Very funny. You know, or I presume you should, how uncomfortable condom use is for men. It doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel like real sex. So when guys see some chick getting laid by a guy in a condom, it typically reminds them of condom sex which is more of a turn off then you imagine. The idea behind porn is the male imagining they are that male in the picture, (not fantasizing about the male, which I garauntee most males don't) and they don't want to imagine having to don the old rubber. So I think the whole conversation is just ridiculous.

Montanamen wrote "Are the men only getting turned on by the male performers "member"?"

The turn-off is the piece of plastic where no plastic should be. It is distracting. Is watching a woman suck her fingers the same as watching a woman suck on her fingers through a rubber glove?

Benjamin Gates and Vincent Denali--

So you are advocating NOT using condoms with any form of intercourse?

Wow.

My comment was about viewer preference for porn. It's up to the porn talent and management to decide, though as a viewer, yeah, I'll avoid porn that includes condoms. If no more porn is made that way, just go back and watch the thousands and thousands of titles without them.

Vincent Denali--

Who cares if they use a condom. Granted yeah I would prefer it being the performers choice and not have it shoved onto them, but using a condom is not going to take away from watching the action. They are still @!$%#ing and whatever else. They just prefer to do it in a bit more of a safe manner. Sorry your aversion to condoms makes no sense at all.

If no one cared, the performers would probably be using them.

Vincent Denali--

But how much you want to bet in time if they were wearing condoms you would get over it and actually not care.

Who cares, as long as at the end she still gets a nice dose in the face!!! haha, sorry.

They have the evidence on video? ..............heading to my room to view the evidence............

If this passes, I foresee a large increase in the amount of lesbian porn. That's fine with me.

Kshark wrote "But how much you want to bet in time if they were wearing condoms you would get over it and actually not care."
Why wasn't this the case ten years ago? I remember seeing some condoms in porn back then. Today, zero.
You're right. Men may not actually care if there were no alternatives. But during the time when there were some condoms in porn, I remember not watching them very much and avoiding selecting them if the previews showed condoms in use.
In my own personal life, I've always avoided condoms when possible. Most women do not insist on them or even bring up the topic *ever*. Some women insist on condoms the first few times, then not again during the relationship because they don't like the way they feel or soak up moisture.

I would love to see the industry pack up and goto nevada where postitution IS LEGAL. Some law makers and activis groups just dont understand a cash machine when they have one.

I am in michigan where the automotive industryhas left. Maybe gov granholm would be interested in allowing the adult film industry a shot here in Michigan. We allready have had huge tax cuts for the film industry passed and alot of movies made here as well.

So I say think it over california...Becouse Broke michigan may welcome your cashcow here.

I would love to see the industry pack up and goto nevada where postitution IS LEGAL. Some law makers and activis groups just dont understand a cash machine when they have one.

I am in michigan where the automotive industryhas left. Maybe gov granholm would be interested in allowing the adult film industry a shot here in Michigan. We allready have had huge tax cuts for the film industry passed and alot of movies made here as well.

So I say think it over california...Becouse Broke michigan may welcome your cashcow here.

The pros should wear condoms. There are too many STDs to take that risk. Anyway, with all the amateur crap people post on the web, who even watches the industry stuff?

they still have weed, but they should tax it

If weed is legalized it will be treated as tobacco is today. And on the substance of the article, it is clear to me that performers know they are in a risky profession by definition and freely choose to take that "job". If they choose not to use condoms on the set, no amount of government meddling is going to protect them because they are more than likely to be promiscuos and be just as careless in their daily private lives.

Another pointless waste of government time and resources.

I wouldn't call it a non-issue. But, I would say: What business is it of the anti-porn crowd as to whether the porn stars where condoms or not? The judge rightly threw it out for the simple reason these people have no standing to sue. They don't watch it (supposedly), they don't participate in it, so it is none of their business.

If the participants want to ride bareback, it is their business.

You seem to not know the truth then..

I know many women who buy a a lot more porn then any normal man ever will. They LOVE their porn.

sounds like you have SDS Greg (small dick syndrome)

Mike, you are an ignorant! A few weeks back, I watched a documentary on TV by Laura Lin about this industry. It appears that there is an overwhelming number of women who watch and buy porn, more than men! And they love their porn!

