Press Releases

In December, AHF Filed Petition Seeking Amendment to State’s “Bloodborne Pathogens” Regulation to Better Encompass Adult Film Industry, Expressly Requiring Condoms to Protect Performers

By: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Los Angeles, CA - June 28, 2010
California’s of Department Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) will convene its first meeting of an Advisory Panel to explore strengthening adult film worker safety regulations in California. During its Standards Board meeting in March in Costa Mesa, the Board voted unanimously to convene the Advisory Panel in order to take public comment from health advocates, industry officials and the general public on whether—and how—to amend state health statutes to better protect adult film workers. That March action came in response to a petition filed in December by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) seeking an amendment to broaden the Cal/OSHA’s “bloodborne pathogens” workplace safety regulations to better encompass adult film industry worksites.

Several former adult entertainment actresses as well as several public health advocates will testify at Cal/OSHA Advisory Panel meeting in support of changing state health regulations.

WHAT: Cal/OSHA ADVISORY PANEL Meeting on Adult Film Worker Safety Panel to consider changes to state regs to better protect adult film workers

WHEN: TUESDAY, June 29th 2010—-10:00 AM to 3:30 PM

WHERE: Caltrans Building, 100 S. Main Street, Room #1040,Los Angeles, CA 90012

WHO: Shelley Lubben, former adult entertainment actress and founder of Pink Cross Foundation, Jan (Meza) Merritt, former adult entertainment actress and member of Pink Cross Foundation, Marcy Greer, former adult entertainment actress and member of Pink Cross Foundation, Robert Kim-Farley, MD, MPH, Director, Communicable Disease Control and Prevention Program, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Michael Weinstein, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, President, Whitney Engeran-Cordova, Director, Public Health Division, AHF, Brian Chase, Assistant General Counsel, AIDS Healthcare Foundation

MEDIA NOTE: Cal/OSHA does NOT permit filming or recording during the advisory panel meeting; however, individuals named above will be available to speak with news media outside the meeting chambers.

CONTACT: Ged Kenslea, AHF Dir. of Communications (323) 791-5526 cell

In March, Cal/OSHA officials evaluated and acted on AHF’s petition during the Costa Mesa Standards Board meeting. In its proposed decision (http://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/petition513.html), Cal OSHA officials wrote:

“In light of the evaluations, it is apparent to the Board that serious consideration should be given to the possible amendment of Section 5193 in order to give greater protection to employees in the adult film industry.” (Emphasis added)

Background on AHF’s Petition to Cal/OSHA

AHF filed its petition at the final 2009 meeting of the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Cal/OSHA) in mid-December in Sacramento. The petition sought an amendment to California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 5193 “Bloodborne Pathogens” and asked Cal/OSHA to clarify protections for workers in the adult film industry and to explicitly include a condom requirement. As reported by the Associated Press at the time, (“AIDS group wants rule requiring condoms in porn” AP, 12/16/09) AHF said, “regulations to prevent the spread of bloodborne diseases in hospitals should extend to adult film sets. The current regulations aren't clear enough.”

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Coalition for the War on Illegal Pornography

Multiple Deaths in Porn Industry in One Day Underscore Need to Enforce Obscenity Laws
A briefing for members of Congress and their staffs featuring lead researchers and an ex-porn star's personal experience with pornography

Media Contact:
Lesley S. Bateman | Design4 Marketing
813-849-0076 ext 106 | Cell: 813-335-7060
Lesley@design4.org

Washington, DC (June 8, 2010) – On June 3, two porn performers in separate incidents, were involved in heinous murder/suicides, illustrating the truth behind the fantasy of porn, which Shelley Lubben, ex-porn star will discuss at a timely briefing, “Pornography Harms: What Congress can do to Enforce Existing Laws”, at the United States Capitol Visitors Center ~ HVC-201 at 11 a.m., June 15.

The event is designed to arm elected officials with existing laws and will feature experts from a variety of backgrounds. They will address attendees on four leading harms of pornography, how existing laws can and should be enforced against illegal material and what Congress can do to protect and prosecute.

