Which Gay Porn Studios Are Affected By The “Condoms & Testing” Law, And What Will They Do When It Passes?
California’s mandatory “condoms and testing” in porn law, AB1576, passed one of its final hurdles today with a 3-1 vote in the State Senate’s Labor and Industrial Relations Committee. It now has just one more committee to clear, Appropriations, before it goes to the Governor’s desk (where he’s expected to sign).
As I and everyone else with an ounce of common sense has been repeating ad nauseam, the law will do nothing to protect California’s porn stars from STDs and will instead drive the industry underground and/or out of state. Even if you don’t care about porn or porn stars, if you’re a California resident, you should be outraged (and yet, not surprised!) that this is how your tax dollars are being spent, as opposed to actual HIV/STD prevention programs and the state’s AIDS drug assistance program, ADAP, which is in desperate need of funds.
The only California-based studio I can think of that already has a self-imposed mandatory condom/testing policy in place is Randy Blue (Men and CockyBoys also have a condom/testing policy, but they aren’t currently shooting in California), but what about the gay studios that don’t have a testing policy and/or shoot bareback scenes? Here’s a list of California gay porn studios that will have to start paying for testing—and this is what the gay “condoms only” studios fear most: having to shell out money they don’t have on STD testing, not to mention having to maintain all of their performers’ medical records as the law requires—and/or using condoms in their movies, if they plan on staying in California and adhering to AB1576:
Sean Cody: Testing policy already in place, all bareback scenes.
GuysInSweatpants: Testing policy already in place, with both bareback and condom scenes.
Helix Studios: Testing policy already in place, with both bareback and condom scenes.
CocksureMen/JakeCruise: No testing policy, both bareback and condom scenes.
MenOnEdge/BoundInPublic (Kink’s gay sites): No testing policy, all condom scenes.
NextDoorStudios: Testing policy already in place, with both bareback and condom scenes.
Raging Stallion/Falcon/NakedSword: No testing policy, all condom scenes.
Colt: No testing policy, all condom scenes.
Hot House: No testing policy, all condom scenes.
Titan: No testing policy, all condom scenes.
Treasure Island Media: Duh.
AB1576 is unenforceable (the state has no money and no resources to monitor the hundreds of porn shoots that occur every month), likely unconstitutional (what happens when an HIV+ performer is refused a job because of his status, or when his status is disclosed to someone other than him and his health care provider?), and ridiculously redundant (remember: Cal/OSHA already mandates the use of protective barriers to block bloodborne pathogens, and look how well that’s been enforced). That being said, the older studios with big corporate parents will end up falling in line right away, as their big corporate lawyers won’t want any hassles with the state. Where will they come up with the money for testing? Your guess is as good as mine. And, which random gay porn studio employee will be tasked with maintaining everyone’s private medical records? The casting director? An office clerk? I don’t care if I’m a garbage man or a gay porn star, the day my employer has possession of my medical records is the day I quit.
As for the independent studios (Sean Cody, Hot House), I predict most of them will likely ignore the law until they receive their first fine, which could be years down the line (if ever?) as the legal battles continue. Then, they’ll either pay the fine, go out of business, or move out of state to Vegas, Arizona, or, at the very worst, Florida.
