Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation

Last updated

Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation
AbbreviationAIM
Formation1998;26 years ago (1998)
Founders Sharon Mitchell
Dissolved2011;13 years ago (2011)
Location
Services STD testing of pornographic performers for HIV and other STDs on a scheduled basis
Website www.aim-med.org

The Adult Industry Medical Associates P.C. (formerly Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation), also known simply as AIM or AIM Medical, was a non-profit organization devoted to STD testing of pornographic performers for HIV and other STDs on a scheduled basis. Founded in 1998 by former pornographic film actress, Sharon Mitchell, AIM went out of business in 2011 after licensing issues, and a data breach and lawsuit regarding the violation of patient privacy.

Contents

History

Since the 1980s, outbreaks of HIV/AIDS within the community of erotic actors caused a number of deaths. In response to this threat AIM was founded in 1998 by former pornographic film actress, Sharon Mitchell, who had left the industry in 1996 to pursue credentials in public health counseling and sexology. [1] [2]

The Foundation helped set up a system in the U.S. wherein erotic actors in the adult film industry are tested for AIDS every 30 days. All on-camera sexual contact is logged, and a positive test result triggers the contacting and re-testing of all sexual partners during the previous three to six months. The Foundation provided secure means of sharing results via their web servers so that results cannot be forged. Prior to AIM, there had been STD testing programs in lifestyle communities, including Kerista Commune, More University, and Rajneeshpuram. These approaches had mixed results and were less systematic and regular.

Tests for the sex industry actors were done at the Foundation's offices in San Fernando Valley, Sherman Oaks, and Granada Hills. [3] Each month, about 1,200 actors were tested for HIV, with results as early as 14 days after infection. This test is effective 10 days after potential infection, and anytime thereafter (HIV-1 DNA, by PCR) as compared to the alternative HIV test (HIV ELISA) which requires a six-month waiting period to be effective. [4] The center also tested for chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. [5]

It was in 2004 that AIM assisted in the sex-film-industry shutdown, a quarantine that lasted fewer than 60 days. [3] A male performer, Darren James, had tested positive for HIV in April and, to prevent another HIV outbreak, an urgent search was initiated for his potentially infected partners. [1] A total of four more performers, Bianca Biaggi, Jessica Dee, Lara Roxx, and Miss Arroyo were diagnosed with the virus by the end of the testing rounds, including one unrelated case in New York. [6] James had apparently had contact with 12 women since his initial negative HIV test in March upon his return from a Brazilian film shoot. [7] [8]

In 2009, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the Los Angeles Times claimed there were 16 unreported cases of HIV among adult film actors. [9] AIM Health Care Foundation reported that these cases were actually members of the general public or people applying to work in the adult film industry that had not yet actually worked in films due to their initial test being positive. [10]

On October 12, 2010, the Foundation reported that an actor or actress had been infected with HIV. The name and gender of the person was not released to the public. [11] Vivid Entertainment and Wicked Pictures shut down porn production temporarily to avoid spreading of the virus. Although Wicked Pictures has a mandatory condom policy, the company shut down to wait for the quarantine list. [12]

In early 2011, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation publicly raised questions about AIM clinics' licensing situation, resulting in a shutdown. Later that year, the foundation reopened under private ownership, but this was short-lived. [13]

SxCheck

In 2006, AIM started offering online services for selecting, scheduling, and paying for tests in affiliation with local clinics and laboratories in many cities via the SxCheck (alternatively AIM Check) website. [14] With secure online access to test results, faking of paper test results was prevented, and workers could select to privately share the results with others online, by email, or by SMS. [15]

Patient database breach

AIM Medical's patient database was the source of a massive 2011 data leak containing confidential personal information, including the real names of over 12,000 pornographic actors and their STD test results, which was distributed via the Porn Wikileaks website [16] AIM closed its offices and filed for bankruptcy in May 2011 as a result of a privacy lawsuit challenging AIM's handling of the patient records. [17] [18] [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pornographic film</span> Films that present sexually explicit subject matter in order to arouse and satisfy the viewer

Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, adult films, sex films, 18+ films, or also known as blue films, are films that represent sexually explicit subject matter in order to arouse, fascinate, or satisfy the viewer. Pornographic films represent sexual fantasies and usually include erotically stimulating material such as nudity (softcore) and sexual intercourse (hardcore). A distinction is sometimes made between "erotic" and "pornographic" films on the basis that the latter category contains more explicit sexuality, and focuses more on arousal than storytelling; the distinction is highly subjective.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lara Roxx</span> Canadian actress (born 1982)

Lara Roxx is a Canadian former pornographic actress who, in March 2004, became the first of three known individuals in four years to contract HIV while making a U.S. pornographic video.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Mitchell</span> American sexologist and pornographic actress (born 1950s)

Sharon Mitchell is an American sexologist and former pornographic film actress and director. In 1998, she founded the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation (AIM), which tested over 1,000 adult film performers per month before a 2011 data breach led to a lawsuit and the clinic's closure.