You need to realize that most women are not anymore those stiff cold conservatives "objects" that you are used! For them, having sex is not meant to have babies, but mainly for pleasure! They expect their men to sexually please them and be creative in bed. Modern men, such as me, are demanding too. We do not want our girlfriends/wives to be cold, boring and conservative pieces of wood in bed. Good porn has proven to help a lot of couples considerably improve their sex live and consequently improve their relationship! You need to try it!

What percentage of men view porn(not just buy)? What percentage of women view porn? The answer is, it doesn't matter. What matters is influencing the audience to **gasp** use a freaking condom. Yea, a condom, you know that thing used to help prevent unwanted pregnancy and the spread of STDs.

Kozakura, do you believe that adult movies will teach to adults how to practice safe sex? If you do, then you are delusional and you've posted your comment on the wrong forum! We are NOT talking about kids here, because XXX movies ARE NOT meant to be viewed by them!!!!!

Everyone is influenced by what they see, not just kids.

You go use your condom, Kozakura. Sounds like you need to go practice safe abstinence instead. If you think the porn industry should be "responsible", then why don't they start coming into schools and teach some sex ed? Bet you wouldn't like that, huh? No one wants to see condom sex. These are consenting actors and actresses who are free to portray sex without condoms if they damn well want to, because they know they wouldn't get money if the rubber came out. It's unappealing!

...but doesn't Mr. Weistein just LOVE to go to work every morning...

"Everyone is influenced by what they see, not just kids." Come on, kozakura! Don't tell us that you started using condoms only when you saw them being used in porn movies! If so, you are an idiot and mentally underdeveloped!

Seriously folks, lighten up on this guy. He made a point and there is nothing wrong in what he says. Whether you like it or not, people do follow examples. Who cares if a performer wears a condom or not ? Does that make it that unappealing if they do ? Back in the late 80s - early 90s when I first started watching, most performers wore condoms to promote safe sex with all the scare of AIDS at the time. It never bothered me to see it. Better safe than dead.

Bulboja,

How come, I'm not finding any of those porn loving women ????!!!

is there any dating services out there like ,,Porngals .com ,,,,or "E pornomy "( where one can be matched in 29 dimensions ??!!!!

caribbeanslim:

"How come, I'm not finding any of those porn loving women ????!!!"

I can introduce you to some. Some of my friends love it, and they aren't shy about talking about it. Some of my friends are more discreet, but I know they watch it too. Heck, I've seen a few... it's not really my thing, but I've seen my share of them.

Funny you all should say that. I am always hearing stories about how women lose their husbands to porn. The husbands look at porn more than they look at their wives; and the wives are jealous. Women feel they can't compete with these super-sex people on these porn movies.

I disagree im a woman and I enjoy porn, don't feel as though I need to compete, I look at it as a great supplement to a healthy sex life.

As for the condom use, i was completely in favor for a law requiring its use, but after reading a few of the comments here, I kinda see where the consumers are coming from. Porn is supposed to be fantasy and I sure as hell am not gonna use condoms in my fantasies.

Gregorovich reminds me of boot camp when the drill sergeant said (screamed), "95% of men masturbate and the other 5% are liars!"

High students are not adults! We are talking here about "adult movies" made not for teens, but for adults. I don't buy an adult movie because want to see condoms all over the place! I already have condoms at home! It's a fact that the adult movies industry got a negative feedback from their customers, regarding the use of condoms! And it's a fact that a large number of those customers will not buy any movie if they know that condoms are used inside! The trick that some producers use is to put on the cover of the DVD photos of scenes showing actors without condoms, when in fact there is not a single scene in the movie where condoms are not used. That's where the online reviews are very useful!

Great post, Abbott. I was going to mention the same thing before I read your post. Glad I didn't parrot you. Funny, that gays like myself find condom use acceptable and the others don't. Those films sell a lot too.

abbott10--

BRAVO thank you for that comment and thank you to DukieHowitzer for backing it up.

I am absolutely appalled by the guys here having such a revulsion and aversion towards condoms. I would almost want to see ave them join the porn industry and screw without condoms and well if they get some STD who cares.

Well according to the porn industry in Brazil:

Brazilian Adult Film Actors Criticize Lack of Condom Use in U.S. Porn Industry

Oh well, but anyway, frankly I would say leave it up to the performers involved to decide to condom up or not. Tis their own health they are playing with.

