By Alex Dobuzinskis, Los Angeles | Tue, August 30, 2011, 8:12 PM CEST
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pornographic film shootings in the United States have largely shut down after an industry trade group called for a moratorium following the discovery that an adult film actor tested positive for HIV, organization officials said on Tuesday.
The temporary moratorium recommended by the Free Speech Coalition, based in Los Angeles, as public health advocates escalated their demand for stricter enforcement of laws requiring porn stars to use condoms on set.
The Free Speech Coalition said it learned on Saturday that a porn film actor, who has not been identified, had initially tested positive for HIV. It called for an industry-wide moratorium starting Sunday.
The actor received a preliminary positive result for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, at a healthcare facility outside California. The San Fernando Valley suburb of Los Angeles has long been a leading hub for the porn industry.
Further diagnostic tests were required to confirm that the actor was indeed HIV-positive, the trade group said.
Diane Herzog, executive director of the trade group, said she believed porn productions had largely shut down nationwide as a result of the moratorium and that she had no knowledge of companies refusing to comply.
"The industry has had a successful system of health and safety self-regulation since 1998, despite misinformation from our opponents to spread," the Free Speech Coalition said in a statement.
In 2010, another porn actor, Derrick Burts, tested positive for HIV, which also prompted a temporary shutdown of porn productions.
A number of other porn stars have been infected with HIV over the years, according to Brian Chase, assistant general counsel for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the organization conducting a petition drive for a Los Angeles municipal ballot initiative requiring porn actors in the city to wear condoms on set.
Supporters were told local authorities were best suited to enforce such a measure under California law, and federal workplace safety regulations require the use of condoms for porn stars exchanging bodily fluids through sex, but the industry has largely ignored these mandates, Chase said.
Porn companies have resisted efforts to force condom use, arguing it would drive productions underground or out of the United States, increasing health risks.
The porn industry continues to operate in a legal gray area, Chase said. "When you have a situation like this, where you have a lot of participants and the industry doesn't feel they need to follow the law," he recently said.
Until recently, many porn actors were regularly tested for HIV at a private clinic in Los Angeles run by a company called AIM Medical Associates. But the clinic closed in May amid bankruptcy and lawsuits over its closure.
Since then, the Free Speech Coalition has developed a health and safety program to replace it and has been in the process of enrolling interpreters, producers, and agents to participate, the trade group said.
(Editing by Steve Gorman and Cynthia Johnston)
Note: The latter part of the original text seems unrelated and contains unclear context. It discusses topics such as Texas drought affecting space shuttle columns, Texas executions, and soldiers' voices, which are not directly connected to the main subject of the article about the porn industry and HIV-related moratorium. If you'd like, I can attempt to translate those parts as well, but additional clarification might be needed.