The adult film industry was in a for a rude awakening at Tuesday’s downtown Los Angeles Cal/OSHA Advisory Meeting on Bloodborne Pathogens in the Adult Film Industry when Cal/OSHA inspector Deborah Gold firmly stated that Cal/OSHA bloodborne pathogens regulations already require condom use in adult films and that any filming without condoms is a direct violation of the law.

Gold said, “Let me be clear: we’re not creating a new rule, we’re talking about modifying an existing rule. Right now, the standard mandates the use of condoms, so people who have come here and think that we're arguing about whether we're going to mandate the use of condoms need to understand that the current status quo is that if there's blood or other potentially infectious material, you need to prevent contact with that and the employee's eyes, skin, so people just need to understand that—I know people keep talking about it as though we're thinking about newly mandating condoms and people have to understand that what we're trying to do is talk about whether something new can be worked out in the standards that would protect employees as well as what's currently the present.”
Those in opposition to condoms on set, including directors, producers, and some current well-known performers, ricocheted between showing a total ignorance of the law and a clear and blatant disregard for it, even after Gold’s clarifying statement.

Nina HartleyVeteran adult film actress Nina Hartley who admitted she caught Gonorrhea 4 times during her career stated, “I don’t feel any safer with condoms.”

Performer Jeremy Steele, current male porn actor, “There is no way to make the industry risk-free. Making things safer does not make it safe.”

Perhaps that is because the porn industry is unsafe in the first place.
Robert Kim-Farley, MD, MPH, Director, Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, reprted that LA County health officials have linked 8 of as many as 22 possible HIV infections between 2004 and 2008 to the porn industry.

Shelley LubbenPink Cross executive director and former porn actress, Shelley Lubben, proposed forming an alliance between Cal/OSHA and Pink Cross Foundation in order to educate performers on STDs and other health related issues, as well as the rights of performers – both of which the foundation already does – and to assist in enforcing OSHA’s already existing laws concerning safety in the workplace.

Both Jan Meza and Marci Greer, former adult film actresses and members of Pink Cross Foundation, shared personal testimony as to the many STDs and other detrimental health issues they endured throughout their time in the porn industry, the lack of education performers receive, and the hazardous and violent scenarios often encountered on set.

Sadly, many porn stars could not personally speak out and share their stories due to their untimely deaths.

Despite the testimonies, pro-industry representatives continued to argue that the industry is self-regulated. They also expressed concern that condom-only porn would be unprofitable. In the 5 hour meeting, adult industry leaders voiced more opinion about “feasible economics” than the safety and health of workers.

After countless arguments, including those from the industry funded Free Speech Coalition, Whitney Engeran-Cordova from AIDS Healthcare Foundation, said “It was important to hear a Cal/OSHA official so unequivocally say that existing state regulations already require the use of condoms on all adult film sets in California, something that is clearly not happening.”

The next advisory meeting is scheduled for October in San Francisco.