You just cut the part where he pulls off the condom. I don't see what the big deal is either.

Instantly reducing the quality of the product.

There were some videos made with odd-colored condoms, probably to make their use obvious.

Sure! You never know where that porn has been!

:)

I agree with you, I don't want to see condoms in adult movies, PERIOD!!! I don't learn how to practice safe sex from these movies, otherwise I wouldn't buy them! As you said, there are far fewer cases of STDs in that industry compared to what is found in average in a high school!

There is likely an agenda here, promoted by some special interests!

I don't want to see condoms in adult movies, PERIOD!!!

Well if the performers decide they want to use a condom, it is NOT your decision.

Liberal political groups are also very interested in legislating morality.

The Happster must have a teeny weeny!

I do wonder, wouldn't watching the same thing get boring after awhile?

@Azrancher & Empress-409341: You must have never had great sex. I'm not saying porn is great sex, as it very clearly is often contrived and boring. But when you find great scenes, you get the same primal rush that you get from deeply pleasurable sex. So no, sex doesn't get boring. Unless of course, you are with a boring partner. Even then, it still feels amazing. Closest thing to transcendence a dirty humanist like me can hope for.

Sex is natural and part of what makes it great to be human. The boredom that sets in with Hollywood movies is clearly much different.

Condoms should ALWAYS be used in your personal life. In real life, your partners are not likely to be tested nearly as well and as often as performers in the adult industry. The AIM system, while not perfect, has always done its job and has a proven track record of dealing with situations such as these. Look up the statistics and do the math, and you will see that the HIV infection rate is much higher out there in the real world.

zack,

What you're saying would be true if people entering the industry weren't lied to about the risks from their own agents and producers. They're sold on a lie from the first day forward.

You're an idiot, you think their agents and producers tell them that unprotected sex is completely safe and they can't get infected?

Standard procedure is an HIV test every 6 months or so - because of this, when many of these performers speak to those that employ them, they're assured that "everything is fine, it's safe" when - of course - an HIV test every 6 months isn't very safe. These agents act as legalized pimps and manipulate their performers as such.

These are young, impressionable and often uninformed women. The porn industry makes frequent use of runaways and prostitutes-turned-performers.

They're also often lied to about what they'll be performing in when they go to a set. They'll be told they're going to be performing with a handful of performers, only to get to a set and find that they put out an ad in US Weekly for "men who want to be in porn" to do an amateur scene, a bukkake scene, etc.

But once they get there, they're pressured into it. If they call their agent, they're told that if they don't do this, they'll never find work again. They're bribed.

When you watch a porn film, say you're seeing maybe a 30-45 minute scene. That scene likely took hours and hours to film - it's usual for performers to be given drugs and alcohol by people on set to help them endure the thing.

John- ..., You are claiming a lot of stuff here that you cannot backup! Do you work in that industry? Have you done an objective research on this industry? I am not defending it, nor do I want to put it down. But it has the right to do business and should, like for any other industry, satisfy its customer's expectations!

You are talking about runaway women, prostitutes-turned-performers! Those are adults. A runaway independent adult?! I've never heard about that (the runaway bride was not independent)! Now, how about the actors? Are also runaways and prostitutes? It is clear that these persons choose to make a living in this industry!

Bulboja,

I recommend you check out many of the resources from thepinkcross.org - if you click on "Video", you can see many of the resources, statements from ex-porn performers on the whole thing, etc.

thepinkcross is your only sources? That's weak! I thought that you were rational! Those idiots have a religious agenda clearly against porn! Them being your only reference makes your comment irrelevant!

Bulboja--

WOW you actually believe all of those in the porn industry are WILLING participants?

OH boy *rubbing my temples*

Almost all are. To these women, working a day in front of cameras sure beats working an entire week for the same amount of money at a fast food joint.

Vincent Denali--

I don't begrudge women who willing get involved in this. Tis their choice no skin off my nose. I sure as hell do begrudge people FORCED into it.

And yes I am female. I, generally speaking, don't have any opposition against the porn industry. I would like all the performers to be safe and healthy that would be my only comment regarding the industry.

I almost took up a job in a brothel working as a shift manager, prostitution doesn't bother me.

If I had the nerve and the will and the complete detachment of myself I probably would get into this industry in some format to make a quick buck.

