Moratorium Placed on Porn Production after Fourth Performer Tests Positive for HIV

Four performers in the porn industry have tested positive for HIV since August.

Since August four performers in the adult film industry have tested positive for HIV. A moratorium was placed on production Friday, after the revelation that a fourth person had been tested positive. The Free Speech Coalition, which oversees the regular testing of performers, has place three moratoriums on production since August.

In a recent press release, Diane Duke, Free Speech Coalition CEO stated, “We are taking every precaution while we do research to determine if there’s been any threat to the performer pool. 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.”

The Free Speech Coalition did not name the most recent performer to test positive for HIV. They say the first steps in ensuring safety of performers will be to make a time line, perform additional tests and determine first-generation partners of the performer. The coalition is unsure of whether the performer contracted the virus on set.

A measure was passed November, 2012 mandating condom use in the porn industry. This was met by wide criticism from porn industry workers. However, insiders admit that the measure is not enforced.

In a statement made on Friday, Michael Weinstein, president of the Aids Healthcare Foundation, asked, “How many more performers need to become infected for the industry to comply with existing regulations and laws requiring workplace safety?”