LA City Attorney Sues to Block Ballot Measure Requiring Condom Use in Porn
Los Angeles city officials have filed suit to block a proposed ballot initiative requiring porn actors to wear condoms during film shoots.
City officials contend that the proposed measure is unnecessary and will waste taxpayer money, the Associated Press reports.
The suit, filed Thursday, says state laws mandating workplace safety already address the need for protective barriers to be used when workers are exposed to blood-borne pathogens such as HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
But officials with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which is trying to collect enough signatures to put the proposed measure on the June 2012 ballot, say the proposition won’t cost the city a dime since the election will be held either way.
“I think it’s extraordinary to attempt to thwart the will of 71,000 [petition signers] who under the laws of the city of Los Angeles wish to see this measure put before the voters,” said Michael Weinstein, president of the advocacy group.
The Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the porn industry, praised the city’s decision to take the matter to court.
FSC executive director Diane Duke said the AIDS Healthcare Foundation is squandering its donor resources “by filing frivolous lawsuits and ballot initiatives instead of providing valuable resources toward the prevention and treatment of HIV,” Courthouse News Service reported.