But I will tell you this much of the porn you will see online quite a fair amount of it is forced. Those women have been forced into it.

One could also say that porn is and always has been a celebration of fantasy, the body and the sensual, and that it was Christianity that split the human psyche and pitted "spirit" against "flesh". It made sex into something with dirty implications - even between a married man and woman. Millions of people have hang ups about having sex with their own spouses because of this, and you cite porn as being "sick"? Consenting adults who make these films and adults who buy them have every right to do so, even though they risk offending you. Now - what's your opinion on the sick, sleazy, exploitative tobacco and alcoholic beverage industries?

Hans,

I can't speak for "still kicking"...

But do you really have your head that deep in the sand? When the porn industry spits out a porn video every 39 minutes (source:http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html), do you REALLY think that's about "celebrating fantasy"?

Or is it about appealing to lust? If it's this big celebration, you'd think it would be watched by the whole family... rather than just some guy in his basement masturbating.

I don't like the basement, it is too cold! I use the living room or computer room.

still kicking--

How is it really exploitation if those performing it are WILLING participants? They know what they are doing. Granted those who are NOT willing participants that is a whole different ballgame.

Porn is just sex. It is, the consenting kind, two people or more having fun knowing what they are doing and obviously they are not opposed to it.

I DO have serious problems of those forced into it.

People have their different kinds of sex kink nothing wrong with that. I find porn too funny to watch so it does nothing for me, and I am female, but guys watching porn well on a regulated basis hey what is the problem. Sometimes it is used for foreplay to get the mood rolling.

You have the phrase if you don't like it, don't watch it, but other people do enjoy it.

John- Your stats, did you pull them out of the hole in your behind? Seriously, when you drop stuff like this, you MUST mention the references! Where are they?

Bulboja,

All I did in that last post was copy-and-paste off of thepinkcross.org

But somehow I doubt that'll be enough for you - it's far easier to attack the source than actually attack the information

So here's another source:

http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html

And another:

http://www.safefamilies.org/sfStats.php

And another:

http://www.healthymind.com/s-porn-stats.html

And another:

http://wsr.byu.edu/content/national-pornography-statistics

And another:

http://enough.org/inside.php?tag=statistics

And another:

http://www.starreviews.com/blog/stararthur/2009_05/unwanted-internet-porn-statistics.aspx

And another:

http://www.lightedcandle.org/pornstats/stats.asp

And another:

http://zamaanonline.com/internet-pornography-statistics-2258

I'm just going down the list from a google search. You'll find most of the stats I cited also cited elsewhere along these sites. Including many others.

So, your and you got your STDs from watching porn?

That's all you have left? After I cite a large group of sources verifying my claims...

You resort to ad hominem insults? How pathetic.

John - Seriously, you are an idiot and probably uneducated! You post links that show stats and articles on pornography that have NOTHING to do with the main subject of the article we are commenting on!

My take on what I found through your links is that the authors want to moralize our society by making pornography the evil devil! If you don't want your minor children watch porn over the internet, you must be a better parent and learn how to block to website. And again, it is IRRELEVANT to the subject of this forum!

"My take on what I found through your links is that the authors want to MORALIZE our society by making pornography the evil devil!"

I highlighted the term "moralize", because I think it's pretty funny that you have a problem with that. It implies that your intention is to IMMORALIZE society. Is not any law an institution of morality?

The law that this condom debate is in reference to is an enforcement of already-standing Cal/OSHA laws (laws regulating workplace safety) that were not being upheld in the porn industry. For example, were you aware that - in the state of CA - it is illegal to forcibly place bodily fluids on another person's body?

Furthermore, your claim that I must be uneducated because you disagree with me... ugh. You're really reaching now, aren't you?

When all you have is insults, it shows that... well, all you have is insults. (I received a Bachelor's Degree from Colorado State University in 2003).

John - You are still missing the point, unless you have an agenda here! It seems to me that you need more than a Bachelors degree (in whatever) to understand that you can't bring arguments/references that are irrelevant to the subject of a discussion! That would receive a grade "F"!

Thanks for the stats, John-1740248. While they are appreciated, you need to add some more context, such as the total number of porn performers.

"66% of porn performers have Herpes, a non-curable disease."

It's estimated that 60% of the population has herpes simplex type I.

