AIDS Group Sues LA County to Enforce Porn Film Condom Regs

A prominent advocacy group that works to prevent the spread of AIDS has sued Los Angeles public health officials in an effort to force enforcement of regulations requiring actors in porn films to wear condoms.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court suit filed today by AIDS Healthcare Foundation also seeks a court order requiring the county public health department to take other "reasonable steps" to curtail the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, reports the Los Angeles Times.

"We're the porn capital of the world, and it's clear that the county has no intention of making these sets safer or of protecting the rest of the community from the diseases that are being spread in the production of these films," says Michael Weinstein. He is president and chief executive of the Los Angeles-based group.

In a written statement, the county public health department indicates that the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health should be recognized as the appropriate leader of any such enforcement efforts and says the county department "does not believe that litigation is the best means to deal with this issue."