Condomania

Self-policing porn stars

California's adult film industry went to DEFCON 1 in August when a performer tested positive for HIV. Every major studio ceased filming, and two generations of the infected performer's partners—the last person the actor slept with and the last person that person slept with—submitted to testing. A trade group for the porn industry sounded the all-clear in early September: The original test was a false alarm; the performer was HIV-free. 

Despite the speed and efficiency with which the porn industry addressed the crisis, the AIDS Health Foundation held a press conference condemning the response. "It's like if you were dealing with mine safety or construction or food contamination, and we would have to be satisfied with what the company involved is telling us about it," said foundation president Michael Weinstein. He and other safe-sex advocates say the California adult film industry should be legally required to use condoms, because "relying on testing to protect the performers is wrong."

But so far the industry's self-imposed testing regime has been remarkably effective. There have only been six cases of HIV among professional porn performers in the United States during the last 10 years: five in 2004, all stemming from the same actor, and one in 2010.