LA passes first condom law for porn stars

Published on Thursday 26 January 2012 00:00

Actors in pornographic films made in Los Angeles will be required to use condoms under a new law.

It will take effect within the next two months after being signed onto the statute books by mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The US “adult entertainment” industry estimates as many as 90 per cent of the porn films produced in the US are made in the city. Most are filmed in the San Fernando Valley suburb.

Exactly how the law will be enforced is, however, yet to be determined.

It calls for makers of porn films to pay a fee, still to be set, that would be used to pay for spot checks.

The city council is creating a committee to determine the amount of the fee and who would make the checks.

Officials with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which lobbied for the law, welcomed the legislation and said it would now look to have similar laws adopted by other cities and states.

“The city of Los Angeles has done the right thing. They’ve done the right thing for the performers,” said Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which had pushed the measure for six years. He said its adoption is crucial in protecting adult film actors from HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

The industry already requires that actors be tested for HIV every 30 days, and filmmakers say they believe that is sufficient.