We all watch porn videos, and for most of us it's an escape into a fantasy. There on screen are gorgeous people performing sexual acts of a nature sometimes so obscene and degrading that we wonder how they manage it.

Unprotected sex has long been a stablemate of porn, and let's admit it, who wants to see a porn vid where all the actors are wearing condoms right? In fact it has been stated that over 95% of all porn companies in the USA require their performers to work without condoms, and often pay performers more for this. But along with bareback sex, common porn videos these days contain such unsafe acts as:-

* Double Anal or Double Vaginal - Two males insert their penises into the vagina or anus of a female at the same time

* Ass To Mouth - Penis is taken directly from the anus to the mouth of the female

* Ass To Pussy - Penis is taken directly from the anus to the vagina of the female

* Double Penetration - Anus and vagina of the female are simultaneously penetrated by two penises

* Throat Fucking or Gagging - Large penises are forced into the throat of the female to the point of choking

* Internal Anal Or Vaginal Cumshots - Ejaculation occurs inside the vagina or anus without protection

While watching these videos for our own pleasure, it is easy to forget that the people on the screen are real people, and they run the same risk of contracting sexually transmitted dieseases as the rest of us. And every now and then, the porn industry gets a harsh reality check. Like the events that have recently unfolded in porn valley.

An adult-movie actress known as Jessica Dee was identified as the third performer to test positive for HIV in an outbreak that has mostly shut down the porn industry.

Dee had sex with five men who were later placed on a voluntary quarantine list, after the first HIV case was announced April 12, said Sharon Mitchell, executive director of the nonprofit Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, which screens performers for sexually transmitted diseases.

In all, 53 people were listed for quarantine, and dozens of producers in the nation's multibillion-dollar porn industry have halted production until more tests are conducted for the virus that causes AIDS.

"This is not over," said Mitchell, who confirmed the actress' stage name in Friday's The New York Times.

The outbreak began after a performer with the stage name Darren James apparently contracted HIV while filming unprotected sex scenes in Brazil. He returned to the United States and apparently infected Lara Roxx during film shoots, Mitchell said.


Los Angeles County health officials and the state's Division of Occupational Health and Safety are investigating.

Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California claimed Thursday the county Department of Health Services violated the law by obtaining without a subpoena private medical information on performers potentially infected with HIV.

"The government needs to make a showing that the breach of the confidentiality is warranted and the way to do that is by going through the court," ACLU attorney Peter Eliasberg said. If people think the government can obtain their private records, it may deter them from getting HIV tests, he said.

County Health Officer Jonathan Fielding said he had not seen the letter and could not comment.

Mitchell said her attorney indicated she had no choice last week when she turned over the records. The records of the two performers who had tested positive at the time were not included because of state privacy requirements, she added.

Mitchell said the health department would use the information to interview the performers and determine whether they may have passed on HIV to people outside the porn business.

Although condomless sex sells, and AIM is correct in stating that the risk in the porn industry is lower than for those having unprotected sex outside the testing process, AIDS is a serious issue and reform among the adult industry is needed to prevent others from becoming exposed. Girls as young as 18 are being lured into the sex biz, and many of them are naive or lulled into false security about disease among the industry circle.

EX PORN STAR GEN PADOVA'S TAKE ON THE HIV CRISIS

There’s been tons of shocking news regarding Darren James testing HIV positive and the amount of performers involved, resulting numbers of people still show up is rather traumatic.

As everyone is aware what HIV/AIDs is… it has been a huge awareness for roughly two decades ‘n more. But there has been little talk about the specifics of HIV and how the testing for the retrovirus works.

As adult performers everyone should be aware of this as it’s only helpful knowledge that will make you stronger in your opinions and choices you make in life when it comes to taking chances with your health and of course to know how your human body works.

First importantly I’ve noticed an on-going debate in the industry in the last few years off and on distinguishing which of the two, ELISA or PCR/DNA is more accurate and reliable in testing for HIV. The arguments are going back and forth even more since the horrible news reached public. I’d like to clarify the two tests for you guys since no one else seems to do it…

Scientists scrutinized the two most widely used HIV antibody tests which are the ELISA and the Western Blot. The ELISA is used to screen blood. The Western Blot is used to confirm a positive result on the ELISA.

The ELISA test, which was developed around 1985 is an extremely sensitive and extremely nonspecific procedure which means there is a great possibility that it may not detect any HIV present. That’s due to its high sensitivity.