Darren James is an American former pornographic actor and director. He gained notoriety after he contracted HIV and infected three pornographic actresses in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivid Entertainment</span> American adult entertainment studio

Vivid Entertainment Group is an American independent pornographic film production company, featuring internet content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amber Lynn</span> American pornographic actress

Amber Lynn is an American pornographic film actress and mainstream actress, radio host, model, exotic dancer, advocate and humanitarian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Marcus</span> American pornographic actor (born 1970)

Mr. Marcus is the stage name of Jesse Spencer, an American pornographic film actor and director known for acting in or directing over 1,800 pornographic films.

Marc Wallice is a former American pornographic actor. He performed in over 1,700 pornographic films and has directed as well. Wallice was inducted into both the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual health clinic</span> Medical facility focused on preventing and treating sexually transmitted infections

Sexual health clinics specialize in the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.

Serosorting, also known as serodiscrimination, is the practice of using HIV status as a decision-making point in choosing sexual behavior. The term is used to describe the behavior of a person who chooses a sexual partner assumed to be of the same HIV serostatus to engage in unprotected sex with them for a reduced risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV/AIDS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Speech Coalition</span> U.S. trade association for the adult entertainment industry

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) is a non-profit trade association of the adult entertainment industry in the United States. Founded in 1991, it opposes the passage and enforcement of obscenity laws and many censorship laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pornography</span> Portrayal of sexual subject matter

Pornography is sexual subject material such as a picture, video, text, or audio that is intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolved from cave paintings, some forty millennia ago, to modern virtual reality presentations. A general distinction of adults-only sexual content is made-classifying it as pornography or erotica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pornographic film actor</span> Person who performs in pornography

A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts on video that is usually characterized as a pornographic film. Such videos tend to be made in a number of distinct pornographic subgenres and attempt to present a sexual fantasy; the actors selected for a particular role are primarily selected on their ability to create or fit that fantasy. Pornographic videos are characterized as either softcore, which does not contain depictions of sexual penetration or extreme fetishism, and hardcore, which can contain depictions of penetration or extreme fetishism, or both. The genres and sexual intensity of videos is mainly determined by demand. Depending on the genre of the film, the on-screen appearance, age, and physical features of the actors and their ability to create the sexual mood of the video is of critical importance. Most actors specialize in certain genres, such as straight, bisexual, gay, lesbian, bondage, strap-on, anal, double penetration, semen swallowing, teenage, orgy, age roleplay, fauxcest, interracial or MILFs and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gay pornography</span> Pornography depicting sex acts between males

Gay pornography is the representation of sexual activity between males. Its primary goal is sexual arousal in its audience. Softcore gay pornography also exists; which at one time constituted the genre, and may be produced as beefcake pornography directed toward heterosexual female, homosexual male, and bisexual audiences of any gender.

Sexually transmitted infections in the pornography industry deals with the occupational safety and health hazard of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by workers in the sex industry. Since the 1980s many cases of pornographic performers contracting HIV/AIDS have been reported. However, since the mid-2000s strict adherence to rigorous STI testing, and limiting sexual contact with only fellow tested performers has halted the spread of HIV and other STIs in the industry.

Porn Wikileaks was a wiki website which contained the personal information, including the real names, of over 15,000 pornographic actors. The information came from a patient database managed by AIM Medical Associates which has closed due to the lawsuits caused by the leaks, a clinic where many pornographic film performers were tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Adult performer Christian XXX stated, "They posted my real name, the real names of my parents and pictures of them, their home address and telephone number, the name and picture and phone number of my brother, a picture of the cemetery where my grandfather recently passed away, not to mention saying that I have HIV."

<i>Inside Lara Roxx</i> 2011 Canadian film

Inside Lara Roxx is a 2011 EyeSteelFilm Canadian documentary film by Canadian film director Mia Donovan. It covers the circumstances of a 21-year-old Canadian woman Lara Roxx who in the Spring of 2004, left her hometown Montreal heading to Los Angeles to work in pornography. Within two months she contracted HIV after shooting an unprotected sex scene with two men. It was revealed that one of the two men, porn actor Darren James, was HIV positive. The film did well critically. In 2012, it was nominated for a Claude Jutra Award for Best Documentary.

