ford, though, is still very popular with that conservative segment of the electorate that really digs populist Right strongmen not afraid to ruffle the feathers in favor of "less guviment" and lower taxes; and he decided that he wanted to serve for another 4 years by filing last January for reelection.<br />
<br />
Before Wednesday, Ford faced 54 challengers from diverse parties for reclaiming his seat. Benz becomes candidate #55.<br />
<br />
Now, it may be said that she's not really serious about campaigning for Toronto mayor, and that this is all nothing more than show and blow to enhance Nikki's already towering career as a porn performer. Her first campaign "commercial" was really a 30 minute spot hosted by the porn site Brazzers.com, to which Nikki has shot several scenes sans clothes. However, she certainly sounds like she's in it to win it, because she sounds like she is truly fed up with Ford's act and that at the very least, she could do far better to reinhance Toronto's tarnished reputation.<br />
<br />
And...I'd say she'd look a hell of a lot better sitting in the Mayor's chair than Rob Ford ever did.<br />
<br />
Here's a vid of Nikki announcing her bid for Toronto's Mayor, released via Brazzers.com:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/cDircHSfkjo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<i><b>UPDATE (6-3-14)</b></i>: Nikki's quest for nomination took a slight detour last week, due to some minor paperwork malfunction. Seems like she didn't have a valid local license in order to qualify for the position, so her paperwork was rejected. Nikki confirmed that she would still be able to qualify with the proper credentials by this week, so the campaign appears to be still go on unabated. Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-25001526092821133052014-05-30T03:22:00.000-05:002014-05-30T03:22:38.106-05:00AB 1576 Clears California Assembly: Time To Hit The Panic Button Now??Well....what previously was thought to be impossible just happened this week.<br />
<br />
Isadore Hall's bill (AB 1576) mandating condoms on all porn shoots, along with 14-day testing and requirements for performers and producers to document their testing and usage and make such documents available on request to government officials, cleared both the California Assembly Appropriations Committee last week, and then was passed by the full Assembly last Wednesday.<br />
<br />
In both cases, the vote count was the minimum required for passage (4-1 in the Appropriations Committee; 41-15 in the full Assembly).<br />
<br />
The key this time around was that Izzy Hall did a full court press in backing his bill in the Assembly, with the full assistance of AIDS Healthcare Foundation grease money and the pathos of testimony from their paid victims Cameron Bay and Rod Daily, which managed to swiing around even prior opponents of Hall's condom mandate bills. Even Mike Gallo, the Appropriations Committee chairman who basically killed Hall's efforts last year by claiming Constitutional issues and the costs of enforcement, flipped over to AHF's side, along with nearly every Democrat in the Assembly. Other Democrats who may have opposed the bill on principle simply decided to abstain, probably fearing the backlash of AHF money or the apparent fear of being perceived as being against condoms or young "victims" of the "porn industry".<br />
<br />
So, now, it's onward to the Senate, where new battles will have to be fought..but the bill that everyone feared is now much closer to Governor Jerry Brown's desk than anyone would have anticipated.<br />
<br />
Although the ultimate fate of the bill is still unclear, since even if it passes and Gov Moonbeam affixes his signature, it could face years of legal challenges, the fact that this bill passed the Cali Assembly in spite of the aggressive campaigning of groups like the Free Speech Coalition and the organization of hundreds of performers united to defend their right of determination for STI testing, raises some pretty deep questions about the strategy put forth by opponents of AB 1576. <br />
<br />
Essentially, the main focus of the lead groups of the opposition, namely, the FSC and the website Kink.com, was that the current system of testing and screening for HIV and other STI's was more than adequate, that mandating condoms would threaten porn production's profits since viewers prefered bareback sex and would not buy condomized porn, and that the laws would drive porn production -- described as a key profit making industry -- out of California and into less protected venues. In effect, the emphasis was towards a classic conservative/libertarian argument against excessive government intervention in business and personal life.<br />
<br />
The extent to which that strategy worked was that almost all of the votes in the Assembly against the bill were from that small group of Republicans (Democrats have a supermajority in that body), including even such antiporn conservatives as Tom Donnelly. Problem was, that argument simply didn't fly with the majority of Democrats, and especially not with Black and Latino Democrats, who view libertarian conservative arguments in general as mere defenses of corporate greed and privilege, and who were moved by Bay's eloquent tearful pantomine of being a "victim" of the "porn industry" that simply "abandoned" her at her greatest moment of need. Never mind <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/meet-cameron-adams-vh1-reject-wanna-be-pornstar-and-stalker/">Bay's own history</a> of deception and even bullying, combined with questions about exactly <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/the-third-hiv-performer-and-the-cameron-bay-rod-daily-connection-trpwl-exclusive/">how she and her boyfriend Daily really did get infected with HIV</a>, and the nature of how <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/did-ahf-pay-cameron-bay-aka-cameron-adams-to-lie/">she might have been compensated by AHF</a> in exchange for grafting her story to fit their campaign (as <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/derrick-burts-lies-alibis-updated/">earlier "victim" Derrick Burts</a> was compensated as well). All of that was washed away by the flood of the "Condoms would have saved everyone from certain death; and if you oppose this, you are risking people's lives...and besides, it's only a freakin' condom!!!" meme.<br />
<br />
I've been one who has gently and respectfully questioned the conservative approach previously <a href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-panic-works-measure-b-passes-with.html">during the Measure B campaign</a>; but a slightly less gentle critique comes from BPPA contributor Ernest Greene, whom has been on <a href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2009/06/latest-hiv-in-porn-panic-rumor-control.html">the front lines of the condom mandate campaign</a> as both a producer and a board member of the Adult Industry Medical Foundation, one of the main casulties of the condom mandate campaign. On Wednesday, in <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/adult-industry-reacts-ab-1576/#comment-49781">a comment</a> over at The Real Porn Wikileaks, Ernest restated his concerns about the strategy; his comment deserves reprinting in its entirity.<br />
<br />
<div class="social-comment-body">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I will say this again. The wrong arguments were made from the beginning and they’re still being made.</i><br />
<i>
</i><br />
<i>When you talk about lost jobs and the so-called “anti-business”
climate in the same breath as expressing your concern for performer
health an[d] confidence in the existing system of safeguards you sound
about as credible as the Koch brother[s] talking about “clean coal.”</i><br />
<i>
</i><br />
<i>The good arguments were always about performer safety, which this
measure compromises, performer choice, which this measure destroys, and
performer confidentiality, which this measure endangers.</i><br />
<i>
</i><br />
<i>The emphasis should always have been on the high quality of the
existing safeguards and the unmatched record of success they’ve produced
over a period of years, the right of performers as consenting adults to
make their own decisions in this most intimate of matters and the First
Amendment implications of compelled speech, which are far broader than
anything having to do with porn. If the government can compel you to
deliver one kind of message with the artistic product you create there
is nothing to stop them from preventing you from delivering a different
message through your work.</i><br />
<i>
</i><br />
<i>These were winning issues and we should have stuck with them. Every
dollar-based objection to this measure was just ammunition for those who
consider all porn producers no better than pimps and all performers to
be trafficked, intimidated victims who stick up for their bosses out of
fear.</i><br />
<i>
</i><br />
<i>The other track we should have taken was a more vigorous examination
of the sponsors of this legislation and there vested interests in the
outcome. AHF is in the condom trade. Isadore Hall, whose own district
has staggering levels of HIV infection and not a single AHF clinic, is
clearly in it for the money and some good investigative journalism could
have exposed the corrupt connection between this hack and Weinstein’s
organization, which in its arrogant stupidity actually demanded an