"Chlamydia and Gonorrhea among performers is 10x greater than that of LA County 20-24 year olds."

Both are conditions that can be treated.

"70% of sexually transmitted infections in the porn industry occur in females."

Most of the porn industry is women.

"75%-90% of porn performers are prostituted women."

Prostitutes and dancers find they are able to command higher pay rates after employment in the porn industry.

"20 suicides and 28 drug related deaths among performers that we know of since 2000."

How different is this from the rates in the general population and in the stage/film performance industry? How many of the suicides were men?

"Over 100 straight and gay performers died from AIDS."

How many gay performers died of AIDS?

"The largest group viewing online pornography is ages 12 to 17."

They are dwarfed by the adult community purchasing pornography.

"More than 11 million teens regularly view porn online."

Is that a problem?

"Worldwide pornography revenue in 2006 was $97.06 billion. Of that, approximately $13 billion was in the United States."

Where do these figures come from? Porn companies are private and do not publish their annual revenues.

"There are 4.2 million pornographic websites, 420 million pornographic web pages, and 68 million daily search engine requests."

Obviously, there is a demand for porn.

"27 porn performers have committed suicide since 1990."

How many porn performers? Is this rate higher than that for the general population?

"Out of about 100 HIV positive porn performers, about 25 are living."

HIV management is improving. Is the porn industry death rate improving? If gay porn were outlawed, how would this impact the spread of HIV?

"47 porn performers have died from drug overdose since 1990."

How does this compare to the music, film and TV industries?

"13 porn stars died from HIV, suicide, homicide and drug related deaths in 2007."

How many porn performers are there? Were all of the above men?

"65 percent of high school students admit to unsafe, inappropriate, or illegal activities online."

What does that mean?

"70% of sexually transmitted infections in the porn industry occur in females."

Women dominate the top income slots for porn. Should we feel more sorry for women than for men?

Vincent:

Thank you for bringing up points about these stats. Some of them seem really out of context for this debate.

"More than 11 million teens regularly view porn online."

Doesn't that say more about parents than porn? Shouldn't parents be monitoring their teenagers' activities online? And does that number include 18 and 19 year olds, who are legally allowed to view it?

"13 porn stars died from HIV, suicide, homicide and drug related deaths in 2007."

And if I add up the statistics for drug related deaths, suicides and HIV/AIDS related deaths in the US in 2009, it equals just shy of 70,000... that doesn't count homicide. So how does this statistic really mean anything? Percentage-wise, this doesn't seem much different than the rest of the United States.

"27 porn performers have committed suicide since 1990."

And over 31,000 people committed suicide from 1990 to 1994 alone. This statistic doesn't really make a statement about the porn industry versus the rest of the US.

"65 percent of high school students admit to unsafe, inappropriate, or illegal activities online."

And again, doesn't that say more about parents than anything about the porn industry? I don't even see how this relates to this industry at all.

I can see where you're going John, but your copying and pasting of statistics are more about scare tactics than about putting that infomation in context, which is exactly the point of those websites. They want to scare you into thinking porn is immoral and should be illegal.

Don't you have anything better to do than to stalk around newsvine mocking people?

I do have better things to to John, but I can't resist. If you don't like porn, don't look at it, don't buy it. And don't toss out statistics without revealing the sources.

Those stats are from thepinkcross.org

And I'm sorry, it's not just a "don't like it, don't watch it" thing - too many people are being hurt. People are being abused, hurt and drugged. If you want to stand idly by, that's your choice.

John, many of the things that you cite are indeed problems, but problems that can be addressed without shutting down the porn industry altogether. I could cite statistics that show that police officers have a problem with alcohol abuse, that doctors and health care professionals have a higher than normal suicide rate, or that certain groups in certain places have higher than normal drug-related problems.

I don't know which suggests worse social implications - adults having access to pornography, or living in a society where PBS now feels obligated to put blurred patches over naked statues in its series and documentaries, or where a grade school teacher can get fired because she took her students through (not to) a gallery of Greek and Roman statuary on a museum field trip.

Ahh, the source. Now we know that those "stats" are definitely propaganda. Thank you for verifying this.

John is an idiot, I finally said it!

Zeph,

Why don't you try combating the actual statistics, rather than attacking the group because they're anti-pornography?

