San Fernando Valley, Calif.
California’s multibillion-dollar porn industry came to a sudden halt this week after two performers—Darren James and Lara Roxx—tested positive for HIV. Panicked actors lined up to be tested, and major video producers temporarily shut down operations. An industry clinic quarantined 47 people who had sex with James or with his on-screen partners after his last negative test, in March. Roxx, 21, had unprotected sex with James in her first adult movie. She said tough safety standards—the industry’s 1,200 regular performers are screened every month—had made her feel safe. “I thought porn people were the cleanest people in the world,” Roxx said. State regulators said they would try to require all porn actors to use condoms.
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