Porn performers, workers, and other advocates had arguing that the proposal would “drive the industry underground,” and put actor safety at a greater risk.
A California safety board rejected a proposed regulation Thursday that would have required porn actors to wear condoms and protective goggles during film shoots.
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More than 100 porn actors spoke out against the proposed rule at the hearing, held by the California Division of the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Cal/OSHA) in Oakland. Ultimately, the board voted against the the regulation that would have required all adult film performers to use barriers to protect their mouth, eyes, and other orifices from potential infection.
Had it been passed, workplaces could be fined up to $25,000 for violating the proposed requirements.
Groups of porn performers and advocates against the regulation — including the vocal advocacy group Free Speech Coalition — have been fighting it since its proposal in 2012.
After the board's vote, Free Speech Coalition executive director Eric Paul Leue said in a statement the proposal was based on "stigma rather than science."
"Now we face a larger battle, against a statewide ballot initiative which would seek to replicate and amplify the worst parts of the regulations," he said. "In fact, the ballot initiative, allows private citizens to sue adult performers who do not use condoms, and would drive a legal industry underground where performers would be less safe. This idea — that private citizens can sue adult performers because of actions they disapprove of is outrageous, and would not be permitted in any other sector of our society. We will fight this, and this too, we will win."
The draft of the bill rules before Cal/OSHA's Board an attempt to reduce exposure to pathogens during sex by mandating that employers "ensure that the employee uses appropriate personal protective equipment" to provide a barrier for "the eyes, skin, mouth, and mucous membranes" when a performer could be exposed to potentially infectious materials.
"These fluids include, but are not limited to, pre-ejaculate, ejaculate, semen, vaginal secretions, fecal matter and rectal secretions," including during oral sex, the draft regulations say.
Currently, many production companies in California's massive porn industry voluntarily have performers tested for infections before working on set under a protocol called PASS.
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1PVaxUB
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