4th Porn Performer Tests Positive For HIV, Advocacy Group Says

Although production in the porn industry was briefly shut down after a performer was revealed to be HIV-positive in August, a fourth performer has announced to an advocacy group they too have been infected with the disease.

The Free Speech Coalition, an adult industry trade group, called for a halt to adult film production last Friday after a third unnamed performer tested positive and was reported to the Coalition by an industry physician.

Cameron Bay, 29, tested positive in August, and porn companies shut down filming when the news broke then. Bay’s alleged romantic partner, Rod Daily, took to Twitter to say he too had the disease but his case was not officially reported to the Coalition.

The fourth performer is a man, but has yet to publicly announce his name. Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, spoke with the Los Angeles Times regarding the recent outbreak of HIV cases.

From The Times:

Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation — a group that backed a voter-approved mandate to use condoms in filming in Los Angeles County last year and is now pushing for a statewide requirement — said a fourth adult film performer contacted his group in the last week.

“We were approached by a male performer who told us he had tested positive,” Weinstein said, but he would not give any further details. He said he did not know if that case had been contracted while filming, but added that he thought “parsing”  that question missed the point.

“Whether or not [Bay] was infected on set, she performed with HIV between her tests,” he said. “If you think that Russian roulette is a great way to protect workers, then the present system is perfect.”

The moratorium on filming remains in effect until further notice. The industry currently has performers test every 28 days for STDs but reportedly may shorten the required length of time to 14 days between testings.

While the AIDS Healthcare Foundation says it has confirmed the fourth infection, the Free Speech Coalition says there is no documented case of a new HIV-positive performer.

“It is extremely likely that this situation is more posturing for AHF’s political agenda,” Free Speech Coalition CEO Diane Duke wrote in a statement. ”Again, we have no evidence of a fourth performer testing positive for HIV.”