Fault

I rarely weigh in on topical issues but am making an exception after reading a recent post on Conner Habib’s  blog (He is a local porn star & the link is work safe). Conner put out a well said post about the whole Derek Chamers ( aka Derrick Burts, Cameron Reid) scandal. Well said except for the whole ‘teaching’ part. I know we cloak porn under ‘educational purposes’ to help keep it legal but I’ve never met a single person who joined the industry to ‘teach.’ Anyway, if you’re not up on the skinny, its pretty simple. Derek (who is a crossover performer in gay and straight films) tested HIV positive and become the center of a scandal of sorts. The porn industry via AIM ^[1]Adult Industry Medical // oh look, an actual reference link says he got it from personal activity and Derek says he got it from a work shoot and that AIM is trying to cover it up to protect the industry. Derek has come forward in the national media to call for condom use in straight porn.

First, I don’t know Derek, never met him, and have no idea whether he is a hypocrite or an innocent victim. And that’s not really the point of my post. My rant today has to do with the industry itself and the resulting hypocrisy from so many in the community. I will say I think neither side has the moral high ground. It’s all but impossible to discover where he was really exposed. All the fanfare over trying to assign blame is pointless IMHO and distracts from the bigger issue.

As long as we allow (negative) actors to bareback, we are going to see more of these type of situations. Yes, I get it that the straight porn industry is desperately holding onto the ‘rawness’ that comes from condomless sex. The same is true of gay sex, otherwise barebacking companies/vids would not be so successful. But HIV is not a gay disease. it has no morals or thought processes, it is simply a biological mechanism propagating along its evolutionary path. Treating HIV as a gay issue is a recipe for continued disaster. Allowing actors, gay or straight who are negative, to put themselves at risk for a buck is deplorable. The industry needs to look beyond its greed and do what’s right for its employees. And if they really wanted to save face, they would have reached out to this kid instead of trying to distance itself and assign blame. It is worth noting, AIM, the industry’s go-to folks for testing, was recently shut down by LA health officials for operating w/o a license and their permit to get a license was denied. ^[2] via aids.about.com /// another real reference link! A fact that does nothing to foster belief in their version of the story. I am in agreement Derek. The straight porn industry should implement more condom use, especially for actors that do crossover work.

The part that really pisses me off is how many in the gay community have lashed out at this guy. Some of the comments are truly heinous. Its ok when these guys (and gals) are humping their brains out but the moment something happens we turn on them? Now who’s the hypocrite? And before anyone goes holier-than-though, let me throw some numbers at you. Porn is a double-digit billion dollar global industry. The US produces 89% of the world’s porn and consumes more than half. 70% of men visit porn sites at least once a month. The states that protest the most about porn are also the highest consumers. Sex is the most searched term on the internet. Oh yeah, and 66% of all porn stars have herpes. ^[3]stats courtesy of onlinemba.com and Good magazine// omg! 3 real references in 1 post!  Anyone still want to admit the porn industry gives a rat’s ass about its performers? And don’t even get me started on who is gonna cover Derek’s medical expenses. In case you don’t know, porn starts don’t get insurance as part of the “job”.

Regardless of what you think of porn in general, it is clearly here to stay. Sexuality, gay or straight, is fundamental to human existence and clearly sex sells. Scapegoating someone and trying to act like it someone else’s problem is BS. This man’s life is irreparably changed as he is now living with a terminal illness. Granted HIV isn’t the killer in Western culture it used to be but there is still no cure and people are still dying. Shame on anyone who would say or even infer that because he does porn he deserved what he got. How many of our haters use the same excuse against gays in general?  You would think  we as a community would be above such things. I don’t care how he got it, Derek deserves support and compassion right now.