Here are statistics from another source: (many of the same statistics, the ones that you're denying because you're defending your habit, are listed)

http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html

John, we've read your "stats". More information is needed to assess the risk. It's like writing "65 people in Nevada died from driving accidents."

Would you want to find hair in your yoghurt? I seriously doubt!

I don't eat yogurt - it's gross. Furthermore your analogy doesn't work. A person loosing a piece of hair into my yogurt, while gross for me, doesn't harm them in any way. A porn actress/actor using a condom in a porn you are watching might be gross to you - but, for them, not using it significantly increases their risk of getting a serious STD.

I don't think porn is a bad thing - but I do think it's very selfish to put your entertainment above the safety and health of another individual.

Hair in yogurt being compares to porn...

That's about the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

(By the way, you just admitted that you're against this because you like to watch porn without condoms).

Summer-1597193 wrote "You're putting your viewing entertainment and pleasure over the safety and health of those entertaining you."

Every job has a price. Porn talent can simply refuse to work that way and find another job. Construction jobs are dangerous, and probably much more dangerous per dollar than working in the porn industry. That is the primary reason that women are not in the construction industry. Does ordering the remodeling of your house put your home pleasure over the safety and health of the workers?

Summer -

I am guessing that you are sexually active, that you current have only one boyfriend and that the first time you had sex with him, he used a rubber (I mean a condom)! Both of you, probably, later took an HIV test, as well as other STDs. If you both tested negative, you can have condom-free sex, provided that (i) you are exclusive to one another and (ii) you use a birth control method other than a condom. What I mean here is that these professional actors MUST get tested regularly to avoid contracting STDs and transmitting them. Off their work, they must have exclusive partners who are also negative to STDs!

Every customer has expectations/requirements from a product that he/she purchases from a given manufacturer. If the products does not meet his/her expectations, he/she will not buy it! I hope that now, you understand my comparison to the yoghurt. I bet you (even if you dislike yoghurt) found a hair in one of your favorite brand of yoghurt, you will ever buy it anymore. My girlfriend and I DO NOT want to see condoms in the adult movies we purchase, PERIOD!

On a side note, you should try "Activia" by Danone; that's a very good yoghurt!

Vincent Denali

Of course every job has it's risks. I'm in no way saying people can't enjoy porn - there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, for a viewer to say "I don't want to see a condom" is selfish on the part of that viewer. They are willing to put their entertainment over the health and safety of the entertainers. There is a huge difference between a construction accident - as awful as they can be - and contracting an STD. Unsafe sex practices can jeopardize the health and safety not only of one adult entertainer - but, potentially, multiple people via infection - even with testing in place (which is a huge benefit and should be done).

Bulboja

True, they are tested regularly - however, as someone in the medical field (I am currently a medical student and work with physicians in HIV/STD clinics) - I can say that every single one of these tests have a false negative (and false positive) rate. Many, not all, of these STD's have latency periods - times they won't show positive even though they are due to levels, etc.;

Of course every customer has expectations for a product - however, when your expectations put another person at risk, those expectations are selfish. I understood your yogurt comparison - it's still a ridiculous comparison. I still think you and your girlfriend are selfish for putting your entertainment wishes over the health and safety of those entertaining you.

Summer, Summer, Summer!

My "selfishness" will put these actors at risk only if they are promiscuous beyond the circle of their clean, seronegative working partners! I mentioned in my comment above that "Off their work, they must have exclusive partners who are also negative to STDs!". We are not asking them to jump from the 10th floor of a building! Some of those actors are married (monogamous), and acting in XXX movies is simply a job. So, if their exclusive partners are disease free, why in the world would they want to use condoms in their job?

My girlfriend and I are exclusive to one another, is that difficult? Is that selfish? Moreover, we DO NOT use condoms during sex; she hates them! You are ridiculous to try to promote teaching safe sex to adults through "adult/erotic movies"; condoms would kill the erotism in those movies! If you don't understand that, then I can't do more for you! Go to high schools and teach the practice of safe sex to those kids, they need it!

Bulboja, Bulboja, Bulboja

None of your justifications changes my mind that you and your girlfriend (and others with your position) are being selfish for putting their desire for entertainment over the safety and health of those entertaining you. If you can't understand how selfish you are, then I can't do more for you.

I never said to teach adults about safer sex through adult/erotic movies - not sure where you got that.

