Condoms must be worn in porn filmed in Los Angeles

Condoms must be worn by porn actors in Los Angeles, according to the law signed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the Associated Press reported.

The law is expected to go into effect in 41 days, although how it will be enforced is still to be determined.

"The city of Los Angeles has done the right thing," said Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the AP reported. "They've done the right thing for the performers."

Read more at GlobalPost: Condoms must be worn in porn: LA decides

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation has lobbied for the last six years to have the law passed, and said they will now work on getting the law adopted in another place. Weinstein said the law is crucial since it will protect adult film actors from HIV and other STDs, the AP reported.

A huge majority of US porn film productions are based in Los Angeles and the city’s latest law is the most forceful attempt to change the way the industry operates, Reuters reported. Earlier this month the Los Angeles City Council voted to approve the condom requirement, paving the way for the mayor to sign the bill and avoiding a vote that would cost the city $4 million.

While health officials have welcomed the bill, pornography industry leaders have threatened to leave the city behind for filming, the BBC reported. The San Fernando Valley of LA is considered the capital of the multi-billion industry. Those in the industry insist adult films featuring condoms are not as popular, especially internationally, and some actors prefer not to wear them.

"The significance of this is it's government reaching into areas it doesn't belong. It's government telling us how to produce films, and it's government regulating sexual behavior between consenting adults," said Diane Duke, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition, an industry trade group, Reuters reported.

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