Dennis RomeroThe patriotic denizens of the porn industry are dedicating their proceeds April 15 to the cause of freedom.
That is, they're giving cash in support of a court challenge of Measure B, the L.A. county initiative approved by voters that requires adult performers to use condoms:
Vivid Entertainment, the industry's biggest production house, announced today that 80 percent of Porn Valley's major studios have joined it in pledging their tax-day earnings to the fight against condoms.
HotMovies.com, which streams such fare online, organized the event, which will benefit the industry lobbying group Free Speech Coalition.
Marci Hirsch, vice president of Vivid:
Ordinarily you think of April 15th as 'tax day,' but this year it means something even more important for the adult industry – it's a chance for us all to exercise our rights and overturn a ridiculous law that affects an entire industry. For any consumers that have been planning on streaming or downloading a hot new film, we urge you to do it through HotMovies.com on April 15th so you can help this vital cause.
Credit: Vivid Entertainment
The industry has argued that condoms are unnecessary — that its monthly testing of performers works — and that consumers don't want to buy smut that features prophylactics.
Thus, it has said, the rule (yet to be truly enforced) would force a multi-billion-dollar industry out-of-L.A. and perhaps underground, where things would be even less safe, porn titans have said.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which successfully spearheaded the county law and is now pushing for enforcement of a statewide rule, says sex workers are no different than construction workers and need to wear their, er, hard hats under existing federal law that prohibits the transmission of blood-borne pathogens at the workplace.
The AHF argues that this could be a matter of life and death.
The companies on-board with the tax-day program include a who's who of adult content: Evil Angel, Private, Adam & Eve, Hustler Video, Pleasure Productions, Wicked Pictures, Ed Powers, Girlfriends Films, Porn Pros, Homegrown Video, Forbidden Fruits Films, Mile High Media, Combat Zone, Brandon Iron, New Sensations, Kink.com, West Coast Productions, and Zero Tolerance.
We'll give the last word to Ron Jeremy:
As you may have read in the news, Measure B broke my heart. Seriously though, I'm not letting anything stop me from supporting this great cause and I encourage everyone to join me.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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