From the Officers of the Adult Performers Actors Guild-
Undetectable HIV has been the topic of debate for the union this week. As we expressed concern over performer safety and possible exposure to HIV while on set due to our outdated testing protocols, we were met with anger, hate, and were made aware of an apparent agenda to allow HIV Undetectable performers into our testing pool. The union expressed immediate concern due to the unnecessary risk others want to expose performers to.
In November of 2017, we learned about our testing; advancements, how our tests work, and we discovered a hole. The test we currently use allows for HIV Undetectable performers to slide into our work force unnoticed because the test we use will not pick up their viral load. We asked FSCPASS at that time to add the ELISA test, a simple $16 test that is already available at our testing facilities. They refused. We also ran a poll on our website with an overwhelming response from performers, all stating that they wanted the extra test.
The Union believes in Informed Consent. We believe performers need to disclose their status to their scene partners prior to filming to offer complete consent. As you know, our industry is separated into two factions, straight and gay, with all straight performers following FSCPASS protocols, as the gay film industry follows their own system. Some companies require testing while others follow a “don’t ask don’t tell” policy regarding STI’s. This issue has caused many rifts between the two sides of adult, and it came to the forefront this week.
As a defense against disclosure and testing, performers were quoting the CDC to squash concerns about risk of HIV Undetectable performers. We have seen the words “effectively no risk” being touted all week. This prompted the Union to take action and reach out to the CDC for a response to these cries.
I received a response from the CDC this morning with a detailed explanation and how it affects performers. Thank you to the CDC for clearing up this confusion. Please read their response below so you can see for yourself. Photos of the actual email will be attached as well so you can be sure nothing was altered, except the removal of our President’s private telephone number.
Now…it’s time to stand up and demand changes in our testing! We want the ELISIA added to our testing panel and performers do, too! It’s time FSCPASS listens to the performers it’s supposed to protect.
The Adult Performers Actors Guild
Begin forwarded message:
From: CDCInfo <cdcinfo@cdcinquiry.onmicrosoft.com>
Date: May 1, 2018 at 10:51:51 AM PDT
To: “members@apagunion.com” <members@apagunion.com>
Subject: FW: RESPONSE REQUIRED: Topic: Undetectable HIV/ Load, Priority: Medium, Mode: Email [ref:_00DU0YCBU._500t09kewU:ref][Case#:CDC-04280-W7C3Z1] CRM:0021243
Thank you for your inquiry to CDC-INFO. Your request for information was forwarded to the CDC Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. We hope you find their reply helpful.
Thank you for submitting your inquiry.
To help answer your question,
- If someone is stating: ” People (actors) are quoting CDC as saying undetectable HIV means you cannot transmit HIV to others.” then these people (performers) are misquoting CDC. CDC states that there is “effectively no risk of transmission” based on available evidence. This statement is subject to limitations included on the CDC’s website here and I encourage the writer to carefully review this website https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/art/index.htmland this fact sheet: https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/risk/art/cdc-hiv-art-viral-suppression.pdf.
- Achieving and maintaining viral suppression are required to achieve this level of risk and we know from extensive clinical experience and our surveillance that only about two thirdsof Americans with HIV infection are able to do this. Furthermore, many details have yet to be worked out, for instance: how long it takes to achieve an undetectable viral load, how to document that a person is maintaining a viral load that is undetectable, and what to do if the person misses some doses of their HIV medicine has an STD or experiences a “viral blip”.
***Feedback about your experience with CDC-INFO is important to us and will help us continue to improve. Please rate your interaction by completing this short survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FKXRCG5?CaseId=CDC-04280-W7C3Z1
. Responses are kept completely confidential.***
————————————————————————————————————
Links to nonfederal organizations are provided as a service. Links are not an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the federal government. CDC is not responsible for the content of organization websites found at these links.
Thank you for contacting CDC-INFO. For more information, please call 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636), visit www.cdc.gov and click on “Contact CDC-INFO,” or go to www.cdc.gov/info. This e-mail was sent from an unmonitored mailbox, and CDC-INFO will not respond to replies sent to this mailbox. If you have questions or comments, please send them via our online form at www.cdc.gov/info.
CDC-INFO is a service of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). This service is provided by the General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) contract to CDC and ATSDR.
————————————————————————————————————
TR/DW CDC SME
———————————— Case Description ————————————
undetectable HIV and transmission
Alana Evans
members@apagunion.com
818-XXX-XXXX
Alana is President of APAG (Adult Performers Actors Guild):
People (actors) are quoting CDC as saying undetectable HIV means you cannot transmit HIV to others. This ia a workplace issue. Wants to open a line to CDC for proper guidance and dialog for adult industry.
You must be logged in to post a comment.