To Survive The Second Wave, Learn From Porn

Porn industry paves the way for testing in the post-pandemic world

It isn’t difficult to imagine how people around the world are filling their spare time during this COVID-19 quarantine period — playing video games, making Zoom video calls, and watching porn.

Well, this is unsurprising, given that COVID-19 has affected much of sex lives. Most under quarantine live alone and resorting to porn is a cheap and easy gratification. Pornhub’s free access to its premium content to encourage stay-at-home says much about the current state of affairs.

Porn may prove useful in keeping people home, but could there be much more to that?

HIV Testing

A 1980s out breakout of HIV threatened the multi-million industry by causing the death of 27 porn stars between 1985 to 1992.

The discovery of the sexually transmitted disease led to the creation of the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation (AIM) in 1998. It was set up as a monitoring system in the pornographic film industry in the United States. Other mainstream porn communities followed suit, and implemented similar procedures to protect their performers.

AIM was eventually replaced by Performer Availability Screen Services (PASS) after it closed all its operations.

STD Prevention Methods

Porn actors have to live with the HIV virus threat since 40 years ago and yet the business is thriving. Like HIV, COVID-19 threatens the livelihood of many people and businesses, and may be defeated the same way porn did.

Here, I explore how pornstars give us a glimpse at how future industries can defeat the coronavirus.

#1 Test frequently

These procedures include frequent testing, as often as 30 days in between, and 14 days before filming. A positive result will lead to all contacts for the last three to six months being called back to be re-tested.

These frequent (and mandatory) testing ultimately helped bring the HIV and AIDS case so low in the pornographic film industry that contracting STD in adult filming is considered rare and a huge screening lapse.

Because of this system, there hasn’t been an onset of HIV transmission in over a decade. Strict testing works.

#2 Contacts Logging

The AIM system requires all on-camera sexual contacts to be logged, and a positive test triggers the calling back of all contacts for the last three to six months to be re-tested. In the event where a performer is being tested, he is required to be quarantined during the waiting period, usually lasting not more than 60 days.

The system also ensures that the results cannot be forged. A secure, online database would list the availability of performers/workers.

The systematic testing and logging programs are well regulated and proved effective in curbing the spread with satisfactory results.

#3 Keep the circle small

Pornstars easily engage in bareback sex with up to 20 strangers in a month, which is by HIV standards the most dangerous job in the world. Keeping a few partners in the pornstar career is also one strategy.

Brooke Ashley was a porn actress who was infected on the set. One would think that when she became HIV positive in 1998, her career would have stopped there. Instead, not only did she return to pornography in 2005, she did it in a film with her boyfriend Eddie Wood, who was also HIV positive. She was able to continue her work without endangering further spread by limiting her sexual contacts.

As for the coronavirus, the same limit is employed by governments coming out of lockdowns. The reopening of cities in many countries are done in phases, with each one entailing different sets of restrictions, and easing as the numbers of infected goes down or vice versa. As is usually the case, the first phase restricts the number of people in a public gathering.

For example, the White House has unveiled a three-phased approach to reopen the country, with guidelines for phase one including,

“All individuals, WHEN IN PUBLIC (e.g., parks, outdoor recreation areas, shopping areas), should maximize physical distance from others. Social settings of more than 10 people, where appropriate distancing may not be practical, should be avoided unless precautionary measures are observed.”

“Social settings of more than 10 people […] should be avoided unless precautionary measures are observed”

Other countries went further and imposed a restriction of not more than 5 people in a single gathering (instead of 10).

#4 Wear protective coverings

Although in this respect porn is a poor example, the use of protection such as condoms can effectively curtail the spread of HIV. Insiders reject the idea because it is thought that unprotected sex is the main draw of the films, and introducing the condom would hurt the sales. However, they do admit that condoms and other forms of barrier protection are great.

Where sales is not of concern, the coronavirus still has a similar conundrum: To wear or not wear a mask.

For example, Orange county has apparently succumbed to the political conundrum, and is prepared to ignore the practical and scientific implications of not wearing face coverings.

Here I illustrate the importance of wearing a mask, theorised the reason behind its rejection, and talked about my experience jogging while wearing it.

Nevertheless, governments, health experts, and the WHO have given the word to encourage wearing of face coverings. They can agree, masks save lives.

#5 Get timely shots

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease — the CDC estimates almost every person who is sexually-active will get HPV at some time in their life, if they don’t get the HPV vaccines.

It also has asymptomatic patients and transmissions. Like the coronavirus, it is difficult to detect and difficult to stop. Luckily, it is not nearly as life threatening and has a vaccine for it. Pornstars get Gardasil 9 shots which is the HPV vaccines to protect against genital warts and cancers.

However, we don’t know if the vaccine for COVID-19 exists. Heck, we don’t even know if it ever will. But we do know that when it does, it will be helluva important to get timely shots.

End

In summary, we can learn:

• #1 Test frequently #2 Contacts Logging #3 Keep a small circle #4 Wear protective coverings #5 Get timely shots

We see many parallels in the current handling of the coronavirus and HIV. Although many mandatory procedures are heavily criticised, like the lockdowns and wearing of masks, they were devised by the virus experts and professionals for our own good.

There had been much mask shaming and political rhetoric in the COVID-19 response, but they do little to help curb the virus.

Instead, take a look at the porn industry with fresh perspective. Maybe we can learn a thing or two about protecting ourselves and our lives.

References:

https://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/a23778510/how-porn-stars-prevent-stds/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexually_transmitted_infections_in_the_pornography_industry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_Industry_Medical_Health_Care_Foundation

Feel free to drop by, connect, or say Hello on my Medium and Twitter for more coronavirus perspectives.

Or, read more: