Adult film producers in Los Angeles, the home of America’s multi-million dollar pornography industry, have threatened to boycott the city in response to new rules forcing its actors to use condoms while performing in erotic films.
For decades San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles has been the capital of the US adult film business, but from March 5 this year a landmark ruling will come into effect stipulating that all porn actors must wear protection while performing in films.
The new law aims to prevent the spread of HIV and promote safe sex.
Industry insiders have reacted with anger at the new law and have threatened legal action against the city as well as a boycott if the legislation is not overturned, claiming the move will seriously impact revenues.
Film makers had tried to use condoms on set in the late 1990s but scrapped the policy after sales suffered.
"The viewers out there don't want to see movies with condoms," Steven A Hirsh of Vivid Entertainment told the Los Angeles Times.
Other industry professionals claim the regulation is a smokescreen for politicians to dictate how adult films should be made, dismissing the laws as unnecessary due to existing sexual health checks on actors.
Diane Duke of adult film lobby group Free Speech Coalition, said: "This is the first step of government overreach into the way we make movies. It's clearly the government interfering where it really doesn't belong… Because our industry deals with sex… we're vulnerable and easy to attack."
The new health measures were agreed in January after years of aggressive lobbying by Aids activists in response to reports of actors contracting HIV on set.
Derrick Burts was one of the actors who was told he had contracted HIV while working. He backs the new law.
He said: "It's a broken system that they have in place. What performer wouldn't want to feel safe on a work set?"
It is unclear how much the city would lose if the porn industry were to leave Los Angeles.
For decades San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles has been the capital of the US adult film business, but from March 5 this year a landmark ruling will come into effect stipulating that all porn actors must wear protection while performing in films.
The new law aims to prevent the spread of HIV and promote safe sex.
Industry insiders have reacted with anger at the new law and have threatened legal action against the city as well as a boycott if the legislation is not overturned, claiming the move will seriously impact revenues.
Film makers had tried to use condoms on set in the late 1990s but scrapped the policy after sales suffered.
"The viewers out there don't want to see movies with condoms," Steven A Hirsh of Vivid Entertainment told the Los Angeles Times.
Other industry professionals claim the regulation is a smokescreen for politicians to dictate how adult films should be made, dismissing the laws as unnecessary due to existing sexual health checks on actors.
Diane Duke of adult film lobby group Free Speech Coalition, said: "This is the first step of government overreach into the way we make movies. It's clearly the government interfering where it really doesn't belong… Because our industry deals with sex… we're vulnerable and easy to attack."
The new health measures were agreed in January after years of aggressive lobbying by Aids activists in response to reports of actors contracting HIV on set.
Derrick Burts was one of the actors who was told he had contracted HIV while working. He backs the new law.
He said: "It's a broken system that they have in place. What performer wouldn't want to feel safe on a work set?"
It is unclear how much the city would lose if the porn industry were to leave Los Angeles.