invoice from Tim Tritch, AIM’s former lab messenger, for the money it
paid him to act as an infiltrator and informer for AHF’s successful
campaign to destroy AIM. These guys are dirtier than the bottom of a
city bus and for a business that people think of as pretty tough we let
them tap-dance all over us with no consequences.</i><br />
<i>
</i><br />
<i>The reality of politics is that you have to have a strong position
you know how to defend that will play for the electorate you need to
reach and the will to throw a good scare into those who make a
profession out of fucking with you.</i><br />
<i>
</i><br />
<i>Did we have any of that? I saw some signs of it here and there, but
our side campaigned mainly as a bunch of greedy whiners and that is not a
good look.</i><br />
<i>
</i><br />
<i>In the end, I doubt this legislation will pass because it’s too
woolly for most elected officials to handle. And even if it does it will
eventually be litigated out of existence because it’s patently
unconstitutional. But how much money, time and energy will be wasted,
and how many people endangered, before all that comes to pass?</i><br />
<i>
</i><br />
<i>If this industry, which has fought off the federal government for
decades, can’t shut down a loud-mouthed charity pimp and a sleazy
crooked politician from a district with traditionally low voter
turnouts, it’s lost its mojo very seriously and needs to get it back and
soon.</i></blockquote>
This should NOT be read in any way as disapproval of the commitment and/or intellegence of those who invested their time, money, and hearts into opposition to the condom mandate campaign; only of the political strategy of using conservative appeals to a predominately liberal/progressive body of government.<br />
<br />
My own personal additional critique is about the lack of recruiting perfomers of color who would have counterbalanced the explicit attempt by AHF and Assemblyman Hall to win Black and Latina/Latino voters over through naked appeals against "privileged Whites" whom allegedly put their own privileges and pleasures above protecting less able performers. While no one doubts the integrity or the progressive instincts of those performers who did and still do speak their truths in opposition to AB 1576, the fact still remains that they remain mostly White; there was little, if any, representation or outreach to performers of color. No doubt, the backlash to the Mr. Marcus syphilis scare played a role in alienating Black performers to the anti-1576 campaign, but the main factor might have been that most performers are only tangently connected to the LA porn scene, mostly either shooting scenes in other venues such as Las Vegas or Miami, or relying more on camshows and paid website memberships for their main source of income.<br />
<br />
The combination of the Mr. Marcus scare and the dual moratoriums of September-October 2013 has shaken the cores of performers' confidence such that many have questioned the viability and ability of the PASS testing system. One performer based in Florida (unamed to protect her privacy) had her potential plans for flying to LA to shoot content shattered by the double moratoriums; she responded by going strictly condom only. There was also <a href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2013/12/hiv-in-porn-panic-round-three-now-with.html">the attempted coup</a> by Immoral Productions head Dan Leal to break the second moratorium, which <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/porno-dan-hoist-petard-announcing-defy-production-moratorium/">went down in flames</a> after a virulent response from the porn diaspora.<br />
<br />
The fracuses of last year has also strengthened the hand of long time critics of the FSC and the PASS system, such as gadfly producer Mike South and former producer/convicted felon Rob Black, whom both have given tacit support to efforts to break the FSC/PASS system in favor of the condom mandate. Though, South has been exposed as of late to be <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/bimbo-proves-mike-south-everything-claims-hate/">a</a> <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/adult-performer-jessica-chase-says-mike-south-lying-ass-avn/">gross</a> <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/outrage-porn-producer-caught-shooting-without-std-tests-condoms/">hypocrite</a> and <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/mike-south-cruising-streetwalkers-soliciting-hobbyists-bukkakes/">a charlatan</a> in terms of HIV testing for his own productions; and Black has subsequentially turned against his former ally (though still attacking FSC as irrelevant and counterproductive, Black has turned against the condom mandate and AB 1576). There is also a rump group of performers who do favor pushing mandatory condoms as a way of eliminating competition from bareback performers and forcing the major production companies to hire more condom-only performers, as well as those who want to bridge the breach for "crossover" performers whom also perform in the gay side of the industry, where HIV is far more prevalent and condom usage and seromatching is the preferred method rather than screening out through testing.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, even with all that, the opposition to this latest attempt to mandate condoms has been elevated to new heights due to the new approach of the proponents of adding mandatory14-day testing using Center For Disease Control guidelines for full-range STI tests (HIV-Hepatitis A/B/C-Gonnorhea-Syphilis-Chlamydia-HPV), the substitution of "personal protection devices" (meaning gloves, aprons, goggles and even face shields) in addition to condoms; and the requirement under threat of criminal felony charges that production companies make detailed information about testing and "protective barrier" use for all performers available to health officials (and the broader public) upon request.<br />
<br />
While the new testing requirements may seem like a major concession of AHF to the current PASS testing regime; in reality, due to the CDC/AHF standards for HIV testing being less rigid and using more outdated testing unsuitable for porn production (that is, using 30-60 day latency antigen or antibody tests rather than the 6-10 day latency DNA-based Aptima test assay), the new testing rules, even if combined with mandated condom usage, would potentially weaken, perhaps even significantly, the level of protection from HIV for performers. The imposition of both paperwork and costs on producers for performer testing could also be a major negative impact, forcing producers to cut corners to save their profits or simply risk arrest by going underground.<br />
<br />
Add that to the fact that distinctly antiporn groups who would rather see the industry and its talent jailed, neutered, or even killed, have decided to give tacit support to this bill, under the goal of, as antiporn "feminist" Gail Dines spurted at a recent antiporn summit, <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/gail-dines-tie-piece-piece-legislation-stopab1576/">"[tying] them down, piece by piece, with legislation"</a>. Even self-acclaimed ex-porn performer turned Christian fundamentalist minister Shelley Lubben and her dearly fraudulent Pink Cross Foundation has gotten into the act, in spite of her being essentially pushed to the side initially by AHF due to her right-wing Christian act not meshing with AHF's dominant meme of "protecting gays".<br />
<br />
Such is the climate that this bill promotes as it now goes through the California State Senate. If there ever was a time for the industry to rally up and protect their rights, and for those of us who support them to add our loud voices, now would be the time.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ab1576.org/">Click here to go to the Stop AB1576 website for more info.</a><br />
</div>
Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-86138552279851690342014-05-19T08:24:00.004-05:002014-05-19T08:30:15.756-05:00Eden Alexander/WePay Update: Crowdtilt Saves The Day, And More About WePay's Decision Exposed<br />
<i>[<a href="http://redgarterclub.com/RGClubNetwork/rgclub3dot2/2014/05/19/eden-alexander-wepay-update/">Crossposted</a> to Red Garter Club 3.2 as well] </i><br />
<i> </i> <br />
Since <a data-mce-href="http://redgarterclub.com/RGClubNetwork/rgclub3dot2/2014/05/18/antisexwork-antiporn-discrimination-jpmchase-eden-alexander-wepay/" href="http://redgarterclub.com/RGClubNetwork/rgclub3dot2/2014/05/18/antisexwork-antiporn-discrimination-jpmchase-eden-alexander-wepay/" title="Why Anti-Sex Worker/AntiPorn Discrimination Matters: Operation ChokePoint, JPMorganChase, And The Eden Alexander/WePay Debacle">I broke the news</a>
(also <a href="http://redgarterclub.com/RGClubNetwork/rgclub3dot2/2014/05/18/antisexwork-antiporn-discrimination-jpmchase-eden-alexander-wepay/">here</a>) of the unfolding controversy involving cam model/porn director/sex
worker Eden Alexander and the actions of payment provider WePay and
crowdfundraising site GiveForward.com, events have been breaking early
and often. So, here's an update on what has happened and what may happen
next.<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
First, some wonderful news: Eden
Alexander did tweet on Saturday that she is out of surgery and now
recovering in her hospital bed; she is getting the treatment and the
rest that she needs, and she is, from every indication, in good spirits
(albeit ovewhelmed and exhausted from all the physical and emotional
