Porn Industry Shutdown: Positive HIV Test Puts California Industry In Standstill [VIDEO]; Condom Use Law In Spotlight; Moratorium Until The Risk Of Transmission Is Eliminated

Porn industry shutdown: The pornography production industry in San Fernando Valley California is shut down until further notice following a positive HIV test from a performer.

According to X-Biz, the performer who tested positive for HIV, causing the porn industry shutdown, is female and new to the industry.  It is believed that she got HIV from other sexual activity, not while on a porn industry set.

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Diane Duke, executive director of the industry trade group the Free Speech Coalition, told the Associated Press in an e-mail: "The moratorium will be lifted once the risk of transmission has been eliminated"

Duke added: "Since 2004 there have only been two cases of performers testing positive for HIV and neither of those situations involved on-set transmission.

The current situation would bring the number to three cases in nearly 10 years, not just in Los Angeles but nationwide."

A similar porn industry shutdown happened last year due to a syphilis outbreak.

Porn star Mr. Marcus was discovered to have altered his positive syphilis test so that he was able to continue performing.

The porn industry imposed a shutdown while actors were treated and tested for the sexually transmitted disease.

In June of this year, Mr. Marcus was convicted of knowingly exposing two co-stars to syphilis and sentenced to 30 days in jail.

In June 2004, the entire porn industry in California shut down after 4 performers tested positive for HIV, causing 50 performers to be tested because of possible exposure

A law requiring condom use in porn passed last year did not prevent this year's porn industry shutdown.  The porn industry is currently fighting the condom law in court.  Michael Weinstein, of the group AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which lobbied for the condom use law, said: "How many adult film performers have to become infected with an array of preventable sexually transmitted diseases - including HIV, which is not curable - before the porn industry actually complies with the law requiring condom use."

Since 2004, the health department got reports of 2,396 cases of chlamydia, 1,389 cases of gonorrhea, and five syphilis cases among adult film performers.