LOS ANGELES—Some of the most prominent purveyors of porn say they'll start packing up their sex toys and abandoning the nation's Porn Capital if authorities really do carry through with a nascent effort to police their movie sets and order that every actor be outfitted with a condom.
That effort took a serious leap forward Tuesday when the Los Angeles City Council voted 9-1 to grant final approval to an ordinance that would deny film permits to producers who do not comply with the condom requirement. The measure now goes to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for approval.
Before the measure can take effect, however, the council has called for the creation of a committee made up of police officials, the city attorney, state health officials and others to determine how it might be enforced.
"It's going to be interesting to see how in fact they do try to enforce it and whose going to fund it and all of the time and effort they're going to spend," said Steven Hirsch, co-founder and co-chairman of Los Angeles-based Vivid, one of the largest makers of erotic movies.
Duke said City Hall's measure could push some porn companies to go underground or leave Los Angeles. The multibillion dollar porn industry is centered in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley.
Some porn industry representatives have previously said porn filmed with condoms doesn't sell as well.
Duke said Tuesday that another reason is that some porn performers prefer to not use condoms, saying "it's really hard on their bodies" during lengthy, grueling shooting schedules. "It's very different on a set … We're in favor of choice for performers." AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein said there are many performers who do want mandatory condoms, such as Jenna Jameson, and that condoms are consistently used in gay porn.
On Tuesday, the City Council voted 9 to 1 to require porn performers to wear condoms during filming and to pay a fee to fund surprise inspections of film permits. The move came after the L.A.-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation collected enough signatures to force a vote on the proposed ordinance in June. Rather than take the ordinance to the ballot box, the City Council decided to adopt the AIDS group's ordinance.
L.A. Councilman Paul Koretz said he believed the public would have passed the ordinance if it came on the ballot. "We see the handwriting on the wall," Koretz said. A special election in June would have cost the city more than $4 million.
Koretz said he expected the mainstream porn firms would not go underground "and will comply with the law."
Some public health experts have suggested that porn producers could use video editing equipment to edit out condom images from the final film product, if that is what producers desire. Producers, however, have said that would dramatically increase production costs, and could send the industry underground or out of the state.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation spokesman Ged Kenslea said he didn't believe the porn industry would leave the L.A. area, given that adult film talent, camera operators and lighting technicians are so entrenched in Southern California.
That effort took a serious leap forward Tuesday when the Los Angeles City Council voted 9-1 to grant final approval to an ordinance that would deny film permits to producers who do not comply with the condom requirement. The measure now goes to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for approval.
Before the measure can take effect, however, the council has called for the creation of a committee made up of police officials, the city attorney, state health officials and others to determine how it might be enforced.
"It's going to be interesting to see how in fact they do try to enforce it and whose going to fund it and all of the time and effort they're going to spend," said Steven Hirsch, co-founder and co-chairman of Los Angeles-based Vivid, one of the largest makers of erotic movies.
Duke said City Hall's measure could push some porn companies to go underground or leave Los Angeles. The multibillion dollar porn industry is centered in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley.
Some porn industry representatives have previously said porn filmed with condoms doesn't sell as well.
Duke said Tuesday that another reason is that some porn performers prefer to not use condoms, saying "it's really hard on their bodies" during lengthy, grueling shooting schedules. "It's very different on a set … We're in favor of choice for performers." AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein said there are many performers who do want mandatory condoms, such as Jenna Jameson, and that condoms are consistently used in gay porn.
On Tuesday, the City Council voted 9 to 1 to require porn performers to wear condoms during filming and to pay a fee to fund surprise inspections of film permits. The move came after the L.A.-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation collected enough signatures to force a vote on the proposed ordinance in June. Rather than take the ordinance to the ballot box, the City Council decided to adopt the AIDS group's ordinance.
L.A. Councilman Paul Koretz said he believed the public would have passed the ordinance if it came on the ballot. "We see the handwriting on the wall," Koretz said. A special election in June would have cost the city more than $4 million.
Koretz said he expected the mainstream porn firms would not go underground "and will comply with the law."
Some public health experts have suggested that porn producers could use video editing equipment to edit out condom images from the final film product, if that is what producers desire. Producers, however, have said that would dramatically increase production costs, and could send the industry underground or out of the state.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation spokesman Ged Kenslea said he didn't believe the porn industry would leave the L.A. area, given that adult film talent, camera operators and lighting technicians are so entrenched in Southern California.
No comments:
Post a Comment