strain of the past few days). <br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
Secondly,
some more wonderful and pretty heartening news: The porn/sex work
disapora has, to say the least, responded to Eden's plight the way the
Allies responded in Normandy in World War II. Since the <a href="https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/eden-alexander-emergency-medical-care-fund/description">alternate fundraising site</a> was set up over at Cloudtilt.com, it has raised more
than $8,500 in all of nearly 48 hours...and is currently about to hit
$9K. Not too shabby, if I may say so. Those wanting to give their
contribution can still access Eden's page <a href="https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/eden-alexander-emergency-medical-care-fund/description">here</a> if they choose.<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
Amazingly
enough, one of the more significant contributions came from the head of
GiveForward, the crowdraising site which operated Alexander's original
fundraiser. Attached to it was a message from GiveForward representative
Michael Powell, apologizing to Eden for their role in the disaster and
contributing the equivalent of their and WePay's donation fees as an
atonement. (Screenshot of Powell's donation statement courtesy of <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/chrislowrance/status/468069024774250496/photo/1" href="https://twitter.com/chrislowrance/status/468069024774250496/photo/1">Chris Lowrance's Twitter page</a>)<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
<a data-mce-href="http://redgarterclub.com/RGClubNetwork/rgclub3dot2/files/2014/05/GiveForwardApologyToEdenAlexander.png" href="http://redgarterclub.com/RGClubNetwork/rgclub3dot2/files/2014/05/GiveForwardApologyToEdenAlexander.png"><img alt="GiveForwardApologyToEdenAlexander" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1918" data-mce-src="http://redgarterclub.com/RGClubNetwork/rgclub3dot2/files/2014/05/GiveForwardApologyToEdenAlexander.png" src="http://redgarterclub.com/RGClubNetwork/rgclub3dot2/files/2014/05/GiveForwardApologyToEdenAlexander.png" height="261" width="598" /></a><br />
<br />
Unfortunately,
no such atonement has as of yet come from the actual instigators of the
whole controversy, the payment processor WePay. As of right now, they
are still sticking to their story that they were simply forced by their
regulations and rules to axe Eden's account because she allegedly
violated their Terms of Service involving using their account for
"pornographic services". They did clarify, though, that they have
released all of the funds collected from the fundraiser; funds raised
before May 14th were processed and transferred to Eden's account; while
funds raised after that were returned to their respective donors.<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
A
bit more clarity has now been opened on WePay's processes since this
first broke. Vice.com's Motherboard blog on yesterday posted <a data-mce-href="http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/porn-star-tweets-about-porn-gets-her-medical-fundraiser-suspended" href="http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/porn-star-tweets-about-porn-gets-her-medical-fundraiser-suspended">their perspective on the whole controversy</a>, which opened up some new revelations about the controversy.<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
We
now know that WePay's backdoor processor for all its financial dealings
is a company called Vantiv, which was described as one of the largest
processers of bank card payments in the United States; as well as the
owner of nearly 12,000 ATM's (Automated Teller Machines) nationwide. No
one as of yet has asked their spokespersons whether those who take out
money at those ATM's are screened for their outside activities the same
way that Eden Alexander was screened for hers, or whether they even care
that the money pulled from ATM's or other transactions could be used
for porn or other illicit or even illegal purposes.<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
And that's kind of a relevant question, because, according to the Vice.com article....<br />
<blockquote>
<a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/billclerico" href="https://twitter.com/billclerico" target="_blank">On Twitter</a>,
WePay's cofounder Bill Clerico explained a bit more. Many of things
banned in the service's terms (like porn anything) are required by
processors because "they are prone to fraud and abuse." WePay is
required by its partners (financial partners, presumably) to actively
monitor (surveill) its users for policy violations, which includes
combing through Twitter accounts, a task done by actual humans. "We must
enforce these policies or we face hefty fines or the risk of shutdown
for the many hundreds of thousands of merchants on our service," said
Rassa.</blockquote>
This begs some huge questions: How can private
firms and banks and other financial institutions retain the power to
sanction and fine or even shut down payment processors for the mere
"crime" of association with certain types of transactions...even if such
transactions are perfectly legal and above board? Does the mere <i>suspicion</i>
of abuse or fraud warrant dropping the hammer, the anvil, the Rock of
Gibraltar, and a million gallons of genuine Niagara Falls on a woman
raising funds for her medical bills?? And, more importantly, are these
rules being enforced equally, or are they selectively enforced based on
mere personal bias or selective prejudice against.....oh, I don't
know....sex workers and porn performers?<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
This
also brings us back to that "Operation ChokePoint" thing that the US
Department of Justice is now doing to target banks and financial
institutions to combat all sorts of shady activities. The initial
educational material that the DoJ pushed out to Big Finance did label
"pornography" as one of the subset activities warranting suspicion and
further investigation, alongside other, more traditional activities such
as subprime lending, online payday loansharking, telemarketing, and
other sources of possible chargeback/usury abuse. There is still plenty
of furious debate whether the real responsibility lies with the
government for "overzealous" regulation (the theory of the Libertarian
Right and the traditional conservatives who oppose all regulation on
general principle); or Big Finance for misinterpreting and twisting the
regulations around for their own purpose, and using sex workers and porn
folk as human shields and stepping stones to get back at the regulators
(the more liberal/progressive view).<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
And
then, you wonder whether even WePay understand their own Terms of
Service. The alleged acts that triggered Eden Alexander's account to get
pulled were two retweets that she did of a couple of porn sites which
attempted to give some...ummm, incentives to donate to her
fund....namely, some free pics and reduced prices on some porn videos
that Eden had starred in. Forget the basic fact that retweets are not
necessarily endorsements of what is tweeted, and that nowhere in
Alexander's initial funding pitch or any of her own tweets does she
offer anything in quid pro quo for donating to her fund. And, never mind
the basic fact that the whole point of the fundraiser was to <i><b>pay her medical bills and help her through a potential life threatening situation</b></i>.
You could make the case that she really did not violate their ToS at
all..and yet WePay (perhaps under pressure from Vantiv or maybe OCP)
simply decided they had to pull the trigger and nuke Eden's account for
"consistency's sake".<br />
<br />
The fact that WePay is induced (by their
contracts with their financial partners, they say) to essentially spy on
their paying customers' personal social media accounts in order to
detect even the smallest excuse for dismissal...errrrrrrr, the slightest
indication of "fraud and abuse", does not induce much comfort for those
who care about privacy or free expression, either.<br />
<br />
More likely,
it looks like WePay/Vantiv is engaging in the same old tired bullshit
act of slut shaming, sex shaming, and porn shaming that other financial
institutions like PayPal, Amazon, JPMorganChase, and a few others have
mastered. Considering that a major antiporn summit just concluded this
weekend, alongside of a just as major confab of "movement conservatives"
bent on imposing similar moral values on the rest of America. Between
that and the ongoing "sex trafficking" panic that is scaring plenty of
liberals into compliance with antisex legislation, that's more than
enough to keep Big Finance and the politicians they buy to keep holding
the line against "those dirty sluts and whores" using "their money" to
"corrupt" fair patriotic American society.<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
It
may be that Eden Alexander is simply a small victim in this major war
of financial wits. Thankfully, due to the generosity of her fans and
those who actually think that sex workers are as human as everyone else,
she will survive and recover.<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
WePay, for
its part, has backslid a bit since getting absolutely singed by the
social media firestorm. They did offer to provide Eden a new fundraiser
page, but by then her followers had already moved over to Cloudtilt.