Measure B, also known as the County of Los Angeles Safer Sex In the Adult Film Industry Act, is the law that requires the use of condoms in all vaginal and anal sex scenes in pornography productions filmed in Los Angeles County, California. The measure also requires porn production companies to obtain a health permit prior to production and to post the permit and a notice to performers regarding condom use during production. All individuals involved will also be required to pay $1,600 every 2 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 California Proposition 60</span>

Proposition 60 was a California ballot proposition on the November 8, 2016, ballot which would have allowed the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) to prosecute an enforcement action anytime a condom is not visible in a pornographic film. The proposition failed to pass. Proposition 60 would have allowed any California resident to sue a pornographer and obtain their personal information. Frivolous lawsuits and actor safety were a major concern, as well as millions of taxpayer dollars it would cost to enforce. Enforcement of Proposition 60 was predicted to cost more than $1 million annually. State and local governments were predicted to lose tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue per year if the industry left the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adult Performer Advocacy Committee</span> American organized labor group

Adult Performer Advocacy Committee (APAC) is an American organized labor group for pornographic actors. Launched in 2014, shortly after the closure of the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation (AIM), the organization released a video called Porn 101 containing advice for new and established pornographic performers. APAC operates a mentor scheme and maintains resources for people starting pornographic acting, as well as hosting panels, releasing statements and lobbying.

References

  1. 1 2 Nick Madigan (May 10, 2004). "Voice of Health in a Pornographic World". The New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2007.
  2. ↑ "Promoting Healthcare for the Porn Industry". No. Weekend Edition. NPR. December 8, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Nick Madigan (April 17, 2004). "H.I.V. Cases Shut Down Pornography Film Industry". The New York Times. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Test Selection – Comprehensive Panel – HIV/AIDS Premium Test". SxCheck. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
  5. ↑ Sharon Mitchell (May 2, 2004). "How to Put Condoms in the Picture". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 29, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
  6. ↑ Nick Madigan (April 30, 2004). "New H.I.V. Infection Found in Sex-Film Industry". The New York Times. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
  7. ↑ Gene Ross (May 27, 2007). "Lara Roxx Timeline Begs Questions: Darren James got it from Lara Roxx, not the other way around?". Adult FYI. Archived from the original on March 13, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Pyramid of potential infection". Los Angeles Times. April 16, 2004. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2008. Time line of potential first and second generation infections
  9. ↑ "At least 16 previously unpublicized HIV cases". Los Angeles Times. June 11, 2009. Archived from the original on June 15, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009. Los Angeles County officials released public health data this afternoon indicating that 16 previously unpublicized cases of HIV had been confirmed in adult film industry performers since 2004 when an outbreak shut down porn production for a month.
  10. ↑ "News 6/12/09". AIM. June 12, 2009. Archived from the original on June 15, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2009. This is why they are not "publicized" as they had never fulfilled the desire to work in Adult Entertainment, due to the positive test.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ↑ "Porn Actor has Tested Positive for HIV; Industry Clinic Officials Confirm a Quarantine is in Effect". Los Angeles Times. October 12, 2010. Archived from the original on October 13, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Wicked Pictures and Vivid Entertainment Suspend Production as a Precaution Amid New HIV Case in Porn Performer". Los Angeles Times. October 12, 2010. Archived from the original on October 16, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  13. ↑ Stevens, Sara. "Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation". STDAware. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  14. ↑ Sharon Mitchell. "Ask Dr Mitch". SxCheck. Archived from the original on March 22, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
  15. ↑ "STOP SEX INFECTIONS THE SMART WAY". Wired. Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Porn Actors' Personal Information, HIV Status Released Through California Health Clinic, Report Says". Fox News. March 31, 2011.
  17. ↑ Dennis Romero (May 3, 2011). "Porn Clinic AIM Closes For Good: Valley-Based Industry Scrambles to Find New STD Testing System". LA Weekly . Archived from the original on May 7, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  18. ↑ Williams, Mitchell (November 21, 2012). "How a Straight Adult Performer Convinced Me That Condoms Are Useless in Porn". Huffington Press. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  19. ↑ Chen, Adrian (April 1, 2011). "The Wikileaks Knockoff That Has the Porn Industry Terrified". Jezebel.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.