The adult film industry brought to its knees

HIV/AIDS. The number one killer worldwide. A lingering death sentence. A breakdown of the body’s immune system. An occupational hazard?

Up until about two weeks ago you’d probably never heard of Darren James and there’s a chance you still haven’t. Darren James was filming a movie in Brazil and unknowingly contracted HIV. This situation in itself is terrifying: one person getting HIV and possibly spreading it to loved ones, or friends, etc. But James, however, is an adult film star. His occupation is to have sex, typically unprotected, with many, many women. James has become a killer.

Twelve performers may have contracted HIV from James and that’s just first generation contact. Then you have to add in all the second generation contacts of people who the first generation had performed with after possible infection and so on and so forth. The worst part is that this is only accounting for their business partners — no number is known of possible amounts of people they infected outside of the industry.

The PCR-DNA tests, used to detect the HIV virus, have proven to be 99.9 percent accurate after a span of 60 days from possible infection. With so many performers on quarantine until that period, the adult film industry seems to be coming to a grinding halt. The question becomes: what to do with adult entertainment?

Lara Roxx, a.k.a. Laura Roxx, Lara Coxx, is an 18-year-old adult film star, who started in the business about three months ago. Roxx contracted HIV from Darren James. Roxx will most likely die, like almost everyone else who contracts HIV. She will probably spend the remaining years of her life ostracized and beyond the consolation of physical contact. Most of us can live with whatever mishaps we made when we were 18 years old. She never will.

It’s not that Roxx is completely blameless. She isn’t a victim. This is what she chose to do with her life, right? Maybe, but sometimes money can be an incredible motivator, especially at 18 years old.

In 2000 alone, the American adult film industry made $10 billion. For a girl Roxx’s age she makes $1,500 to $1,800 a scene. Since films that do not feature condoms sell more than ones that do, studios encourage their performers to not use condoms. Roxx, from Montreal, Canada, was inexperienced. She never saw the HIV test for James, a typical practice among partners. She only saw the one from her other co-star.

Tell me you wouldn’t be tempted if you were young and your opportunities were limited and someone was willing to pay you $1,500 to $1,800 for about 45 minutes to an hour and a half, and it would all be legal. There are definitely some of us at this university who would do it, and we’re supposed to know better.

Sex without a condom is like Russian roulette; especially when you consider the number of partners and frequency of sexual encounters that adult film stars have. Nobody plays Russian roulette, films it and slaps a $19.99 price tag on it to be purchased online. And in the possible case someone did, someone else wouldn’t stand for it.

That second somebody, in this instance, is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It is investigating the nonuse of condoms in the studios as a work safety issue. Nationally, the Department of Justice is looking into the adult film industry’s practices as a public threat to health, which coincides with President George W. Bush’s and John Ashcroft’s war on indecency and subsequently pornography. Condoms will most likely become mandatory in adult film.

Is it right to enforce safe sex on a fantasy performance? The question has been hotly contested in the past two weeks. On one hand you have the sexual health of an industry and the people affected by contact with those in it. On the other, is it the right of the government to control what people choose to do with their bodies?

I personally feel that they can do whatever they please with their bodies, but how many people will it affect who are not in the business? When you play football, you go in every play knowing when you put on the pads there is a risk you might get injured on every snap. It’s unfortunate that sex has the exact same mentality these days. The only difference is football players — at least professional ones — always, always wear pads.