They also promised a review of their ToS and procedures for shutting
down accounts, though they didn't say whether or not they would change
their procedures for reviewing accounts or even their surveillance of
customer's social media accounts.<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
It should
also be noted that while Cloudtilt's ToS does not mention porn at all;
their own payment processing company, Balanced.com, does have a Sellers
Agreement with their clients that does ban "sexually-oriented or
pornographic products or services". (Raising the question of whether a
company like, say, Lovability Condoms could use their services.)<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
The
main issue in all this remains that sex workers who practice a legal
profession (and in California and New Hampshire, porn is fully protected
as constitutional free speech) should not face any Scarlet Letters when
they attempt to raise funds for whatever reason they choose for legal
purposes....and especially NOT for the purpose of paying their medical
bills. Why they should have to resort to crowdfunding for essential
healthcare in one of the richest countries in the world is an issue in
and of itself....but that's another issue to tackle.<br />
<br />
It all comes back to the basic ideas:<br />
<br />
<i><b>Sex workers and porn performers/cam girls
are human beings; "sluts" are people, too; and if you exchange money
for sex in any way, then you might be as much a "whore" as an actual sex
worker....they just only are open and out and honest about it.</b></i>Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-64904435523603248252014-05-18T08:51:00.000-05:002014-05-18T08:56:03.494-05:00Why Anti-Sex Worker/AntiPorn Discrimination Matters: The Eden Alexander/WePay Debacle<i>[also crossposted over at <a href="http://redgarterclub.com/RGClubNetwork/rgclub3dot2/2014/05/18/antisexwork-antiporn-discrimination-jpmchase-eden-alexander-wepay/">Red Garter Club</a>]</i><br />
<br />
<i><em>[Update: Eden Alexander's new fundraising page has now raised over
$6,000; you can add your contribution, if you are so inclined, <a data-mce-href="https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/eden-alexander-emergency-medical-care-fund/description" href="https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/eden-alexander-emergency-medical-care-fund/description" title="Donation page for Eden Alexander (Crowdtilt.com)">over at her page</a>.]</em> </i> <br />
<br />
There has been plenty of ink spilled recently over how sex workers,
porn performers, and adult models are being targeted for discrimination
and abuse, but this week has now focused this issue much more intensely
through an ongoing situation that could turn potentially tragic.<br />
<br />
I have posted previously here on <a data-mce-href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-jpmorgan-chase-crackdown-on-porn.html" href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-jpmorgan-chase-crackdown-on-porn.html">the ongoing saga of JP Morgan Chase</a>,
the major financial conglomerate, and its efforts to cancel the
accounts of porn performers, citing "reputational risk". For those who
have missed it, Chase started mailing cancellation notices to several
porn performers (Teagan Presley among others) around mid-April, warning
them that their accounts would be pulled by May 11th due to unstated
violations of their Terms of Service.....even though they didn't provide
any evidence that any of the accounts were used for unsanctioned
purposes.<br />
<br />
I've <a data-mce-href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-jpmorgan-chase-crackdown-on-porn.html" href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-jpmorgan-chase-crackdown-on-porn.html">also posted</a>
on the recent program by the Department of Justice, "Operation
ChokePoint", which began as a guide for financial regulators and banking
institutions for seeking out and screening potentially suspectible
practices and illegal activities through third-party payment processors.
The program did list "pornography" as one of many forms of activity
warranting added scrutiny, but it did not endorse specifically going
after adult transactions for proscecution; it was designed as more of a
broad-brush means of regulation. Nevertheless, banking institutions such
as Chase has used this program as a justification for their current
blacking out of porn performers and other adult transactions; and
opponents of regulation have cited what they see as the overreach of
Operation ChokePoint into porn accounts as a critique of regulation per
se.<br />
<br />
But...all of that, for what it's worth, merely pales to the
human tragedy now unfolding that exposes the cold heart and the ultimate
consequenses of what discrimination against adult sex workers can lead
to.<br />
<br />
That would be the human tragedy that Eden Alexander is now facing.<br />
<br />
Eden
Alexander is a cam model, producer, and independent artist whom
recently faced a series of medical emergencies that nearly cost her her
life and required her to undergo multiple bouts of hospitalization.
First, she suffered an allergic reaction to a common prescription drug.
When her original doctor refused to offer proper medication and
treatment for her condition, effectively citing her profession and
hinting of "drug abuse", that condition elevated into a full-flared
MRSA/staph infection, which then triggered other reactions that nearly
killed her. Due to the delay in getting proper treatment, her infection
even further spread to the point where she was further
incapacitated...to the point where she was (and still is) unable to
provide for herself or her family through her work.<br />
<br />
Thusly, she and her friends opened up a fundraising drive through <a data-mce-href="http://www.giveforward.com" href="http://www.giveforward.com/">GiveForward.com</a>
in order to solicit funds for her to essentially stay alive until she
recovers. (You may know about GiveForward from here earlier, because it
was the same fundraiser site that Nina Hartley used nearly four years
ago to raise funds for her fibroid surgery recovery.) The fundraiser
managed to suceed quite well, with nearly $5,000 raised from friends and
performers alike.<br />
<br />
And that's when WePay, the payment processor for GiveForward.com, decided to intervene in a very bad way.<br />
<br />
This morning, <a data-mce-href="https://www.twitter.com/EdenAlexanderXX" href="https://www.twitter.com/EdenAlexanderXX">Eden Alexander</a> tweeted this to her timeline:<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Got this email from <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/WePay" href="https://twitter.com/WePay">@wepay</a> saying they CANCELLED my medical fundraiser bc ill use the money for porn. LITERALLY. <a data-mce-href="http://t.co/Sa8tohWaDe" href="http://t.co/Sa8tohWaDe">pic.twitter.com/Sa8tohWaDe</a><br />
— Eden Alexander (@EdenAlexanderXX) <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/EdenAlexanderXX/statuses/467706769578270720" href="https://twitter.com/EdenAlexanderXX/statuses/467706769578270720">May 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
The
email, which she attached to her tweet, did not state explicitly how
they determined that she was using the fundraising for "pornographic
activities"; it simply noted that the account was in violation of their
Terms of Service, and abruptly cancelled it without notice.<br />
<br />
Shaken
enough by her condition, this new shock to her system may have pushed
Eden off the cliff. She subsequently tweeted even more disturbing
thoughts of ending her life, and then disappeared off the timeline;
prompting real concerns of suicide. She has since been hospitalized and
is currently in ER treatment.<br />
<br />
The adult world has also been shaken to its own core by all this; <a data-mce-href="https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/eden-alexander-emergency-medical-care-fund/description" href="https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/eden-alexander-emergency-medical-care-fund/description">a new fundraiser</a>
for Alexander has been launched through Crowdtilt.com, which has
recouped more than the share of funds that the original GiveForward
fundraiser did; it is still ongoing as of now.<br />
<br />
And, the rage of
the adult performer diaspora has been raining down on WePay like the
eyewall of Hurricane Katrina over the Louisiana coast. Kitty Stryker, a
close friend of Eden and one of the creators of the first fundraiser,
let loose <a data-mce-href="http://kittystryker.com/2014/05/not-waving-but-drowning-how-wepay-failed-eden-alexander/" href="http://kittystryker.com/2014/05/not-waving-but-drowning-how-wepay-failed-eden-alexander/">a furious retort</a> to WePay and its inconsistencies in its ToS that is must reading. A sample:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>What
WePay (and therefore GiveForward) is effectively saying is that because
Eden is a cam girl by profession, raising money for medical funds is
suspicious and banned. </i></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<i><b>Because we all know sex workers can’t be
trusted, and we’ll probably blow our money on porn rather than self
care, and we all have robot bodies that never get ill, right</b>?</i><br />
<i>However, and here’s where I’m really, really fucking angry, here’s some other areas they ban. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><a data-mce-href="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.40.25-PM.png" href="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.40.25-PM.png"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2034" data-mce-src="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.40.25-PM.png" src="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.40.25-PM.png" height="28" width="549" /></a></i> <i><br />Oh yeah, WePay? Like “<a data-mce-href="http://www.gofundme.com/613loo" href="http://www.gofundme.com/613loo" target="_blank">revealing the evils of the homosexual agenda</a>“? How about going to other countries to <a data-mce-href="http://www.gofundme.com/95clug" href="http://www.gofundme.com/95clug" target="_blank">spread imperialist Christianity</a> among communities of colour? AWESOME SO GLAD YOU FUND THAT</i> <i><a data-mce-href="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.41.13-PM.png" href="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.41.13-PM.png"><br /> </a><a data-mce-href="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.40.42-PM.png" href="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.40.42-PM.png"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2033" data-mce-src="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.40.42-PM.png" src="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.40.42-PM.png" height="23" width="602" /></a></i> <i><br />Yeah cool so you’re totally not helping fund <a data-mce-href="http://www.gofundme.com/6w0frs" href="http://www.gofundme.com/6w0frs" target="_blank">“love donations” for psychic readings</a>. Cause science has totally explained that.</i><br />
<i><a data-mce-href="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.41.02-PM.png" href="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.41.02-PM.png"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2032" data-mce-src="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.41.02-PM.png" src="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.41.02-PM.png" height="22" width="322" /></a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<i>But you’ll totally help people <a data-mce-href="http://www.gofundme.com/907xxc" href="http://www.gofundme.com/907xxc" target="_blank">go to fat camp</a>, or get <a data-mce-href="http://www.gofundme.com/much2gain" href="http://www.gofundme.com/much2gain" target="_blank">post-weight loss surgeries</a>. Even if it’s someone <a data-mce-href="https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/yw64/rebecca-freudenberg-s-surgery" href="https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/yw64/rebecca-freudenberg-s-surgery" target="_blank">raising money for their partner</a> because he’s decided she’s too fat.</i><br />
