Comments on: Belladonna on Safer Sex and the Industry

By: Belladonna on Safer Sex and the Industry | Sex Work is Spiritual dot Org

Belladonna on Safer Sex and the Industry | Sex Work is Spiritual dot Org — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:00:38 +0000

[...] tweetmeme_style = ‘normal’;tweetmeme_source = ‘thenudemonk’; Excellent article detailing work that Belladonna does in regard to STDs. Category: Announcements You can follow [...]

By: Freedom’s Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose? | The Art & Business of Making Erotic Films

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:37:31 +0000

[...] Belladonna at the Babeland Blog: Since I started testing people that I have sex with 3 days prior to our engagement, it has been over 5 years since I’ve contracted Chlamydia or Gonorrhea. I knowingly caught over a handful of performers with STDs by using this rule. As a female in this industry, I can say it feels DAMN good to not have to spend every week at the doctor’s office clearing up an STD and being out of work. I feel like I’m more excited about having sex and performing, knowing that I’m going to be STD free… [...]

By: Update on HIV in the Porn Industry «

Update on HIV in the Porn Industry « — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:12:37 +0000

[...] Belladonna, a famous porn actress, suggests that the porn industry start testing every week instead of every month. Belladonna encourages her fellow porn stars to be better about using condoms in their private sex lives. She also stresses that the public is unfairly scrutinizing the porn industry and states that she accepts that she is in a high risk line of work in her interview with Babeland. [...]

By: Michael Quirk

Michael Quirk — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:18:27 +0000

Wow. Someone who is familiar with issues of sexuality is using common sense to talk about it? Sadly, you don’t see this enough.

By: Iamcuriousblue

Iamcuriousblue — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:52:51 +0000

Kate Black writes:

“Tony Comstock and Audacia Ray both chimed into this debate earlier in the week, with a really responsible, healthy attitude about how to protect the safety of sex industry workers.”

I loved the above Belladonna post and also appreciate what Audacia Ray had to say on the topic, but found Tony Comstock’s posts to be frankly paternalistic and condescending.

I’ll also plug Ernest Green’s post on the subject, which defends the view that condoms in porn should not be mandatory:

http://bppa.blogspot.com/2009/06/latest-hiv-in-porn-panic-rumor-control.html

The issue of performer choice in the matter is not something I would dismiss lightly, particularly since performers like Nina Hartley who are pretty STD-aware and are way past the point in their career where they could be said to be in any sense coerced into giving an unprotected performance, nonetheless often perform without condoms by choice.

By: dr dick

dr dick — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:05:13 +0000

as a sexologist and as a porn producer, i have the utmost respect for you Belladonna. however, i would respect all of us and our industry more if we didn’t gamble with the health and wellbeing of our biggest assets; our performers.

the barebacking debate continues to rage in the gay side of the industry. and proponents of this dangerous practice point to the straight side of the industry as proof that unprotected sex is safe. nothing could be farther from the truth.

how i wish our entire industry could get behind the notion of a safer workplace. but until that day, wouldn’t it be grand if our talent took the lead in protecting their own health and the health of their coworkers. you know you could shut down the entire industry of ya’ll decided to take a stand on this.

By: Champagne and Benzedrine

Champagne and Benzedrine — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:44:52 +0000

Belladonna is a living porn legend – she’s AMAZING and incredibly smart to boot. One pornstar who’s definitely just as sexy for her brains as her body.

I really admire her honesty about not using condoms – I think it would spoil the fantasy of porn. That being said, I don’t want anybody to get sick just so I have the pleasure of buffin’ my muffin’ to bareback porno.

But the 7-day testing solution sounds really smart and Belladonna clearly takes care of her own body as well as the people she works with. HUGE admiration for her.

Still, safe sex doesn’t need to not be sexy. After Dustin Lance Black got attacked for barebacking with his boyfriend, I wrote a post about products that make sexy safe.

http://champagneandbenzedrine.blogspot.com/2009/06/promiscuity-and-protection.html

This was a GREAT article. Thanks for sharing.

By: Gram Ponante

Gram Ponante — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:57:23 +0000

Well said, Bella. If other producers who were similarly running their own shows also mandated more frequent testing, there’d be fewer STD-related doctors’ visits.

And condoms aren’t meant for taking (or being taken) “hard up the ass)”: that’s a recipe for tears.

By: Jamie Davis Jr

Jamie Davis Jr — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:51:59 +0000

Bella is brilliant and precise as usual, and a role model for those in the industry and those who are fans. Not to mention she could kick dr fill’s ass!

By: Kate Black

Kate Black — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:44:09 +0000

Testing is good, but testing is not prevention.

Tony Comstock and Audacia Ray both chimed into this debate earlier in the week, with a really responsible, healthy attitude about how to protect the safety of sex industry workers.

Tony Comstock’s blog here: http://www.comstockfilms.com/blog/tony/2009/06/15/accentuate-the-positive-eliminate-the-negative-reprise/

Audacia Ray’s here:
http://www.wakingvixen.com/blog/2009/06/17/my-criticisms-hiv-porn-and-reponsibility/