A federal judge has upheld as constitutional a Los Angeles County law requiring adult film performers to wear condoms. Yesterday's ruling is a setback to porn producers who filed a lawsuit to block the implementation of the Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry Act, or Measure B, which was approved by voters last November. In the ruling, US District Judge Dean Pregerson wrote that the AIDS Healthcare Foundation presented sufficient evidence of the health risks involved.
The decision was cheered by the nonprofit AIDS Healthcare Foundation, one of the sponsors of the measure. The foundation was granted "intervener" status to defend the law against the porn industry's lawsuit. It's a "tremendous, tremendous victory, one that will go a long way to safeguard the health and safety of those adult performers working in the industry," says the group's president, per the LA Times. No word yet on whether the industry plans to take the legal fight further. (More porn industry stories.)