<i><a data-mce-href="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.41.13-PM.png" href="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.41.13-PM.png"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2031" data-mce-src="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.41.13-PM.png" src="http://kittystryker.com/files/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-1.41.13-PM.png" height="25" width="531" /></a></i>
<i><br />If they seriously ban everyone who has ever worked retail from using
WePay, I’ll eat my hat. Not for selling the products through WePay, but
ever selling licensed products ever.</i></blockquote>
For their part,
WePay did attempt a public response to the firestorm of
criticism...which only fanned the flames that much more. WePay CEO Bill
Clerico <a data-mce-href="https://www.twitter.com/billclerico" href="https://www.twitter.com/billclerico">tweeted</a>
an attempt to defend their actions, stating that Eden Alexander
violated their ToS and justified her cancellation by retweeting a post
from her supporters offering free porn for donating to her fund. (To
which the proper response by anyone with a shred of decency and humanism
should be: "So?? Does that justify denying a sick woman funds??")<br />
<br />
Then,
WePay issued a written press statement "apologizing" to Alexander for
all that took place, but still defending their actions due to compliance
with "back end processors" such as Visa and MasterCard. (Riiiight,
because they don't do business with porn sites, either, as my inability
to use my paycard to join porn sites can attest.) Here's WePay's
"statement" (via <a data-mce-href="http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2014/05/17/wepays-disaterous-decision-seeing-sex-workers-as-risks-not-human-beings/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter" href="http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2014/05/17/wepays-disaterous-decision-seeing-sex-workers-as-risks-not-human-beings/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter">Cyborgology</a>):<br />
<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://redgarterclub.com/RGClubNetwork/rgclub3dot2/files/2014/05/wepay1.jpg" href="http://redgarterclub.com/RGClubNetwork/rgclub3dot2/files/2014/05/wepay1.jpg"><img alt="wepay1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1911" data-mce-src="http://redgarterclub.com/RGClubNetwork/rgclub3dot2/files/2014/05/wepay1.jpg" src="http://redgarterclub.com/RGClubNetwork/rgclub3dot2/files/2014/05/wepay1.jpg" height="701" width="500" /></a><br />
One
Clerico tweet even went so far as to admit that WePay screens and
monitors' their customers for suspicion of "fraud and abuse", but only
"because they have to"....an oblique reference, perhaps to Operation
CheckPoint and the DoJ's initiative.<br />
<br />
P. J. Rey of The Society Pages' <a href="http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2014/05/17/wepays-disaterous-decision-seeing-sex-workers-as-risks-not-human-beings/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter">Cyborgology blog</a> cuts through that bullshit most adequately:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>WePay’s
response, predictably, amounts to the old “don’t blame us, blame the
market” strategy of denying responsibility. This is the same pattern we
recently witnessed with Paypal and Chase: Rather than working to find
ways to conduct business without discrimination, execs shrug their
shoulders and point to the markets as supposed justification for what,
in this case, is not only unjust, but downright inhumane, treatment. We,
the public, are expected to just resign our democratic values when the
market deems them inconvenient.</i><br />
<i>Fuck that. The discriminatory
practices of a back-end processor and concerns about fraud do not and
will not ever justify denying medical care to a very real human being,
regardless of her occupation.</i></blockquote>
And , Rey adds this
depressing thought about how all this feeds into general stigma and slut
shaming and sex shaming in general, as well as how even libertarianism
isn't enough in defending sex workers/porn performers/adult models:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>What
is perhaps most shocking about this tragedy is that it illustrates how
readily we dehumanize sex workers. Whether it is the doctor (who
reportedly dismissed the severity Alexander’s condition, assuming it to
be the product of drug abuse) or WePay shutting down her donations page
because she is connected to the production pornographic content,
institutional policies and practices reduced Alexander (as they do all
sex workers) to being nothing more than her work. Unfortunately, this
too often how stigma works. From the perspective of this
institutionalized stigma, you can’t be a sex worker and a person in need
of medical treatment because when you’re a sex worker, you are only a
sex worker. A person’s humanity is flattened and they are seen only as
their stigma. This is an observation that Kitty Stryker and Melissa Gira
Grant both made pointedly:</i><br />
<i><a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/kittystryker/status/467751518448283648" href="https://twitter.com/kittystryker/status/467751518448283648"><img alt="kitty" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18610" data-mce-src="http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/files/2014/05/kitty1.jpg" src="http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/files/2014/05/kitty1.jpg" height="186" width="500" /></a> <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/melissagira/status/467757432840941569" href="https://twitter.com/melissagira/status/467757432840941569"><img alt="melissa" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18611" data-mce-src="http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/files/2014/05/melissa.jpg" src="http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/files/2014/05/melissa.jpg" height="189" width="500" /></a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<i>What
market logic does–when we fail to intervene demanding that humanitarian
values be respected–is to reduce humans to mere risks and
opportunities. Risk is stigma in market terms. Both flatten a person and
mark them for exclusion. When a CEO says “sex workers are a risk,” they
always, implicitly, mean “a risk–and nothing more.” The purpose of such
language is to depersonalize and dehumanize and, thereby, to remove the
moral impediments to exclusion.</i><br />
<i>What we, collectively, need to do
is present new impediments to exclusion–to create conditions where
exclusion itself is risky business. I know I, for one, won’t be using
WePay any time soon for any of my projects.</i></blockquote>
I would
say that it's not just "whore stigma", but simple sex hate and
slut-shaming, combined with the additional stigmatization of keeping
their money while denying them their humanity, that drives institutions
like WePay, JPMorganChase, PayPal, and all the rest. (It wasn't until
the protest tornado hit WePay's pig farm that they finally decided to
release the funds from the GiveForward fundraiser over to Eden
Alexander, and offer to "help" her restart her original fundraiser.
Otherwise, they would have probably even kept those funds in their back
pocket, or at least pocketed the commissions and fees from processing
it.)<br />
<br />
If the funds raised so far end up ultimately funding Eden
Alexander's funeral, then WePay, Chase, the Department of Justice, and
all the other financial institutions endorsing this gratituous
discrimination have blood on their hands. And they need to pay, through
their wallets. Slut/whore/sex stigma has got to be opposed and stomped
out, by any means necessary.Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-30510588223915333942014-05-07T23:17:00.000-05:002014-05-07T23:20:22.440-05:00Lorelei Lee Makes The Case Against AB 1576 (aka "Izzy's Last Condom Stand")There are so many well documented reasons why AB 1576, Isadore Hall's condom mandate/personal protection bill needs to be defeated....but who better to explain the most cogent reasons than a porn performer herself.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, the folks over at Kink.com teamed up with perfomer Lorelei Lee to produce <span id="goog_468043279"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/">a video for YouTube<span id="goog_468043280"></span></a>, which basically explains why most performers are lining up against this bill.<br />
<br />
I'll just shut up now and let Lorelei take it away.<br />
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(Originally posted at <a href="http://therealpornwikileaks.com/lorelei-lee-explains-ab-1576-must-stopped/">The Real Porn Wikileaks</a>)</div>
<br />Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-33352099014427892692014-05-03T10:24:00.000-05:002014-05-03T19:39:52.849-05:00The JPMorgan Chase Crackdown On Porn Accounts: A DOJ Campaign, Or A Diversion By Big Banks To Avoid Accountability For Shady Deals?Most of you have heard now that the financial conglomerate JPMorgan Chase has been sending notices to a significant number of porn performers announcing without prior notice and without reason that their personal banking accounts will be terminated by May 11th...apparently due to violating their "risk assessment" standards.<br />
<br />
Teagan Presley was noted as one of the performers whose account was terminated (along with her husband's account), even though she has been retired from active performing for almost two years. She recalled the way she was informed of this through <a href="https://news.vice.com/articles/is-the-doj-forcing-banks-to-terminate-the-accounts-of-porn-stars">this Vice.com article</a>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>This past Monday, <a href="https://news.vice.com/topics/porn">porn</a>
star Teagan Presley arrived home in Las Vegas from yet another
whirlwind strip club appearance tour and found a letter from her bank.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Chase was closing her account, which was listed under her legal name, as well as the account of her husband.</i><br />
<br />
<i>When Presley went to the bank in person to ask why, she was told it’s because she’s considered “high risk.”</i><br />
<br />
<i>“And
then they told me that they canceled my husband’s account too, because
our social security numbers are linked,” Presley told VICE News. “They
told him that it was because I’m a notorious adult star. Which is funny,
because I’m kind of a goody-goody in the business, and I’m not even
doing porn anymore.”</i></blockquote>
The issue of porn accounts being nuked by Chase was originally exposed by, of all people, <a href="http://perezhilton.com/2014-04-22-exclusive-porn-stars-dropped-by-chase-bank-for-career#.U16XQ1e5LYi">Hollywood media gossiper Perez Hilton</a>, who posted one of Chase's cancellation letters at his blog. XBiz.com later <a href="http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=178172">further elaborated on the issue</a>, with comments from adult attorney Michael Fattorosi on the possiblilty of legal action against such discrimination.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Adult industry attorney Michael Fattorosi told XBIZ that <span class="highlight"> Chase</span> and other banks have “notoriously closed adult accounts or people in the industry’s accounts, but nothing like this.”</i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i>“Throughout my practice I’ve had clients that have had their bank
accounts closed, once the bank recognizes or determines that they’re in
the adult industry. I’ve seen that on numerous occasions,” he said.
