I thought this might be relevant to some of the discussion on this list. Selma
----- Original Message ----- Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2003 11:05 AM Subject: [AB] (LONG) Performers in Unregulated CA Porn Industry are infected with HIV > By P.J. HuffstutterTimes Staff WriterJanuary 12 2003During > production of the 1997 movie "Mimic," American Humane Assn. > representatives wandered through the Los Angeles set, > ensuring that a herd of cockroaches was well taken care of. > Licensed animal handlers were to follow state and federal > anti-cruelty laws designed to protect the > http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/magazine/la-tm-pornjan12.story > See No EvilIn California's unregulated porn film industry, > an alarming number of performers are infected with HIV and > other sexually transmitted diseases. And nobody seems to > care.insects, which had been trained to swirl around actress > Mira Sorvino's feet. The roaches had to be fed at a certain > time. They could only work a few hours each day. They could > not be harmed.At the same time, in studios in the San > Fernando Valley, scores of other actors and actresses were > workingon movies. They put in long hours, commonly without > meal breaks. They often worked without clean toilets, toilet > paper, soap or water. More importantly, they were exposed to > a host of infectious, and sometimes fatal, diseases.These > performers were making heterosexual adult films for an > industry that in California is entirely legal, and utterly > unregulated. Its producers take in several billion dollars > annually from cable television programming, videos and > Internet sites watched by a public whose appetite seems > insatiable. They pay taxes, lobby in Sacramento and > contribute to political campaigns.Yet actors and actresses > are discouraged from wearing prophylactics during filming > because porn producers believe the public wants to see > unprotected sex. So adult porn stars commonly engage in > sexual acts with scores of partners, and then return each > evening to their private lives--dating orhaving > relationships with people across Southern California.In the > words of former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, when > told about the lack of oversight of the adult film industry: > "These folks are a reservoir. They don't just have sex with > one another. They have sex with regular people outside their > business--doctors, lawyers, teachers, your next-door > neighbor."But California regulators and political officials > don't believe the public is worried about protecting the > porn stars themselves--despite the enormous popularity of > the films they produce. As David Gurley, staff attorney for > the California Labor Commissioner's office, says: "Porn > stars--people think they're not worth the time. The public > sees these people as disposable."Told of those remarks, and > similar ones by other California officials, former Surgeon > General C. Everett Koop said: "That's ridiculous. That's the > same thing we heard about the gay community back in the > early days of AIDS." Koop was an early crusader in the fight > against the disease.Koop and others note that in Nevada, > legal brothels are subject to stringent state oversight--and > the spread of sexually transmitted disease in that industry > has been reduced to trace amounts. In California, the adult > film business, which has expanded to include the most risque > forms of sex widely referred to as Triple X, is remarkably > similar in scope to Nevada's legalized prostitution in terms > of the number of people employed and the nature of the job. > Yet the only monitoring in Triple X is a form of modest > self-regulation by some companies that request health tests > before performers go on camera. But even that practice is > neither widespread nor tightly monitored. "The fact that no > one's watching this industry is shocking," Koop says. "How > many peoplehave to be infected with an STD before someone > does something?" Anne Marie Ballowe: Porn actress NARRATED > SLIDE SHOWActress Anne Marie Ballowe is a former porn star > who flourished in the burgeoning business. She was born in > Taegu City, S. Korea, the daughter of a U.S. serviceman and > a South Korean woman. The family moved to the United States, > where her parents soon divorced. Her mother gave her to her > father, who was living in a small Missouri town, when > Ballowe was 7. She says she was raped by schoolmates at age > 16. The following year she ran away to Los Angeles with > dreams of a better life.She found it. Sort of.Ballowe became > famous, paid thousands of dollars to grin for the camera, > prance beneath the hot lights--and have sex with strangers. > For years she enjoyed the perks of her job, shuttling around > town in limousines, attending hot Hollywood parties, dating > famous athletes and rock 'n' roll gods. During her seven > years in the business, she