Summer-1597193 wrote "There is a huge difference between a construction accident - as awful as they can be - and contracting an STD."

While there is a difference, construction accidents that results in maiming or death are more serious. STDs are a communicable disease with a stigma associated with genitalia. There are very few STDs that are fatal and almost all are very manageable. No one complains about herpes on the lips, but currently, they are a completely different story on the genitals.

You obviously have some strong opinions about condom usage among porn stars, but they are adults that can measure their risks as well. After working in the porn industry, I'd say that the talent has a social problem much bigger than any diseases they've contracted.

Vincent Denali - you missed the point I was making about comparing construction accidents and STDs. Of course construction accidents are devastating - I never said otherwise. The thing is that STD's can affect more than the initial person - they get passed onto more people, thus, more people are affected. Yes, STD's have stigma attached to them - but to think that they are not a risk is naive about what can and does happen with STD's.

btw, herpes on the lips isn't always the STD herpes (though it can be) - it is HSV-1. HSV-2 is associated w/ genital herpes. Also, HSV-1, while not genital herpes can be found in the genital region. While they are very similar, they are different (very slightly). HSV-1 typically has less severe ulcers and symptoms than HSV-2 does (that's really the main difference). So, if you see someone with a herpatic ulcer on their lip - don't jump to the conclusion that it's the same herpes as those that are assoc. w/ genital herpes. HSV-2, if found on the lips, is more likely to also spread to nasal areas, cheeks, etc. HSV-1 is usually a single lesion confined to the oral mucosa and lips.

Of course I have strong opinions about condom usage - amongst ANYONE, not just porn stars. I find it selfish to not use condoms - period. It is selfish to expect others to put themselves in the line of fire simply for your entertainment. It is selfish to not use a condom; it is selfish to not demand condoms be used. Yes, in monogamous, long term relationships where both partners are monogamous - not using condoms can be ok. However, porn actors - by the nature of their jobs - are not monogamous, even if in committed relationships. Thus, to not use a condom in that situation is selfish. For viewers of porn (and I've seen plenty of it - I have no problem with porn as long as people aren't being coerced, etc.) to expect performers to go without safer sex is selfish on the parts of the viewers.

Summer,

I am not trying to change your mind about the usage of condoms in XXX movies. You are absolutely entitled to your opinion! However, it is clear that imposing the usage of condoms will cripple that industry!

Further, I agree with Vincent that the social problems and stigma porn actors are subject to during and after their careers are way bigger than the STDs you so much would like to protect them from! They are more lethal (indirectly) to them than the STDs! For example, the probably of an open long term union between a porn star and a "main stream" person is extremely low! Do you, young mother Teresa, have a plan to help reinsert these people in the "main stream" of the society? How would you wipe off the stigma?

LOL - it's funny that you would call me "Young Mother Teresa" since I am far from that. Like I said, I'm not opposed to porn. As far as it crippling the industry - it would only cripple the industry if people are selfish.

As far as the stigma they may face after working in the porn industry and "reinserting" them into main stream society - it's unfortunate and should also not happen. No, I don't have a plan to fix that - that is not something I know enough about how to do to actually come up with a plan. However, I know that within my knowledge base and capabilities, I can address issues like safer sex to protect health (both in the short and long terms). Someone who has the appropriate knowledge base would be better capable of answering your question regarding "reinserting" them into "main stream" society. I don't expect myself or anyone else to have all the answers to every issue. I also don't discount people that don't have all the answers. We all work best within our range of knowledge and capabilities.

Summer-1597193 wrote "As far as the stigma they may face after working in the porn industry and "reinserting" them into main stream society - it's unfortunate and should also not happen."

The porn stars are specifically exploiting the taboo of public sex for pay. That is exactly how they earn high pay rates for very short hours. No one would do it for $10/hour.

Vincent Denali - Yes, I know this. While that explains why they opt to work in the porn industry in the first place (or at least one of the reasons), it really has nothing to do with the way people treat them once they get out of the porn industry (if that's what they choose to do). How other people react to porn stars is dependent upon that person's views - and, yes, for many, they stigmatize porn stars. I see no reason to stigmatize those that are in the porn industry, because I don't see it as a bad thing. That is why I said the stigmata they face is unfortunate and should not happen. I guess I didn't really phrase that sentence too well though - re-reading it, it's not very clear on my part. Sorry about that.