As many as 4 out of 5 ELISA tests can not be confirmed by Western Blot, and yet it remains the most widely used test in third world countries, most notably Africa where HIV is rampant.

But also! VERY IMPORTANT - Knowing that a few factors can cause a false-positive result from an ELISA test such as:

- contamination in the laboratory. Sometimes the samplings could be placed in the wrong testing walls or even malfunctioned plate washers.
- About 10-15% of those who are Hemophiliacs may test positive
- alcoholics with hepatitis or someone with a huge history of injecting drugs
- even cross activity with other retroviruses

Sometimes, the PCR/DNA test is more accurate than the ELISA and Western Blot test because PCR/DNA test measures differently than the ELISA test by looking for HIV-1 in the white blood cells of a person (White blood cells help fight diseases) as opposed to the ELISA test measures the immune response to the virus by examining the antibodies that are present.

The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) requires a sample of the virus in order to work. It works by causing the virus to replicate and the newly replicated virus is then detectable by chemical means.

If the viral load is low, the PCR doesn’t cause the replication because there isn’t any virus in the sample to replicate or because there was so little virus it didn’t replicate to detectable levels. Thus called “undetectable viral load.”

This is part of the main reason why AIM is making it clear that performers should wait at least 30-60days before they test so they ensure a more accurate reading when it’s time for testing. Sadly enough, Viruses aren’t as easy to understand like bacteria is. Hopefully one day there will be an even better test to detect viruses earlier more accurately but for now, we have to play it extra safe and be patient without going out of our minds.

Technically no one has a say in what test is better than the other. They each have its own advantage and disadvantage. Thankfully we do have these tests that we can rely on. The fact that we can use all three of these procedures to ensure the accurate results is a great thing.

Compare the main idea to herpes, herpes takes its course very slowly as well, latching onto the central nervous system just like HIV, and the same, it may take a matter of weeks to months to show results in a highly sensitive test. When someone is currently suffering an outbreak and gets tested around the same time, the chances of the results are better because of the presence of new antibodies.

One other thing that’s extremely important especially for women that the industry nor does AIM discuss much of is the Human Papilloma Virus. This is the most common STD out there besides Chlamydia. There are millions of people who have it and don’t know it because it requires women to endure a pap smear, colposcopy and perhaps a biopsy in case it’s cancerous or not.

There are over 100 types of the HPV that may cause genital warts, may not cause anything at all or are cancerous, depending on the type. This is why it’s very important especially women in the industry to go to a gynecologist more than just once a year. Better 2-3 times a year to prevent any health conditions.

I know this is an extremely long message but I figured since I have all this time on my hands I’d make it available to anyone who is willing to read and maybe have a better understanding of STDs.

Good luck all and be safe n clean .... Gen Padova

(Gen Padova was a porn star for several years before a battle with aggressive cancer forced her early retirement. She is still active within the industry and on discussion boards such as XXX Porntalk)

COMMENTS RECEIVED FROM FORMERSTAR

It is VERY tragic the way some of these people died/were infected. I agree 300% that the #1 reason for this is: denial on the part of directors/producers, not making condoms compulsory, & unsafe sexual practices.

There is a disturbing pattern here: there is no doubt in my mind that the cause of infection is unprotected anal sex. It is a fact that anal sex (especially unprotected) is responsible for the deaths of many people, both gay & straight. I have worked in this industry so I speak from experience. I left it a few years ago. I am not HIV positive (thank God). However, many directors said I was "difficult" to work with simply because I refused to do anal creampies. I feel that had I caved in to their demands, my life would be ruined today.

Porn is fantasy, but you are right...the people on the screen moaning & sweating are REAL people who bleed, die, get sick, have feelings. Directors don't acknowledge this because they are greedy & only want their piece of the pie. They don't care who gets hurt, you're quickly replaced. An adult film star's job seems fun, it seems glamorous...but the pitfalls outweigh the perks. It's a very corrupt business & most people are used up in the end...it doesn't matter who you are. Even Jenna Jameson, nouveau porn queen extraordinaire, will one day wind up damaged by her time in the biz.

