The Los Angeles City Council’s decision to require condoms in all adult films was a massive blow (no pun intended) to the multi-billion-dollar porn industry. The decision, which was championed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, means that police can randomly check porn sets to make sure they are using condoms. But it means more than that for filmmakers. The new legislation, which will go into effect in 90 days, also means that anyone looking to get a porn film permit will have to pay extra fees to cover the additional cost to the city for random inspections. “It’s a great day for the performers and safer sex in our society,” Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, told the Los Angeles Times. “This is the first legislative body to take up the issue, and the near-unanimous support is very gratifying.” The vote, which took place on January 17, ended in a 9-1 result in favor of the mandate. But the porn industry is fighting back, threatening to take their business elsewhere. Steven Hirsch, co-founder of Vivid, one of the biggest adult film production companies, told the Associated Press, “Ultimately I think what they will find is people will just stop shooting in the city of Los Angeles.” But, according to the L.A. Times, that wouldn’t be an easy feat given the only two states where shooting porn is legal are California and New Hampshire. Many people within the porn industry argue that stars are required to get tested at least every 30 days, and putting restrictions on the industry that would force people to move their business would only put the strict guidelines they already follow into jeopardy. In August 2011, the Los Angeles porn industry was temporarily shut down when a star tested positive for HIV.