starred in scores of Triple-X > films.Legal and medical records show she walked away from > the business in 1998 with chlamydia, which could make her > sterile; cytomegalovirus, which could eventually make her > blind; hepatitis C, which has damaged her liver; and HIV, > which could cause AIDS and probably kill her. According to > medical records, her liver is too damaged--in part because > of the hepatitis--to allow her to take the anti-viral drugs > that could delay the onset of AIDS.Along the way, she also > became a drug addict, and she has exhibited symptoms of > schizophrenia. Today the 29-year-old former actress lives in > Honolulu. There, sitting inside an AIDS clinic for homeless > patients, waiting for medication, she hides her past behind > an engaging smile. "I know people hate what we do," she > says. "But porn stars make a lot of money for other people. > If farmworkers have rights, so should we. The laws need to > change." Anne Marie Ballowe: HIV positiveHours later, > staring at the TV screen inside a friend's apartment, > Ballowe watches a clip from a 1998 video she made for Hard > Core Television and K-Beech Video Inc. It is the film in > which Ballowe has alleged she was infected with HIV by an > actor named Marc S. Goldberg. She was paid $10,000 for her > work, but records show the check bounced just days after she > learned that she was HIV positive.As the video plays, > Ballowe quietly excuses herself and walks into the bathroom, > locking the door behind her. Water runs into the sink, > nearly muffling the sound of retching.Ballowe's rise and > fall in the business is not unusual, but her reaction is. > She filed a lawsuit with the California Workers' > Compensation Appeal Board against Hard Core Television, the > producer of thevideo, and K-Beech, the distributor. Ballowe > alleges that Goldberg faked a test showing he was HIV > negative. Included in the lawsuit is a copy of an HIV test > supposedly taken by Goldberg on March 21, 1997, nearly a > year before the two actors worked together. The result is > negative.The document says the test was conducted by the > Medical Science Institute in Burbank--a laboratory that > filed for bankruptcy in 1995, and whose assets were > purchased by Physicians Clinical Laboratory Inc. in February > 1997. The document also shows that Goldberg's blood sample > was taken at Northeast Valley Health Corp.'s Pacoima > offices, by a physician identified only as > "Martinez."Officials from Northeast Valley told The Times > that no doctor by that name worked at their facilities > during this time. "We had a doctor named Martinez, but he > left and moved out of the area back in 1985," says Kimberly > Wyard, chief executive officer.Goldberg could not be reached > for comment despite nearly two dozen attempts to contact him > by phone and in person at his home and at the video company > where he works. No response from Goldberg to Ballowe's > lawsuit is on file with the state. Hard Core Television and > K-Beech have filed papers denying responsibility.Ballowe's > suit says that during several days of filming in Chatsworth > in February 1998, the actress had sex with about 25 men--a > mix of actors established in the business, would-be stars > trying to get a break in the industry and adult-film fans > who had been recruited at adult video stores. Most of the > men showed up at the set with paperwork that declared they > were HIV-negative. Some wore condoms. Others, like Goldberg, > did not."I had known Marc for years, so I didn't make him > wear one," Ballowe says in an interview. "I was going on > good faith" that he was not infected. In her lawsuit, > Ballowe says that K-Beech and Hard Core failed to provide a > safe work environment, as required by state law. > Specifically, she claims the businesses failed to "verify > the health certificates provided . . . to ensure their > accuracy and reliability." She also claims the companies > failed "to furnish and use safety devices and safeguards for > the benefit of the employee . . . with knowledge that > serious injury to applicant would be a probable result.""If > I was a prostitute in Nevada, I'd still be alive," she says > in an interview. "If I'd been a migrant farmworker, I'd > still be alive. As it is, I'm dead. I'll be buried before I > get wrinkles."Ballowe's lawsuit has become the leading > example cited by all those who argue for regulation of the > industry. It was filed in 1998, at a time when, one by one, > porn actresses were testing positive for HIV. Among industry > veterans, those years are now known as "the dark times." In > January of that year, actress Tricia Devereaux tested > positive. She was followed by Ballowe in March; a Hungarian > performer, who used only the stage name Caroline, in April; > and Kimberly Jade in May."I could have given this to my > boyfriend," Jade says. "Any of us could have and not known > because we were getting tested only