Porn star-turned-prostitute Sunny Dae was arrested for murdering a client during a private session, stabbing her client in the back and beating his face to a bloody pulp with a sledgehammer, stealing about $6000 cash and electronics. Five years ago, Sunny Dae could have made $6,000 in a week in the porn industry. On the same day, Steve Driver, another porn performer attacked three people with a Samurai sword on a movie set, killed one of them and started his escape that turned into a media circus ending days later in his suicide.

“Sadly, stories of death, suicide and destruction are common in the porn industry,” said Shelley Lubben, former porn actress fighting tirelessly against the pornography industry. She details story after story on her web site: www.shelleylubben.com/pornstars. “We need the Justice Department to aggressively enforce federal obscenity laws against large-scale distributors of obscene materials.”

According to research, the porn industry lures a damaged population as its employees and up to 90% are child sexual abuse survivors. Lubben will discuss the Truth Behind the Fantasy of Porn at the briefing.

In addition to Lubben, the lineup includes:

• Dr. Mary Anne Layden of the Sexual Trauma and Psychopathology Program at the Center for Cognitive Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania who will address the addiction to pornography;

• Forensic pediatrician Sharon Cooper, M.D. of the University of North Carolina who will address the harmful effects of adult pornography on children who view it;

• Internationally acclaimed speaker and author Gail Dines, Ph.D., Professor of sociology and women’s studies at Wheelock College in Boston who will discuss her studies on how pornography debases men, women and the culture.

• Attorney Laura Lederer, perhaps the leading voice in America on human trafficking, who will discuss the link between pornography and sex trafficking.

• Donna Rice Hughes, the leading voice on internet safety for children in America and Enough is Enough President, who will address the urgent need to protect children now from the harm of Internet pornography (www.internetsafety101.org)

A growing body of research suggests that the habitual use of pornography — especially Internet pornography — can damage people of all ages and both sexes, negatively impacting their relationships, productivity, happiness and their ability to function in society. Event information may be found at http://bit.ly/cL551APornHarms. For additional research and resource information on pornography, visit www.PornHarms.com and www.SocialCostsofPornography.org.

About The DC Group on Pornography
The Coalition for War on Illegal Pornography is an effort associated with The DC Group on Pornography, a group of national organizations which meet quarterly in Washington, DC for the purpose of education, strategic planning and action. The group has met with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on several occasions asking that Federal Laws prohibiting interstate transportation of adult obscene pornography be enforced.
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Coalition for the War on Illegal Pornography

Why Congress is Not Protecting Children from Pornography When the Public Supports Enforcement of Existing Laws
A briefing for members of Congress and their staffs featuring lead researchers and an ex-porn star's personal experience with pornography

Media Contact:
Lesley S. Bateman | Design4 Marketing
813-849-0076 ext 106 | Cell: 813-335-7060
Lesley@design4.org

Washington, DC (June 8, 2010) – On the heels of Apple CEO Steve Jobs comments that his company has a moral responsibility to keep its products free from pornography, government employees viewing pornography for hours on-end, and the government’s lack of support for enforcing existing laws, a timely briefing, “Pornography Harms: What Congress can do to Enforce Existing Laws” will be held at United States Capitol Visitors Center ~ HVC-201 at 11 a.m., June 15.

Developed to arm elected officials with existing law, experts from a variety of backgrounds will speak on four leading harms of pornography, how existing laws can and should be enforced against illegal material and what Congress can do to protect and prosecute.

“Pornography used to be something that you had to go to the edge of town: a sleazy place, slink in public and go to the porn shop and get it. Now you don't have to slink anywhere. We have a pornography pipeline into our house available 24-7 so that we don't even have to go anywhere,” says Dr. Mary Anne Layden, psychotherapist at Sexual Trauma and Psychopathology Program at the Center for Cognitive Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania who will address addiction to pornography.

Regarding addiction she said, “Some studies say that children as young as 7 are being exposed. When you start at 7, by the time you're 20, 30, you've got a couple of decades of exposure to this material. So, you see it building up in the message that is both hostile to women and says that sex is a non-intimate, recreational activity that's degrading, exploiting. That message, hostility to women, mixed with the idea that sex is adversarial and casual and recreational, ultimately lead to the sexual violence that we're seeing.”

