Major Porn Producer Sues To Block Controversial Los Angeles Condom Law

a major adult filmmaker sued to block a new los angeles county law requiring porn actors to wear condoms, calling it a threat to free expression. vivid entertainment contends measure b, passed by country voters last fall, violates the first amendment right to free speech & expression. vivid feels the law is unnecessary because the adult industry currently employs safeguards, such as regular blood testing of actors, to prevent the spread of aids & other sexually transmitted infections.

the provocative suit, filed thursday in federal court, also maintains the law is burdensome, ineffective, vague & is pre-empted by california laws & regulations. it asks the court to block the measure's enforcement & rule it unconstitutional. county counsel declined comment friday, saying they had just begun a review of the case.

measure b requires adult film producers to apply for a permit from the county department of health to shoot sex scenes. permit fees will finance periodic inspections of film sets to enforce compliance. however, public health authorities have not announced specific enforcement measures for the law. the aids healthcare foundation, which sponsored the initiative, said the measure will safeguard both the public & porn actors from sexually transmitted infections.

some adult film actors rallied to oppose the law before its november passage. sex film star amber lynn told the los angeles daily news at the time, "the idea of allowing a government employee to come & inspect our genitalia while we're on set is atrocious."

industry critics said fans don't want to see actors using condoms. they say if the law is enforced, the 200 or so companies producing adult films in los angeles, primarily in the san fernando valley, will simply move their businesses elsewhere - taking with them as many as 10,000 jobs.

steven hirsch, vivid's founder & co-chairman, said, "overturning this law is something i feel very passionate about. i believe the industry's current testing system works well." hirsch said, "since 2004 over 300,000 explicit scenes have been filmed with zero hiv transmission. the new law makes no sense & it imposes a government licensing regime on making films protected by the constitution."

hirsch also said, in a statement, the law will have "vast unintended consequences which may undermine industry efforts to protect the health of our actors & actresses." califa productions, which produces adult films for vivid, along with actors who use the stage names kayden kross & logan pierce, joined the suit, which names the county, its district attorney & public health director.