once a month, for HIV. > The only thing we all have in common is Marc. But we had no > idea how to prove that he did it."Some companies, such as > Vivid Video Inc. in Van Nuys and VCA Pictures in Chatsworth, > insist performers bring a recent HIV test to the set and use > condoms when they perform. But dozens of Triple-X filmmakers > have no such requirements. Even at those that do, the rules > can be easily overlooked, according to interviews with more > than three dozen actresses working for various Triple-X > companies."It's up to the talent to say [to other > performers], 'Let me see your HIV test,' or 'Hey, I need a > condom,' " says Robert Herrera, production chief of Simon > Wolf Productions in Chatsworth. "It'd be great to have > everyone wear a condom and a good thing to force everyone to > test for everything. But it's impossible to do that in this > business."Gay pornographers abide by a different set of > rules: No condom, no HIV test, no audience. Nearly all gay > Triple-X production studios throughout the industry demand > condom use and other protections. The decision is rooted in > financial concerns. While there is a niche audience for > films that depict unprotected sex, few retail and Internet > outlets will carry such movies for fear of drawing public > criticism."They all wear condoms," says Roger Tansey, former > executive director of Aid For AIDS, a West Hollywood-based > nonprofit that provides financial assistance for people with > HIV. "Gay actors and gay viewers don't see unprotected sex > as a fantasy. They see it as watching death on the > screen."Though the porn industry is huge when measured in > dollars, it has relatively few employees. Talent agents say > there are typically 500 Triple-X actors and actresses > working at any given time in Southern California. But > because the average career lasts just 18 months, the number > of people who have worked on Triple-X sets over time is > actually far higher, exceeding thousands per decade. HIV > testingThe extent of infection among those performers is > unknown because no government or regulatory medical agency > has ever tracked the industry consistently. The limited data > that does exist is alarming. The Adult Industry Medical > HealthCare Foundation (AIM), an industry-backed clinic in > Sherman Oaks, administered voluntary tests to a group > consisting primarily of adult film workers. Of 483 people > tested between October 2001 and March 2002, about 40% had at > least one disease. Nearly 17% tested positive for chlamydia, > 13% for gonorrhea and 10% for hepatitis B and C, according > to Sharon Mitchell, a former adult actress who founded AIM. > None of the tests came up positive for HIV, Mitchell said. > The testing was funded in part by the Los Angeles County > Health Department.By comparison, 23,277 cases of gonorrhea > were reported statewide in 2001, less than one-tenth of 1% > of the state's population, according to the Department of > Health Service's division of communicable disease control. > For chlamydia, 101,871 cases were reported for the year, or > about three-tenths of 1%--a rate health officials consider > epidemic. The chlamydia rates in the porn world are about 57 > times higher than those epidemic proportions. But that and > other statistics can also be explained by the small size of > the population and its abnormally high rate of sexual > activity.The industry agreed to start AIM under pressure > from Mitchell and others, after Ballowe and several other > actresses contracted HIV. "We don't test everyone in the > business," Mitchell said. "People come into this business, > and they leave this business. We can follow many of them, > but not all." For every positive test, the clinic contacted > the performers' partners and tested them as well. On > average, said Mitchell, one positive STD test for a porn > star led to the discovery of four other infections. Behind > the scenes NARRATED SLIDE SHOWThe figures obtained by AIM > are "clearly an indication of what's happening," says Dr. > Peter Kerndt, the county health department's STD control > director. "We support AIM's effort, but we can't help them > very much financially. Our budgets are tight, and there's no > public outcry over this."But even we wonder why we don't > have the same legal requirements in California that they > have with legalized prostitutes in Nevada."It's a point that > comes up repeatedly about health conditions in the porn > industry: Why not regulate as Nevada does?The answer is that > on the evolutionary chain of vice--from gambling to > sex--California now seems behind its neighbor state. It is > Nevada that imposes strict controls on and derives healthy > revenues from legalized gambling. It is Nevada that has > devised a way to keep the legal sex business healthy.The > worlds of legalized prostitution in Nevada and adult films > in California are strikingly similar. Nevada's legal > brothels employ from 