“What I’ve never seen is a bank taking a position and sending out mass
letters.”</i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i>Fattorosi noted that it is yet unclear, however, how many people’s accounts were actually shut down.</i><br />
<i> </i><br />
<i>
</i><i>Whether legal recourse for those whose accounts were nixed is
plausible — and, if so, which path is optimal — remains unclear, given
that the situation is novel and that banks generally have the
prerogative to do business with who they choose (yes, that often means
flagrant discrimination).</i><br />
<br />
<i>
Fattorosi plans to do more case study research before he makes a
judgment call, explaining “Sometimes there are banking laws that are
different than we would normally expect.”</i></blockquote>
And, it's not the first time that JPMorgan Chase has been up to its knees in antiporn censorship, either. The softcore erotica production company MRG Entertainment recently had their founder Marc Greenburg file suit against JPMC for allegedly violating fair lender laws by denying them a loan for "moral reasons".<br />
<br />
Adult performer Chanel Preston has documented <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/100746445">her own travails</a> with JPMC offspring City National Bank, when they terminated her account without cause last year.<br />
<br />
And then, there is <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/23/chase-condoms-payments-lovability_n_5008987.html">the Lovability Condoms case</a>, where that company (which focuses on selling condoms to women) had their third party merchant account with Chase offspring Chase Paymentech pulled (then <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/31/chase-condom-payments_n_5051636.html">reinstated after loud protest</a>).<br />
<br />
That particular case first brought light to the government program which some are blaming for the increased censorship: an Department of Justice initiative called "Operation Choke Point", which attempts to target banks and other financial institutions for interactions with predatory and illegal under-the-radar actors. <br />
<br />
Progressive blogger <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ddayen">David Dayen</a> (formerly with the California-based political blog Caletics, and now a freelance contributor to blogs such as Hullabaloo and firedoglake) first brought up the initial reaction to the DOJ's new initiative in <a href="http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/04/david-dayen-chase-bank-denying-services-condom-shop-really-deregulating-payday-lending.html">a post he wrote</a> for the blog Naked Capitalism (no, not a porn site, y'all).<br />
<br />
The main goal of OCP is to hold banks far more accountable than they previously was for profiting from predatory lending, hyperaggressive telemarketing and spamming, and other shady financial dealings. Most of those deals were being processed through what are known as third party payment processors (TPPP's) which provide a quasi-legal cover for the kind of deals that regular banks would normally not do, such as processing of usurously high-interest online payday loan lending.<br />
<br />
In public hearings and seminars throughout the US, the DOJ alerted banks to what they should watch for in order to catch and prevent fraud; including a list of businesses more suspectable to chargebacks or false returns. One seminar listing did list "pornography" as one of the kind of transactions to be watched, but that was done only in passing, and only as a means of red-flagging those with high suspectability of fraud.<br />
<br />
The reasoning for targeting the banks rather than the TPPPs directly, according to the DOJ, was because the former could disappear into the ether and reappear under new aliases with frequency, undercutting efforts to reign them in.<br />
<br />
Naturally, those banks who get plenty of their money off deals with TPPPs (not to mention the TPPPs themselves) weren't too happy with the tightened scrutiny, and thusly formed a lobbying group, the Third Party Payment Processors Association, to jack up and shake down Congress to slow down the aggressiveness of the DOJ. And, possibly, threaten payback through the "human shield" of denying accounts.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>…banks, payment processing firms and a relatively new
lobbying group called the Third Party Payment Processors Association
have been going wild on Capitol Hill in recent months over a pretty
conventional law enforcement effort with a salacious name: Operation
Choke Point. The project attempts to curb money laundering by
scrutinizing banks and payment processors that facilitate transactions
with illegal businesses — petty fraudsters running payday lending scams,
sham telemarketing operations and other shady groups.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>[...]</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Democrats in Congress say the Third Party Payment Processors
Association — a lobby group that formed last year in response to
Operation Choke Point — has issued similar warnings in private meetings.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“<b>They came in here and said, ‘How would you like it if we started cutting off things liberals like, like birth control?</b>‘” says one House Democratic aide who met with the TPPPA in November.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“They can assign reputation risk based on their moral judgements, but
everybody has different moral judgments,” TPPPA President Marsha Jones
told HuffPost. “That’s the danger of it. One administration is polarized
one way and the other another way. And we must remove morality out of
payments because it’s dangerous.”</i></blockquote>
It was right about that time that Chase Paymentech, their own standalone TPPP, canceled Lovability Condoms' account, citing "reputational risk". Though Lovability's owner, Tiffany Gaines, was able to recover her company's account with a strong public protest, her attempt to get some answers as to why her account was pulled in the first place got quite interesting, to say the least:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>The marketing executive for Chase Paymentech, she became
aware of my situation through the media. She first said it was a bad
judgment call on their part, and they would agree to process our
payments. I said what would you do to make sure this doesn’t happen
again. They said they would train their representatives to be more
sensitive and inquisitive and understand the businesses they were
dealing with more thoroughly.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>I thought this was a wishy-washy attempt to get me to be quiet. I
told her that my representative was very sensitive and inquisitive, but
the power was not in her hands, it was in the hands of risk management
department, who said my business fell into a prohibited category. I
asked her, what are the prohibited categories? She said child
pornography, fraud, this and that. I said condoms don’t fall into those
categories, and also, isn’t there a gray area? You process payments for
hotels, and they make a lot of their money off of adult movies.</i> <br />
<i><b>So then she put the blame on the government. She said that
Chase Bank is a federally regulated bank, and that they have to pay
attention to federal regulations.</b> Other pornography companies can use things that aren’t federally regulated.</i></blockquote>
Let's set aside the distinction between Lovability Condoms and VIVID for a sec; notice how the Chase Paymentech rep, after attempting another round of obfuscation, finally attempts to put the blame on the government for having to suspend payments for "pornography companies". Never mind that the OCP guidelines do not specifically target adult-related companies for added scrutiny solely based on their content, but rather targets potentially illegal transactions in general.<br />
<br />
Segue to the current sitch of JP Morgan Chase Bank shuttering down adult performer accounts without warning, and you can see what they might really be up to now. It seems that they are simply overreacting to Operation ChokePoint and using it as a ruse to target porn performers' accounts as kind of a "false flag" in their efforts to defend their other TPPP transactions against the "heavy hand of government". Or...they are just using this as a ruse to go Hobby Lobby and enforce their own conservative morality against porn performers as "moral risks".<br />
<br />
AVN's Tom Hymes, in <a href="http://business.avn.com/articles/technology/Chase-Accused-of-Closing-Accounts-to-Get-Back-at-Feds-558444.html">an essay posted this morning</a>, spells it out directly.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>If [Dayen's] hypothesis is accurate, it's an interesting conundrum in which
the banking sector, through the new TPPPS, is falsely accusing the
government of forcing it to be a moral arbiter so that it can get out of
performing regulatory duties it is already tasked with, in order to
reap handsome returns from unscrupulous players it wants to continue
doing business with. The only fly in the ointment is where the porn
stars who have had their accounts closed fit into this picture. Though
presumably innocent of any wrongdoing with respect to their bank account
activity, it's hard to imagine the greater public, or the government
for that matter, coming to their defense in significant numbers.</i><br />
<i>But
maybe adult performers were just the lowest hanging fruit that provided
Chase with the least resistant path to be able to continue making the
argument that it is the government that is forcing its moral stance onto
them and the performers, and not the bank using the performers to
"lobby-through-threat."</i></blockquote>
Now, the more libertarian Right side of the porn diaspora has taken a slightly different position in this: they basically have adopted the position that Chase is simply a victim of an outright government campaign against porn commerce, and that TPPPs should be defended and protected in the wake of Operation ChokePoint's "hyperaggeressiveness".<br />
<br />
One such activist is Andrew Langer, who writes a blog for a right-wing enterprise called The Institute for Liberty; he is absolutely convinced that Operation ChokePoint is indeed just another evil socialist plot by Barack Obama to destroy the adult industry. (Never mind that it has been far more conservative administrations whom have been more direct about assaulting porn; see former Bush DOJ Obscenity Task Force Chairman Patrick Trueman, now head of the antiporn activist group Porn Harms.) I'll simply repost <a href="http://www.instituteforliberty.org/index.php?src=news&srctype=detail&category=News&refno=149">his press statement</a> on Perez Hilton's seminal article and let you see the hyperbole for yourself.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“Operation Choke Point,” the President’s infamous program which seeks to
cut off legal industries and law-abiding businesses from their
financial institutions had previously identified adult-entertainment as a
target along with gun sellers and short-term lenders. Banks across the
nation have already severed relationships with thousands of customers
because of Operation Choke Point:<br /><br />“In President Obama’s America,
it just doesn’t matter whether you’ve done anything illegal. It
doesn’t matter if your industry operates within the confines of the
law. You can still be in the crosshairs of the Federal government. This
report confirms what we’ve suspected for some time, that Operation Choke
Point would expand to destroy the other industries on the President’s
infamous hit list.<br /><br />This abuse of power and these intimidation
tactics fly in the face of the free market and free society. Yesterday
it was check-cashers and today it’s the adult entertainment industry.