Summer-1597193 wrote "I see no reason to stigmatize those that are in the porn industry, because I don't see it as a bad thing."

Would I be way out to guess that there is zero chance that either of us would have sex with a porn star once let alone bring them home to meet the parents? That's stigmatization.

Vincent Denali - If they were a decent person, I'd be ok with their past. Personally, I wouldn't date a working porn star - mainly because I'm not into sharing with others. My parents are pretty good about not holding people's pasts against them.

We are on opposite sides of parental certainty. Dating a female porn star for men is different from dating a male porn star for women. There will always be a double standard in this issue because a mother knows with 100% certainty that her child has her 50% genetic contribution. Fathers take the word of the mother.

Vincent Denali - Yeah, I can see that. Though, I'm not really sure what it has to do with the discussion at hand - admittedly, I'm not at peak performance right now. So, I could be missing something completely obvious (sorry, if that's the case). I slept approximately 2.5 hours of very broken sleep last night and had a clinical neuroscience exam this morning followed by 4 hours of neuro lectures.

no prophylactics, "as far as the stigma they may face" the only thing that they should face is the jeez shot in their face, preferably their eyes. Oh, I hate when that happens.

You can't stop there. There needs to be dental dams and other protective gear, lest they get other nasty bugs, even ones that are not necessarily spread by genital to genital contact. Sports athletes get MRSA infections quite often, and MRSA represents a much more acute threat to your well-being than a HIV infection! MRSA is also much easier to transmit to someone than HIV.

Obviously, all performers in any scene should don full body armor or hazmat suits. That's reasonable, right? In fact, they should use genital prosthesis devices to simulate the sex taking place.

Or, perhaps more reasonably, we can let adults be adults and make adult decisions. If the performers want to wear condoms, they should have every right to. But if you look at the opinions of many performers, they choose not to use condoms because its more comfortable and easier for the job realities of shooting hours of footage of sexual contact.

Thank you Frank, my thoughts exactly. Freedom of choice people, freedom of choice.

Frank, you make an excellent point. It's highly possible that the one person who tested positive was infected OUTSIDE of work. Thanks for bringing that up!

Whether they are infected in work or out of work is really irrelevant - unprotected sex increases the risk of transmission. Some actor that is infected outside of work, comes to work - he and his female co-star decide NOT to use a condom - now she's infected. Had they used a condom for their scene the infection would've been more likely to be confined with him. Now, she can go onto spread the same infection to others. Yes, I realize they have mandatory testing that has to be done at a certain interval (which is great) - however, the few weeks that go by between the mandatory testing without condoms are essentially spreading the disease.

Everyone had freedom of choice - true. However, your freedom of choice does not permit you to infect others, even unknowingly. True, many, if not all jobs, have a certain risk associated with them - however, there are very few where people not employed in that job can also experience the same risk. What I mean by that is say those two actors I mentioned in the above paragraph are married or involved with people outside of work - they are putting those people at risk also by not using condoms. A fireman might suffer smoke inhalation, or get burned (both of which are awful) - but, he's not going to take home that smoke inhalation or burn and silently pass it onto his wife who wasn't involved in the fire he fought.

Don't get me wrong - I don't have a problem with porn. I think it can be a very good thing for many people. There is nothing wrong with porn. I just think it requiring condom use in the porn industry is a good thing. Yeah, viewers might have to get use to it. But, so what? I'd rather have to get use to seeing a condom in porn than have those individuals (and the people they are with outside of work) be at a higher risk for STIs.

While your arguments are generally sensible, do not forget that male opinion on porn content is paramount because men are the overwhelming majority of customers.

Vincent Denali - Honestly, I don't care who the customers are. Yes, I understand customers have expectations about the product they are purchasing. I still think it is unreasonable and selfish to put desire to be entertained over the safety and health of those providing the entertainment. In all honesty, they could easily use a condom - and then in production, edit it out. There are amazing things that can be done with effects and such today. Doing that would at least allow for health/safety and allow the customers that strongly oppose condom use have the illusion of having their way.

The performer in question was bisexual and most likely contracted the disease from having extracurricular sexual activity with another gay male. Like it or not, anal sex is much more likely to transmit infection than vaginal sex.