250 to 400 licensed prostitutes at any > time and they typically stay in the business only a short > time, says George Flint, executive director of the Nevada > Brothel Owners Group. The women who work in the state's 26 > legal brothels are required by state law to practice safe > sex. Doctors and epidemiologists alike say the rules have > all but eradicated the transmission of STDs within the > workplace.In 1999, for example, there were 28 cases of > prostitutes who tested positive for either gonorrhea or > chlamydia, according to officials with the Nevada Department > of Human Resources Health Division. Government officials say > that most of those who were infected contracted their > diseases outside the brothels."What we've found is that the > positives are nearly all from women who are being tested > [for STDs] as they enter the system for the first time," > says Dr. Randy Todd, Nevada's state epidemiologist. "On the > rare case that they've contracted after being in the system, > we've found that they've had unprotected sex with a > boyfriend or husband, and that's where the [infection] > occurred." There have been no cases of HIV since Nevada's > brothels were ruled legal in the mid-1980s."If we had the > numbers you're seeing in California, our phones wouldn't > stop ringing," says Rick Sowadsky, health program specialist > for the Nevada State Health Division. He says the infection > rates in California's adult film business "are unreal. What > a public health crisis."In Nevada, the state health > department's Bureau of Disease Control and Intervention > Services began requiring customers in brothels to use > condoms. A violation is a misdemeanor. To have HIV and not > wear a condom is a felony. At Moonlite Bunny Ranch NARRATED > SLIDE SHOWThe brothels also have a huge financial incentive > to follow the law. "If the police catch one of the workers > not using a condom, the house gets hit with a fine," says > Dennis Hof, owner of several brothels, including the > Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Carson City, Nev. "The second time > it happens, the house gets shut down permanently. That will > not happen to us. That's why we hire people to go in and > test the girls [on using condoms] ourselves."Brothels keep > health and test records for each prostitute. Once a week, > the women are required to visit a doctor, or the doctors > arrive at the brothels themselves. Blood and urine are drawn > and sent off to one of a handful of state-regulated labs. > Local authorities can--and do--stop by for periodic checks > on the paperwork.A main objective of the monitoring is to > keep the operation thriving. "If we had the disease rate you > see in the porn world, we'd be out of business tomorrow," > says Flint. "All it would take is one customer saying he > picked up an STD in one of our houses, and our industry > would be gone."To offset the state's regulatory costs, > prostitutes pay a host of fees--ranging from the required > medical tests, as well as state registration and licensing > fees. Last year, those brought in about $175,000 in Nye > County, where a dozen brothels operate. That's a relatively > small amount in a county with a general budget of $50 > million. But the impact is clearly felt: The county's > emergency services received $60,000 from the licensing fees, > which was used to pay for new ambulances.Prostitutes > regularly face pressure to avoid using condoms, says Dr. > Alexa Albert, author of "Brothel: Mustang Ranch and Its > Women." Her research, detailed in the book and in reports > for the American Journal of Public Health, showed that more > than 65% of the women said at least one of their customers > had balked at wearing a condom each month, offering as much > as $1,000 to do without. None of the women Albert > interviewed said she had agreed to unprotected sex."Each > brothel has to have the disease status on file from their > workers," says Albert, a gaduate of Harvard Medical School. > "There's too much at risk legally."In California's Triple-X > world, there is no legal risk because no one is watching > over the business. "If California is the only state where > it's legal to be paid for having sex in front of a camera, > it's going to be up to the state of California and the local > agencies to do something about regulating it," says > Frederick S. Lane III, an attorney and author of "Obscene > Profits: The Entrepreneurs of Pornography in the Cyber > Age.""But it would be political suicide for anyone in > government to come forward and try to start regulating the > porn industry," Lane says. "That's why nothing's been done." > Though there are labor laws in place that could be enforced, > new legislation would be needed to bring California in line > with Nevada's regulations.Actresses Britni Taylor and > Savannah Rain lean against the back wall of a crowded North > Hollywood soundstage. They listen, occasionally yawning, as > cameraman Glenn Baren and his all-male crew from the > production shop Extreme Associates try to figure out how to > reconfigure the small set to accommodate various camera > angles. Baren paces across the concrete floor, listening to > suggestions from the crew. The actresses stare at the > ceiling. No one asks their opinion. Finally, it's decided: > The first scene will be shot from the foot of the bed.There > are no condoms on the set. There's no toilet paper in the > bathroom. The performers brought boxes of baby wipes. Soiled > sheets litter the ground, creating a trail to the bed. For > more than two hours, Taylor and Rain engage in unprotected > sexual acts with a male performer.During a break, Rain asks > director Thomas Zupko for her co-workers' HIV tests. Handed > a stack of papers, she flips through the documents. One is > missing--Taylor's. Rain asks repeatedly for her paperwork, > but she balks. "I don't have [expletive] AIDS," Taylor > finally says. "I am not [having sex with] you."Stunned, Rain > says nothing. Minutes pass, then Baren picks up the camera > and filming continues.Off to the side, an actress mutters: > "That is why we take so many prescriptions."What happens on > these sets is invisible to elected officials in Sacramento, > where each spring pornographers travel to meet with state > legislators in a daylong lobbying blitz. Under the banner of > the Free Speech Coalition, a 900-member San Fernando > Valley-based trade group for the adult entertainment > industry, moviemakers and former actresses knock on doors > and stump over taxation issues. They have lobbied against > regulation and pass out industry-funded research that touts > their economic impact on California: an estimated $31 > million in state sales tax from the rentals of 130 million > adult videos and nearly $1.8 billion in Internet sales and > Web site traffic nationwide.Among the lobbyists at last > year's meetings was porn actress Julie Meadows. She wandered > the hallways with a list of politicians she would visit. Her > task: talk about pending legislation, including debate over > tax breaks and real estate laws that could either hurt or > help adult filmmakers. Meadows begins knocking on doors, > including those of Democratic Sen. Kevin Murray of Culver > City, chairman of the Select Committee on the Entertainment > Industry, and Democratic Sen. Richard Alarcon of Van Nuys, > chairman of the Senate Labor Committee."They didn't ask a > lot of questions," Meadows, who works for VCA Pictures, said > afterward. "When they did, it was all about the business. > There were no questions about the day-to-day activities of > our job, or what happens on the set."Months later, when > asked about Meadows' visit to Murray's office, his > spokeswoman, Yolanda Sandoval, told The Times that the > senator "doesn't remember seeing them this year." Alarcon > declined to comment.Other lawmakers who chair health or > labor committees in Sacramento also declined to comment on > the lack of regulation of the Triple-X industry. Among those > called by The Times were Democratic Assemblyman Paul Koretz > of West Hollywood, who chairs the Labor and Employment > Committee; Democratic Assemblyman Dario Frommer of Los > Feliz, chair of the Health Committee, and Democratic Sen. > Deborah Ortiz of Sacramento, who heads the Health and Human > Services Committee.Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the > lobbying is how fast it has become unremarkable. Little more > than a decade ago, appearances by Meadows, or anyone in the > industry, would havebeen unthinkable because pornographers > were battling a Justice Department crusade against > transporting "obscene" materials across state lines.Then, in > California, the industry caught a break. Harold Freeman, who > was president of Hollywood Video Production Co., contested > pandering charges against him, basing his argument on a 1973 > ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. In Miller vs. Calfornia, > the high court had defined obscenity as material that > depicted sex in a "patently offensive way," lacking in > literary, artistic, scientific and political merit, and > appealing to an average person's "prurient interest," as > determined by the local standards of each community.In > effect, the court said that if a locality deemed sexual > content sufficiently artistic, it was not obscene.To the > California Supreme Court, ruling in Freeman's case, that > definition meant that an adult filmmaker could hire actors > and actresses to perform sexual acts as long as they were > being recorded on film. In its 1988 decision, the California > court said there is no evidence that Freeman paid the acting > fees "for the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification, > his own or the actors'." Instead, he hired them simply to > make a non-obscene movie--an act protected by the First > Amendment.Just like that, making porn was legal in > California. The industry exploded, thanks also to the VCR > revolution, which made it possible for people to watch in > private rather than at seedy adult theaters. What's more, > anyone could buy a video camera and go into the filmmaking > business. A cottage industry of "amateur" pornographers > cropped up in the San Fernando Valley. They competed against > several major adult studios: VCA Pictures Inc., Wicked > Pictures, and Sin City Films, all in Chatsworth, and Vivid > Video Inc. and Evil Angel Productions in Van Nuys.Over the > years, the companies grew larger--and politically smarter. > They help fund the Free Speech Coalition, a Chatsworth-based > national nonprofit organization that has dues-paying members > ranging from Web site operators to porn actresses to adult > cabaret chains. With an annual budget of $750,000, the > coalition's lobbying effort has focused on protecting free > speech and guarding the business interests of the Triple-X > world."Our focus is not just about the rights of the adult > industry, but the rights of you as an individual to have > choices," says William Lyon, executive director of the > coalition. The organization has opened offices in Virginia, > Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. By next > year, the group expects to expand into the South with five > more offices.Today's pornographers maintain that the adult > film industry is no different from other lucrative > businesses based on vice, such as tobacco and alcohol. Sex > is merely a commodity to be sold and branded, like Microsoft > software and Chrysler minivans. "We are a mainstream > business, pure and simple," says Steven Hirsch, chief > executive of Vivid Video Inc., a leading supplier of erotica > to major entertainment companies such as AOL Time Warner > Inc., AT&T Corp. and DirecTV, the satellite TV service > controlled by General Motors Corp. "We are nothing more than > widget makers."They are widget makers with one exception: > Other industries are monitored for health and safety > violations in the workplace.In the heterosexual adult film > business, producers may not demand the use of condoms, but > they do require actors and actresses to sign documents meant > to excuse the filmmakers of liability. A typical contract > from Vivid says the company is not responsible, and will pay > no medical costs, for "sexually transmitted diseases . . . . > such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), herpes, > hepatitis and other related diseases."Ballowe and Goldberg > signed similar waivers on the movie they shot together. "I > represent that I am in good health, with no known sexually > transmittable diseases. I understand that the benefits of > the workmen's compensation laws do not apply," the waiver > said.Ballowe's lawsuit alleges that Goldberg lied when > signing the document, and that the attempt to force her to > waive worker's compensation rights was not lawful.Legal > experts called by The Times agree. Employees cannot be > forced to sign away their legal rights to work in a safe > environment--or to earn a minimum wage, overtime pay and > enjoy the protection of workers' compensation insurance."You > cannot have a provision that goes against public policy," > says John Laviolette, an entertainment lawyer who represents > numerous mainstream Hollywood producers. "If you're an > employer and one of your employees experiences an injury > while on the job, those injuries will be covered."Producers, > however, do not concede that performers are employees. > Instead, producers claim performers are independent > contractors who are not subject to workers' compensation > laws.Elliott Berkowitz, a Los Angeles workers' compensation > attorney who is representing Ballowe, counters: "They're > employees. The companies tell them when to show up, what to > wear, where to go, what acts to do. If Hollywood studios > consider their actors and actresses an employee during the > length of their film shoots, there's no reason why adult > studios should be held to a different standard. They're both > making movies. And I guarantee you, studios like Disney have > paid their taxes and workers' compensation policies."The > issue has yet to be decided by the compensation appeals > board. But if it is, another obstacle awaits Ballowe. Hard > Core Television, the producer of the video, did not have > workers' compensation insurance for any employees. The > distributor, K-Beech, had taken out a workers' compensation > policy describing its employees as clerical workers. TIG > Insurance Co., the Texas-based underwriter, insists the > policy does not cover porn stars--and therefore won't cover > Ballowe's medical bills.Officials with Hard Core Television > and K-Beech could not be reached and attorneys for TIG > declined to comment.Whose job is it to track the san > Fernando Valley pornography industry?There are two leading > candidates. One is the L.A. County Health