We know where they are going next because they’ve told us -- direct
sales businesses, gun and ammunition sellers, the gaming industry and
charities. It’s becoming clear that no industry is safe from this
administration’s mob-style approach to regulation.”</i></blockquote>
Gee...all for the right to generate 400% payday loans and other money laundering scams. Riiight.<br />
<br />
One note: many of the performers that did have their Chase accounts pulled were able to sign up with other banks with less corrosive standards; competitor Wells Fargo put out a statement earlier in the week that adult performers would be more than welcome to form accounts there. There is also talk of some legal action against Chase under discrimination statutes; though, as Michael Fattorosi cited earlier, there is scarce legal precedent for such action...and given the low public standing of porn, it probably wouldn't generate much support. Then again, given that financial institutions aren't really so high these days with public regard either, that might be a bit questionable.<br />
<br />
As always, as news breaks on this, we'll update.Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385392963347857134.post-24825650590752541212014-04-16T23:38:00.000-05:002014-04-18T07:31:57.676-05:00Memo To Michael Weinstein: You Wrote The Check...Now Let's See If Your Ass Can Back It Up This Time. The PrEP Controversy That Could Finally Nail His Coffin<i><b>[Updated below: scroll to bottom.]</b></i><br />
<br />
It seems that Michael Weinstein of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation decided to shoot off his mouth again, and now he's about to swallow it with his foot. Except, he might want to protect his ass from the feet of others wanting to bust it and the rest of his body.<br />
<br />
It's more than enough that his condom mandate campaign against the LA porn industry has alienated him with plenty of people..but now, he's gone and done something that only a professional asshole can do: he's pissed off his own damn base of support.<br />
<br />
Some background here: the diaspora of the gay male community in San Francisco and beyond is raving about the latest treatments now being offered for those infected with HIV, as well as those active gay men who want to avoid getting infected with HIV to begin with. One of the most recent and most promising treatments involves the drug Truvada, which acts as what is called a Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in that it acts to block the HIV virus from infecting a person who uses it. Understand that Truvada is NOT a vaccine that totally prevents HIV transmission forever; it simply works to temporarily prevent infection. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004 as an HIV treatment; and in 2012, the pharmaceutial Gilead Science won approval to market and sell it to the public.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/231018.php">Proponents of Truvada and other PrEP treatments</a> say that they can be an alternative to the more traditional forms of barrier protection, such as condoms, that have been advocated as HIV protection for the gay male community ever since the height of the AIDS pandemic during the 1980's. <a href="http://www.wehoville.com/2014/04/15/calling-truvada-party-drug-ahfs-michael-weinstein-sparks-debate-might-illuminate-risks-rewards-prep/">Detractors, on the other hand</a>, have questioned the effectiveness of Truvada, as well as defending the reliance on condoms as a form of protection along with conservative behavior modification for those most vulnerable to infection.<br />
<br />
Of course, "conservative behavior modification" is exactly what Michael Weinstein is all about, and what has allowed AHF to elevate both their outreach and their financial vaults to become the world's largest non-govermental service provider for HIV/AIDS.<br />
<br />
And, he's not too shy to point that out, either: in 2007, <a href="http://www.aidshealth.org/archives/news/pfizers-viva-viagra-ads-promote">he and AHF essentially shook down Pfizer</a>, the manufacturers of the popular erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, claiming that their ads back then for the drug promoted "sexual promiscuity" and "unsafe sex". And, of course, I don't even need to reset Weinstein's motivation for <a href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2009/06/latest-hiv-in-porn-panic-rumor-control.html">pushing condoms</a> <a href="http://bppa.blogspot.com/2013/09/nina-hartley-speaks-out-on-latest-hiv.html">on porn performers</a>.<br />
<br />
So, naturally, Weinstein and AHF have been one of, if not THE, loudest critics of Truvada and PrEF treatments as a basic threat to his "condoms only" empire: and in an interview with the Associated Press last week, he went after proponents in his own typical fashion.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Michael Weinstein, president of <a href="https://www.aidshealth.org/">AIDS Healthcare Foundation</a>,
recently described Truvada as a “party drug” in an interview with the
Associated Press. (Weinstein’s full quote was: “If something comes along
that’s better than condoms, I’m all for it, but Truvada is not that. Let’s be honest: It’s a party drug.”) </i></blockquote>
The "party drug" smack is a thinly-veiled allusion to the alleged abuse of GHB (aka, the "date rape" drug) and crystal meth among young gay men; but mostly, it's Weinstein's preferred means of citiing "out of control" sexuality as a justification for his campaigns to reign in the "excesses" of gay men (and porn performers) through condoms as a means of throttling sexual activity. <br />
<br />
But, it seems, that Weinstein has bitten off just a bit too much of that apple...because there are plenty of other gay male health activists and gay men who are not at all pleased with his messianic need to control their sexuality. And, his statement against Truvada seems to be the final straw.<br />
<br />
One of such men is Michael Lucas, the director of the gay male porn production shop Lucas Entertainment (and also, naturally, an opponent of Weinstein's condom mandate campaigns); he posted <a href="http://www.out.com/news-opinion/2014/04/14/op-ed-danger-calling-prep-party-drug">an Op-Ed</a> to Out Magazine's website calling out Weinstein's "dangerous" rhetoric...and then calling for something else: his resignation from AHF. Some snippage:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Mr. Weinstein knows how to portray PrEP, along with gay men, in the
most unattractive light. This month he told the Associated Press, ”Let’s
be honest: It’s [Truvada] a party drug.” In Mr. Weinsteing’s eyes, PrEP
isn’t about public health. It’s just a highly expensive way for those
horny, irresponsible gays to go back to their barebacking-gone-wild.</i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i>It would be one thing if this were a talking point of a crackpot on
The 700 Club. Hell, Mr. Weinstein’s words could be adapted nicely for a
poster for the Westboro Baptist Church. But this man, who earns,
according the LA Times, around $390,000 per year, leads an organization
that’s the largest provider of HIV/AIDS services in the United States.