Marc Wallice is not the only actor to have knowingly worked while HIV+. John Holmes & Joey Yale did this also. I agree that measures should be taken to ensure that he no longer involves himself in adult films, but as I said, people in this industry have an "anything-goes" attitude. They are either misinformed about AIDS awareness, or they are extremely cruel. Think about it...condoms are not mandatory, testing is infrequent & hardly reliable. So don't believe for one minute that the head honchos will insist that he quit. No, sir. If anything, they'll encourage what he does. It's very unfortunate & sad that he has HIV/AIDS, but like you, I am angry that he continues to work within the industry. More than likely he has exposed other people to the virus since then. Look at what's happened to so many other adult film stars. That should be a blow to him, as if AIDS weren't enough. I quit because I decided that my health & safety was far more important than the money. It's not so much an issue of morality...it's about awareness, self-respect, & empowerment. In porn, you have to be armed with these tools or you'll be taken advantage of. These people are very cutthroat & they love blood...all the better when years later, it's tainted by HIV. They don't care about the performers because after all, it's "only fantasy." Please be aware that behind the scenes, it's very bleak & not at all sexy.

BELOW ARE SOME ADULT PERFORMERS WHO HAVE CONTRACTED HIV

LISA DELEEUW - Infected 1989 Lisa worked in the golden age of porn, where big hairy muffs and straight up and down sex were the norm. She had enormous breasts which heralded a huge fan base. In 1989 Lisa tested positive for HIV, however nobody is quite sure where she contracted it from. She passed away from AIDS related pneumonia in 1993. JOHN HOLMES - Infected 1986 The guy with the most impressive penis ever, Holmes used his 13 inch cock to fuck over 10,000 women in his career which ended after he tested positive for HIV in 1986. There are rumors that he did a Marc Wallice and continued to work while infected. Holmes died of AIDS related ilnesses in 1988. MARC WALLICE - Infected 1998 Known as the rougue of the industry, Marc was patient zero in the 1998 fiasco that tore through porn valley. After he tested positive, five girls that had worked with him recently also tested positive. Many believe Wallice was working with falsified test results and knowingly infected those girls. Several porn companies went condom only after this event. Wallice is currently still in the industry as a director/cameraman. BROOKE ASHLEY - Infected 1998 Brooke Ashley was a hardcore star who had legions of fans until Marc Wallice ruined her life. Brooke was the first of five girls to turn up HIV positive after working with Wallice. Brooke had also participated in a 50 man anal gangbang, and many believe she contracted it on that shoot. However she may have got it, her life is now ruined and she lives in an AIDS shelter on welfare in Hawaii. DARREN JAMES - Infected 2004 Black American performer was the first performer to test positive for HIV in the current outbreak. He is believed to have contracted HIV from shooting unprotected sex scenes in Brazil, where testing is not as effective as in the USA. LARA ROXX - Infected 2004 A relatively new performer to the industry, Lara became the second person to test positive in the current outbreak after working unprotected with Darren James. As with Jessica Dee she had unprotected anal sex with James. JESSICA DEE - Infected 2004 This gorgeous Czech born porn performer is the latest star to test positive for HIV in the current outbreak. She regularly participated in double penetrations, ass to mouth and creampies. She is believed to have contracted HIV from infected male star Darren James after having unprotected anal sex with him. TONY MONTANA - Infected 1999 Tony was a veteran performer having hundreds of titles under his belt when he tested positive in 1999. His infection came after the Marc Wallice debacle and he is not believed to have passed the virus on to anyone else. TRICIA DEVEREUAX - Infected 1998 Tricia was another victim of the Marc Wallice saga in 1998 after having unprotected sex with him on a set. She has been very outspoken about HIV and, a few years ago, married fellow HIV infected porn performer/director John Stagliano. They have a young child who is HIV negative. JOHN STAGLIANO - Infected 1997 John 'Buttman' Stagliano made a huge name for himself in anal videos, mostly behind the camera. However his flambouyant off screen sex life was to cost him dearly, contracting HIV from a transsexual in 1997. He married fellow HIV infected performer Tricia Devereuax and they have a young HIV negative son. Both Stagliano and Devereaux keep their disease in check with huge doses of medication. READER RESPONSES BILL SAYS:- I went to AIM web site the day the news came on FOX. Either so many people were trying to look at the site or they shut it down, no access. I always questioned the films I saw where no condoms were used- poor gamble for really very little money. MR MAGOO SAYS:- Why isn't Marc Wallice being prosecuted for attempted murder, for knowingly having unprotected sex while HIV+. Why is anyone in the industry having anything to do with him? Why is the industry allowing him to work at all, in any capacity?