With everything going on in the world right now, it’s important that we’re doing whatever we can to protect our health and the health of those around us. This is why schools, restaurants, shops, and other businesses are temporarily shutting down. Until now, the adult film industry wasn’t part of that initiative, but it looks like all movie sets will soon be going dark.
- The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has advised a total shutdown. The FSC, which is an industry trade organization, recommended that all producers in both the US and Canada shut down adult film sets starting on Monday to avoid the risk of spreading illness among cast and crew. This announcement came directly after the CDC banned gatherings of more than 50 people, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise.
- So far, the adult film industry has escaped infection. Rolling Stone reports that FSC spokesman Mike Stabile insists that the call for the adult film industry to go on lockdown was “just preemptive” and that there’s no one that they’re aware of who’s become infected at this stage. They only advised the lockdown through the end of March, though something tells me it will be much longer than that before things are back to normal.
- Adult film stars have been worried about this for awhile now. Several stars including Giselle Palmer told Rolling Stone that they were switching to web-based work where they didn’t have to have contact with other people in order to avoid getting sick. One producer admitted that the illness spreading through the industry “could be catastrophic.” In other words, shutting down needs to happen sooner rather than later.
- Sadly, many of the performers need to work. Technically speaking, adult film stars are freelancers or independent contractors, meaning when they don’t work, they don’t get paid. Not only that, but many of them don’t have access to health insurance, sick pay, or other benefits, so shutting down the sets can have dire financial consequences for the roughly 2,000 people affected.
- Thankfully, there are other money-making avenues available. Many of those working in the adult film industry have taken to doing cam work like Palmer in order to keep the money coming in while the sets are shut down, something Stabile and the FSC are very supportive of. “We’ve been encouraging this from the beginning, and expect we’ll see a shift in this regard,” he said. “This is an unprecedented situation, and like all industries, we’re going to have to find a way through this, and help our performers and producers survive.”