Yet his views are so out of line with scientific reality that, before
approving PrEP, the head of the Centers for Disease Control refused to
even meet with him.</i><br />
<br />
<i>[....]</i><br />
<br />
<i>In this man’s prurient imagination, gays are too busy enjoying their
bareback orgies to be trusted with taking a once-daily pill. In his
view, gay men using PrEP will stir up a frothy new drug-resistant strain
of the virus. What evidence exists that this is a valid scientific
concern? None. He has not even credited the fact that this form of
prevention might and is being used by responsible gay men regardless of
the sexual activity they are engaged in. Mr. Weisnstein’s anti-PrEP
position is an extension of his long-standing anti-promiscuity crusade
and more importantly his continuation of harmful shame tactics.</i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i>It’s now time to for our community to fight back against his
shame-on-us rhetoric. It’s time for us to fight back and say, “shame on
him.”</i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i>As the issue of cost of PrEP, and whether it should be deployed to
prevent young people from becoming infected, becomes an important
national issue, we need to take Mr. Weinstein and his radical rhetoric
out of the national conversation.</i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i>He needs to be removed from his post at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Immediately.</i></blockquote>
And some others are taking that last sentence of Lucas literally. Eric Leue, described as "Mr. Los Angeles Leather 2014" in his bio; went so far as to launch <a href="https://www.change.org/petitions/ahf-remove-weinstein">a signing petition</a> at Change.org calling for AHF to remove Weinstein from their directorship. The petition has reached 1,500 signatures as of right now, reflecting the blowback from a sizable portion of the gay community to Weinstein's tactics and sex-shaming. More snippage from the petition:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>This petition is not about how Weinstein or we personally feel about
HIV PrEP. This petition is about whether we, the people, should be
allowed access to accurate information, free of stigma and
discrimination. Since 1980, HIV and its prevention has been framed in
moral terms, and the people carrying the virus blamed. The head of our
largest AIDS service organization should know that HIV prevention is not
“a party.”</i><br />
<i>
</i><i>With our signatures to remove Michael Weinstein as CEO and President
of the AHF, we encourage the AIDS Healthcare Foundation to reconnect
with the public to be able to continue their important work hand in hand
with the communities they serve.</i></blockquote>
The petition is also being endorsed and signed by many in the mainstream porn community who are just as fed up with the same sex-shaming and authoritarianism. (See the Twitter hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RemoveWeinstein&src=hash">#RemoveWeinstein</a>.)<br />
<br />
Whether removing Weinstein from AHF will force a change in their policy is probably unclear, but the point is that he has become his own worst enemy, by driving AHF away from its core philosophy of healthcare service, and into his own myopic drive for personal power and money.<br />
<br />
We at BPPA strongly recommend and heartily endorse this petition, and hope that you go and sign it as well.<br />
<br />
(Note by Anthony: I already have.)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.change.org/petitions/ahf-remove-weinstein">Link to Petition for Michael Weinstein's removal from AIDS Healthcare Foundation (Change.org) </a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>UPDATE (4-18-14):</b></i> Well, anyone who thought that Michael Weinstein would bow down to public opinion would be surely disappointed by his reaction to the turmoil. <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/tonymerevick/head-of-largest-us-hivaids-healthcare-organization-still-ins">In an interview with BuzzFeed</a>, he doubled and quadrupled down on his anti-Truvada "party drug" smack, even going as far as associating his critics with "the bareback porn industry".<br />
<br />
Some brief snippage from BuzzFeed:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“I’ve had debates on this subject, but these people are jumping to
character assassination and I’m not going to respond to it,” said
Michael Weinstein, president of the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare
Foundation, the largest HIV/AIDS medical care provider in the U.S. “My
record and the record of AHF speaks for itself.”</i><br />
<br />
<i>[....]</i><br />
<br />
<i>Weinstein, who has long been a critic of the blue pill, has no
intentions of stepping aside or quieting down and blames much of the
backlash he’s received on what he said is the “bareback porn industry.”
Michael Lucas, creator of one of the largest gay porn companies, Lucas
Entertainment, also called for Weinstein to leave his job in <a href="http://www.out.com/news-opinion/2014/04/14/op-ed-danger-calling-prep-party-drug">an op-ed</a> published by Out magazine.</i><br />
<br />
<i>“In the last few days in terms of the people who have been yelling
the loudest about this, they’ve all been associated with bareback porn,”
he said. “They’re all associated with bareback porn, which kind of
makes my point that it’s a party drug.”</i></blockquote>
The BuzzFeed article also gauges reaction from many AIDS prevention activists not at all pleased with Weinstein's position.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“Comments like that of Michael Weinstein really devalue and diminish
decades of research and the opinions of experts the world over that
would very much disagree with his characterization,” said Jim Pickett,
director of Prevention Advocacy and Gay Men’s Health at the AIDS
Foundation of Chicago. “The idea that [Truvada] is simply some party
drug on par with crystal meth or ecstasy is really ridiculous and
insulting.”</i></blockquote>
<br />
The point of conflict seems to be questions about the effectiveness of Truvada as opposed to condoms and whether or not those using it as PrEP will adhere to its prescriptions.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Proponents of the drug point to studies showing massive reductions in
HIV transmissions in cases where the drug was taken daily. But
Weinstein, and other Truvada critics, question the drug’s ability to be
effective because patients are unlikely to adhere to the daily regimen. A
factor in this could be the drug’s high cost — about $13,000 per year —
although many insurance plans and Medicaid cover prescriptions.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Additionally, Truvada, unlike condoms, will also do nothing to
protect people from other sexually-transmitted diseases such as
syphilis, herpes, and gonorrhea, Weinstein said.</i></blockquote>
<br />
Of course, that ignores the fact that condoms cannot prevent infection where sores are exposed and barrier protection can't reach. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“The primary issue with Truvada is that in the perfect world if
people took it every day they would be protected, but that is not the
case,” he said. “I read over and over again articles talking about how
it’s more than 90% effective and they don’t even mention the adherence
issue. PrEP is just not 90%-plus effective in the real world. It’s just
not ready for prime time as a public health strategy.”</i></blockquote>
<br />
Translation: It really screws up his "condoms rule the world" profit streams. Yes, AHF does in fact market and brand condoms under their label. Ask Michael Whiteacre and his wife Christina Parriera.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/DinoWeedman">@DinoWeedman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TRPWL">@TRPWL</a> IDK what his personal holdings are, but AHF is in the condom business. Here's ICON condoms <a href="http://t.co/9TlWd483ID">pic.twitter.com/9TlWd483ID</a><br />
— Michael Whiteacre (@mrwhiteacre) <a href="https://twitter.com/mrwhiteacre/statuses/456876609358680065">April 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Or, just ask the Las Vegas chapter of the Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP), who just decided to sign a marketing agreement with AHF to promote their condoms in exchange for "publicity".<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, medical director of the ambulatory HIV
program at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, said he is a prescriber of
Truvada, telling BuzzFeed, “I don’t see it as a party drug at all.”
Daskalakis also sits on the board of Gay Mens Health Crisis, one of the
nation’s top HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and advocacy organizations. He
was also part of the FDA panel that approved Truvada for PrEP.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“The guys I’m giving Truvada to and some women, have a lot of good
reasons to take it,” Daskalakis told BuzzFeed. “If being in a sexual
relationship with someone who is HIV-positive is a party, then Truvada
is a party drug.”</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Daskalakis and Pickett are among critics of Weinstein’s comments who
think likening Truvada to a “party drug” is judgmental of behavior and
detracts from what HIV/AIDS advocates aim to do: prevent HIV, Daskalakis
said. Pickett said it equates to “shaming” and “the paternalism and the
infantilization of gay men.”</i></blockquote>
Essentially, that is the heart of the issue: imposing a sexually conservative agenda in the name of "protection", while denying gay men (or, in the case of the porn condom mandate, porn performers) the right of choice on how they can best protect themselves.<br />
<br />
Obviously, this debate won't be resolved any time soon. We'll just have to see if Weinstein pays the cost for his mouth shooting off.<br />
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<br />Anthony Kennersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00103420620416144653noreply@blogger.com0