Why L.A.'s New Condom Law Isn't Going to Keep Porn Stars Safe

The Los Angeles City Council approved a city ordinance Tuesday requiring porn peformers to wear condoms while filming sex scenes, but the measure is unlikely to make the industry or its workers any safer. The 9-1 vote overrides the need for a special election that would have taken place in June (at a cost of $4 million) as council members assumed that voters would overwhelming approve the measure. The rules have been lobbied for by AIDS Healthcare Foundation for the last several years, though porn companies and many performers themselves have protested against the new law that will take effect in 90 days.

While the goal -- making actors safer -- is commendable, the new law will probably do little to achieve that. For starters, California state law already requires protection whenever any worker might come into contact with bodily fluids, but those rules are rarely if ever enforced. Given the tens of thousands of porn scenes that are filmed in the L.A. area every year, it's hard to image the city being able to do a better job.

Read the full story at The Atlantic Wire.