Department. It > relies heavily on state and federal money, but the federal > funds are to end in 2004-2005. "Of course there's concern," > says Kerndt, the county's STD control director. "We know > that if a disease enters this population, it could rapidly > spread." Health department officials say they don't have > enough staff or money to monitor the industry and point to a > budget deficit that, by 2005, is on track to hit between > $350 million and $400 million annually.The other candidate > for oversight is the California Division of Occupational > Safety and Health, whose monitoring effort includes > oversight of Hollywood stunt work but not the porn industry. > It is "too fragmented, too hard to track," says Dean Fryer, > a Cal-OSHA spokesman. "We rely heavily on employees to give > us tips about unsafe working conditions."Deborah Sanchez, > supervising attorney for the Los Angeles City Attorney's > special enforcement unit, is sympathetic to the plight of > porn performers but sees little support from the public. > "This reminds me of all the other types of businesses that > have traditionally been oppressors--the garment industry, > for example," Sanchez says. "The difference is, there are > unions for garment workers" these days.Mainstream Hollywood > actors have a union that oversees wages, health insurance, > retirement benefits and residual payments. Screen Actors > Guild officials say they would never allow their members to > work on an adult set.Some adult-film actors know that they > are entitled to employee protections such as workers' > compensation and overtime, but they see no way performers > could organize. "You would have to get every actor and > actress in adult to sign up at the same minute," says an > actress who goes by the stage name Wendy Divine and has > worked on Vivid and K-Beech productions for several years. > "Even if that happened, the studios could easily find > replacements. They control everything."Before Ballowe filed > her lawsuit, she and Jade reached out to law enforcement and > other government agencies, asking that they investigate > working conditions in the industry. The first stop, in 1998, > was Cal-OSHA. "They told us they didn't track our business," > Ballowe says, and sent her to the state health > department."The California Department of Health Services, > however, doesn't track their industry. "It's a local issue > controlled by the local county health department," Ballowe > says she was told.The Los Angeles County Department of > Health Services, when contacted by The Times, said the case > was a criminal matter, not a public health issue.So they > went to the Van Nuys office of the Los Angeles Police > Department, where they met with Det. David Escoto, then with > the department's Crimes Against Persons unit. "I told them > there was no way we could prove who did what," recalls > Escoto, now in the department's Foothill office. "I don't > knowhow the industry works. And I don't think there's a way > to prove they all got HIV from the same person.No one would > believe them anyway.""That's utter rubbish," counters Dr. > Michael Gottlieb, the former UCLA medical researcher who > identified the earliest AIDS cases. "There is a way to track > that information. It just takes money."Gottlieb pointed to > the case of Dr. David Acer, a Florida dentist who was found > to have infected six of his patients with HIV. Federal > epidemiologists used molecular sequencing studies of the > viral strains of the patients to see if there were any > similarities in the virus carried by the seven people.The > results showed that the patients' strain was similar to that > of the dentist--and vastly different from other HIV strains > collected elsewhere in the community.But there was an > important difference with the case of the dentist. "People > cared what happenedto those patients," Gottlieb says. "They > were seen as innocent. No one sees porn stars as > victims."Correction. Almost no one. Somewhere in Los Angeles > is one office worker who does care. In the words of an > adult-film actress: "I picked up chlamydia on an Extreme > set. I gave it to my boyfriend by accident. I had no idea > that I had it. I didn't have any symptoms."She learned that > she was infected nearly a year later, long after she and the > boyfriend had broken up. By then, he was in another > relationship and had unknowingly infected his new > girlfriend. "She had it, too," says the actress, who agreed > to speak only if not identified. "The girlfriend worked at > some insurance company. She's a secretary."_ _ _Times staff > writer P.J. Huffstutter last wrote for the magazine about > the rise of Vivid Video Inc., the nation's leading porn > producer. If you want other stories on this topic, search > the Archives at latimes.com/archives. For information about > reprinting this article, go to www.lats.com/rights. > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
