Some Adult Film Companies Stop Production After Two Performers Test HIV-Positive

After two actors tested positive for HIV, several adult film companies on Thursday announced that they would stop production for at least 60 days to try to prevent an "outbreak" in the industry, which employs more than 6,000 performers and production personnel in Southern California, the Los Angeles Times reports (Liu et al., Los Angeles Times, 4/16). Actor Darren James, who had tested negative during routine HIV-testing every three weeks since 1998, this week tested positive (Hoffmann, New York Post, 4/16). Actress Lara Roxx, who had worked with James on at least one movie and previously had tested HIV-negative, also tested positive this week (Los Angeles Times, 4/16). According to the Los Angeles Daily News, at least 12 women may have had onscreen sex with James since early March when it is thought James was exposed to HIV. Sharon Mitchell, co-founder of the Sherman Oaks-based Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation and a former adult performer, said that the group had identified 45 adult performers who subsequently had performed with James or Roxx (Wilcox, Los Angeles Daily News, 4/15). Until this week, no adult performer had tested HIV-positive in the last four years, according to the Post (New York Post, 4/16). The industry recommends that all actors and actresses be tested for HIV every 30 days (Los Angeles Times, 4/16). "We're in really good shape as far as containment. This is early detection," Mitchell said (Los Angeles Daily News, 4/15). Los Angeles County Public Health Department Director Jonathan Fielding said, "This is another illustration that unless all the sex you're showing is safe, that actors will continue to be put at risk. Even good industrywide efforts would be hard to be 100% successful because people are having sex outside the industry" (Los Angeles Times, 4/16).