Calif. Wants Porn Stars To Lead By Example ... On Condoms, At Least

In 1889, Oscar Wilde said, "Life imitates art." More than 120 years later, science has replied: Life imitates porn, too. 

A study last year from Brown University found gay or bisexual men who have watched porn featuring condom-less anal sex are more likely to have sex without a condom. A separate study found more than a third of gay porn features unprotected anal sex.

More than 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, and more than half of those cases are men who have sex with other men.

Now, the studies' authors are weighing in on California's upcoming vote on a controversial porn law, telling health news site STAT the law would be "a step in the right direction" in preventing STDs.

The proposal is set for the 2016 California ballot and would require adult film performers to wear condoms. Proponents say the law will help protect performers from HIV and other diseases.

One group in support of the bill says 71 percent of California residents would vote yes to make the condom requirement a law of the land.

As you may have guessed, the restriction isn't going over well with the California adult film industry, which has already seen big shakeups over similar laws.

After Los Angeles County passed a measure requiring condoms in any sex scene, the county saw a 95 percent drop off in porn film production permits from 2012 to 2013.

One adult film director told STAT that framing the law as a public health measure doesn't make it any better: "Now the adult industry is responsible for the sexuality of society at large? No. ... That's not fair, and that's not right."

Music by “Merlot” by Birocratic / CC BY ND 3.0