"Pornstar = POZ?"

Dear Jack, I have a question reguarding barebacking. Is it true that All gay bareback porn stars are HIV Positive? Do Bareback porn stars get tested regularly? How do they protect themselves? PhatA4

Hi Phat, Thanks for your question! Bareback pornstars don't deal with anything that is all that different from what they find in real life. While it wouldn't be true to say that ALL bareback porn stars are HIV+Positive, for those going into the business it would be prudent to make the assumption they are... even if that assumption might be incorrect. As for how regularly they get tested, that's up to the individual. I don't believe any studios require an HIV test before signing on or taping a bareabck star (another reason it's best to assume bareback pornstars are most likely positive). Besides which, people who are Poz don't have any need to take the standard HIV tests like Elisa or Western Blot after they have found out they are Poz. Those tests are for detecting HIV in people who believe they are negative. How they "protect" themselves is just as it would be for them in real life. An HIV-Negative star could conceivably request that the studio pair him with another HIV-Negative star, but he takes as many chances as he would in trusting any other man with knowing and honestly reporting his HIV status. If a studio has any HIV-Negative performers, they might pair them together if possible. If it's not possible, I would assume they would be likely to pair an HIV-Negative top with a Poz bottom, but not knowingly the other way around. I don't know how often any of this may happen, if at all. I believe the studios prefer a "don't ask, don't tell" kind of environment to keep things less complicated (a third reason why it's best to assume stars are Poz). In any case, all stars are asked to sign contracts and model releases that require the star to acknowledge he knows the risks present and is comfortable with them before the cameras start rolling. Any studio that would not do that is, in my opinion, irresponsible, as the contract protects all parties from possible legal trouble. You can find more about the requirements for being a pornstar in the Perspective column archives (http://www.barebackjack.com/perspective.html) If you are asking these questions because you are concerned about the status of certain stars for whatever reason, I think you shouldn't make a blanket assumption about anyone's status. In public, they deserve the same respect and opportunity as anyone else. I hope that I have adequately answered your question, Happy New Year, ~Bareback Jack.