“The CEO of a major company is making a statement regarding the distribution of pornography and is on firm, legal footing to make this decision. The Supreme Court established long ago a three-pronged test to determine whether something is “obscene. That test applied to today’s available material would remove x portion off the internet, said Pat Trueman, former Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the US Department of Justice, who will close out the event discussing the fact that NONE of the Federal laws against illegal adult pornography are currently enforced by the U.S. Department of Justice and what Congress can do to enforce these very laws.

In addition to Layden, the lineup includes:

• Forensic pediatrician Sharon Cooper, M.D. of the University of North Carolina who will address the harmful effects of adult pornography on children who view it;

• Internationally acclaimed speaker and author Gail Dines, Ph.D., Professor of sociology and women’s studies at Wheelock College in Boston who will discuss her studies on how pornography debases men, women and the culture.

• Attorney Laura Lederer, perhaps the leading voice in America on human trafficking, who will discuss the link between pornography and sex trafficking.

• Former pornography star Shelley Lubben (www.shelleylubben.com and www.thepinkcross.org )who will address how the pornography criminal enterprises treat women in the industry.

• Donna Rice Hughes, the leading voice on internet safety for children in America and Enough is Enough President, who will address the urgent need to protect children now from the harm of Internet pornography (www.internetsafety101.org)

A growing body of research suggests that the habitual use of pornography — especially Internet pornography — can damage people of all ages and both sexes, negatively impacting their relationships, productivity, happiness and their ability to function in society. Event information may be found at http://bit.ly/cL551APornHarms. For additional research and resource information on pornography visit www.PornHarms.com and www.SocialCostsofPornography.org.

About The DC Group on Pornography
The Coalition for War on Illegal Pornography is an effort associated with The DC Group on Pornography, a group of national organizations which meet quarterly in Washington, DC for the purpose of education, strategic planning and action. The group has met with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on several occasions asking that Federal Laws prohibiting interstate transportation of adult obscene pornography be enforced.
# # #

Coalition for the War on Illegal Pornography

PORNOGRAPHY HARMS: WHAT CONGRESS CAN DO TO ENFORCE EXISTING LAWS
A briefing designed for Congress and their staffs to learn what can be done to enforce existing law

Media Contact:
Lesley S. Bateman | Design4 Marketing
813-849-0076 ext 106 | Cell: 813-335-7060
Lesley@design4.org

Washington, DC (May 25, 2010) – The Coalition for the War on Illegal Pornography today announced the lineup of speakers for a major briefing at the United States Capitol Visitors Center ~ HVC-201 at 11 a.m., June 15, entitled “Pornography Harms: What Congress can do to Enforce Existing Laws.” The event is open to every Member of the U.S. House and Senate, their staffs, the Capitol press corps, and the public.

Experts from a variety of backgrounds will speak on four leading harms of pornography, how existing laws can and should be enforced against illegal material and what Congress can to protect and prosecute.

The lineup includes:
• Dr. Mary Anne Layden of the Sexual Trauma and Psychopathology Program at the Center for Cognitive Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania who will address the addiction to pornography;

• Forensic pediatrician Sharon Cooper, M.D. of the University of North Carolina who will address the harmful effects of adult pornography on children who view it;

• Internationally acclaimed speaker and author Gail Dines, Ph.D., Professor of sociology and women’s studies at Wheelock College in Boston who will discuss her studies on how pornography debases men, women and the culture.

• Attorney Laura Lederer, perhaps the leading voice in America on human trafficking, who will discuss the link between pornography and sex trafficking.

• Former pornography star Shelley Lubben (www.shelleylubben.com and www.thepinkcross.org )
who will address how the pornography criminal enterprises treat women in the industry.

• Donna Rice Hughes, the leading voice on internet safety for children in America, who will address the urgent need to protect children now from the harm of Internet pornography.

• Pat A. Trueman, former chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the US Department of Justice, who will close out the event discussing the fact that NONE of the Federal laws against illegal adult pornography are currently enforced by the U.S. Department of Justice and what Congress can do to enforce these very laws.

A growing body of research suggests that the habitual use of pornography — especially Internet pornography — can damage people of all ages and both sexes, negatively impacting their relationships, productivity, happiness and their ability to function in society. Event information may be found at http://bit.ly/cL551APornHarms. For additional research and resource information on pornography visit www.PornHarms.com and www.SocialCostsofPornography.org.