Porn in the Time of Coronavirus: The Sex Must Go On

[Miloch]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/porn-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-the-sex-must-go-on?ref=scroll

It’s a scenario so insane you couldn’t make it up: After America’s Dad, Tom
Hanks (and wife Rita Wilson), came down with the novel coronavirus and a 7-foot
NBA All-Star tested positive, prompting a pair of doctors to march onto the
court minutes before tip-off and effectively halt the pro basketball season,
President Donald Trump, an ex-reality-TV host who likes to grab unsuspecting
women “by the pussy,” emerged from his Filet-O-Fish-induced stupor long enough
to call a black reporter he frequently targets “nasty” for having the gall to
ask about how he may have been exposed to the virus himself yet refuses to be
tested. Oh, and Disneyland’s closed for only the fourth time in history aside
from 9/11, the Northridge earthquake, and the national day of mourning following
the JFK assassination.

Welcome to the world of COVID-19, an acute respiratory disease spread via
person-to-person contact—mainly by “respiratory droplets produced when an
infected person coughs or sneezes”—with such a high transmission rate it’s led
to a global pandemic, infecting over 145,681 people and killing 5,436 people
across 145 countries at time of writing.

With many industries encouraging people to work from home, forgo non-essential
travel, and even practice “social distancing,” the deadly quagmire begs the
question: How are those in porn, a job that demands deep person-to-person
contact, being affected?

“While I haven’t seen a specific decline in filming, we have seen other
precautions taking place. Information regarding hygiene, symptoms, and care is
being shared throughout the industry,” says Alana Evans, president of the Adult
Performers Actors Guild (APAG).

They’ve “yet to see any cases” of COVID-19 in the adult industry so far, she
adds (though the administering of tests has been a national nightmare), but many
adult performers are instituting safeguards concerning travel and attending fan
expos, which require lots of hand-shaking and posing for photos. (Several of
these adult trade shows have been postponed.)

Maitland Ward, a former Hollywood actress who recently took home three porn
Oscars, also hasn’t seen any decline in shoots, though people are on alert and
“checking if performers are healthy with no symptoms.”

“The adult industry is inherently good at taking precautions and relying on
health screening—of course it’s primarily STD screenings demanded by law every
14 days, but nevertheless we deal with things like cutting the risk of potential
outbreaks or infections as a way of life,” she explains. “So, as an industry, we
may be better equipped to take swift action and alert performers of outbreaks.”

Indeed, there have been a few HIV outbreaks in the porn industry over the years
that’s forced the adult world to spring into action to contain it. In 2004,
after a male performer tested positive for HIV, there was a 30-day shutdown on
filming while mass testing was initiated (five performers were ultimately found
to be infected); and in 2013, when a female performer was found to be
HIV-positive, there was a six-day shutdown (two others tested positive).

Angela White, aka the “Meryl Streep of Porn,” says she’s following the guidance
of the Free Speech Coalition—the adult industry trade association—which last
week released a health advisory regarding the novel coronavirus that’s being
updated periodically:

“While we are monitoring public health departments, we do not believe that a
mandatory production hold is warranted at this time. We are wary of cutting off
performers’ ability to generate income by prematurely restricting their ability
to work while risk is low—especially with the potential for a longer and larger
business shutdown looming…We are asking that performers and producers who
continue to shoot be incredibly vigilant and take common-sense precautions,
including educating performers and crew about prevention, limiting the size of
sets, and discontinuing air travel whenever possible.”

According to Mike Stabile, the Free Speech Coalition’s communications director,
the adult industry is uniquely prepared to handle the novel coronavirus since
they’re “an industry that understands relative transmission fairly well” and
“already have precautions around handling fluids.”

“Right now, most performers want to continue to shoot while they can—sets are
less risky than the grocery store, and who knows how long an Italian-style
shutdown will last. Adult performers don't get sick days or government bailouts,
and many crew members’ non-adult jobs are already being cancelled,” Stabile
explains. “Producers are taking precautions like shooting locally, to minimize
air travel, and using crew members to pick up performers, so as to avoid Uber.
Sets are being cleaned with extra precautions and social distancing is being
practiced where possible. One producer I spoke with talked about potentially
using thermometers to test people on set before beginning.”

Some adult stars, like Tasha Reign, have been focusing more on shooting solo
content in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, though not entirely. “I have
recently shot with performers, and I’ve just made sure that they were not
coughing or exhibiting signs of sickness,” says Reign. “It is risky. I’m nervous
about what this pandemic means for the world. I’m stocking up on supplies and
I’m trying not to touch my face or go in crowds often.”

The most common refrain among those in the adult world, however, is that they’re
ready for what’s coming.

“While no one right now is sure about this virus and how to perfectly handle
this kind of situation, I feel the adult industry is more prepared than most
because we live by health precautions and preparedness on a daily basis,” says
Ward. “It’s also true that this is a close-knit community, so we do need to be
extra cautious because of the nature of the work we do. But I believe we are on
alert.”




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