. [; N6 u" W% P/ q( t: P现在，我遇到的许多人都说，不戴安全套的权利是宪法赋予的言论自由权利的一个关键部分，正如美国的立国之父指出的那样。2 O' ^8 L' V1 c1 ]$ k4 @& y
+ P9 K" [" E8 a$ i3 J- W4 v1 {4 z/ w一名制片人告诉我，“如果你把我的演员都装在橡胶里面，作为艺术家，我还能怎样表述自我呢”？ , U6 T( w+ W/ b7 e& v; ]' e+ U: x' o. X; v: M$ B
我很难想象，法兰克林和杰弗逊起草《第一修正案》的时候，想到过戴不戴安全套的权利。# z& u3 p2 o6 D2 F
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但是，我也很难想象，《星际迷航》的粉丝们排着长队去看皮克船长和“进取号”的船员们真刀真枪地“肉搏”。所以，我算老几呢？% ?7 ] c$ `! q. x4 ? d
( U( x% q/ u2 k$ ~但是，当局非常坚决。建筑工人必须戴头盔，矿工必须戴口罩，色情演员也必须有适当的保护。 9 b9 y' O9 {! q# b n) V 9 p) d# ^1 u2 Q3 |! `2 C a6 W和加州的立法人对阵，色情电影业最终很有可能打败仗。除了罚款，色情电影业也面临着一些前任演员们提出的代价昂贵的法律诉讼。 . _1 O/ Y4 N& D& f4 O1 W " e0 ~2 ]; M! \2 k4 Q一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。 / K; \, w; ^5 _% Y % C8 ]- C( p6 F, ^& }& m P制片人说，这对雇员没有任何好处，只会迫使制片公司搬到海外、或者转移到地下去拍片。观众想看的，就一定能看得到。 , a* X$ S: k: @. j7 D5 R0 L9 c5 [8 P+ I
宝碧也有同感。事实上，这也正是她开始脱衣服、准备开拍性爱场面之前说的告别词。 ( _/ e( d8 l" d1 Z8 C9 p ! p' S% s4 P& I, w! U% t1 N8 x我想，我看的已经够多了。我悄悄地离开拍摄现场，重新回到淅淅沥沥的小雨中…….6 t3 Z& ~' k8 Z( o% q1 ^* Y1 ]
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles : r; g$ o. V# ^6 F 4 [' X5 w+ O) fCalifornia's adult movie business is under pressure - internet piracy and the economic downturn have slashed revenues, while state regulators seem set to win their long battle to make actors wear condoms. 7 J! X/ i S( Z1 O4 K9 A* W e3 K
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.) a$ s& x6 P5 {( U& {2 |/ q* x3 R
, J) a) I* P" o& cI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. % ~! e6 ]% ?# s" Y' J0 s1 L* K4 |3 y+ \' W' c4 R6 ~
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.* ?- w, r8 |* G* z# t" B; Y
! l$ e0 Y3 G3 y; W8 XThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.9 Z+ K; \0 i: a" I+ d
9 v( _" H, Y' j# ~; p# |6 ?Performers in body-hugging Star Trek outfits, some with prosthetic noses to resemble aliens, wandered around looking slightly bored as a weary crew worried over lighting arrangements., w& t+ ^9 T y9 Z
1 u3 d3 S p" b5 C2 wThis morning was devoted to dialogue, I was told, although - as Sam, the film's artistically minded writer-director, explained to me with clear regret - there was not too much of that to be had. ; P! C/ ]2 M4 L6 ]- I4 o) J' u0 J4 v4 t) c( ~, O
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. * U# G z, o& c; K. B3 o) }" b, |7 ], @* G3 N6 l; e
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$ p4 K! T9 u9 }6 q+ `( L6 SThe demands of porn may not allow Sam to be the groundbreaking film-maker he clearly aspires to be, but at least there are films to be made. : _' w; F$ @4 S" q6 ^/ z' C" z5 V$ s j* n$ b
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.& f+ Y. O& T: X% a; \
/ P) W+ Z7 K" B0 Y/ bLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 3 g8 {' l! S4 r4 C6 H8 {3 C1 R& G- t4 e& V- m1 ^- m! L
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.8 x( q! M7 W3 m7 d/ [, ~" H
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And the economic downturn does not help.- \ o0 t) ~% F2 n
" T# r/ ^7 S0 Y) \% J# N"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. & b6 o0 Y( ~9 ?( ~9 r' t7 @6 r, c/ U7 b0 m4 z
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.& Y8 ?# U! F5 W, h" _
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 2 G$ q% b* I N" t2 x$ i6 W+ Z1 _' r, w& p' e/ F
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 0 J9 b* ]& M; \ p( M3 y9 _7 e - m% B) Z+ Q9 [3 `% vBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. ( ]5 _0 D1 \" s. q4 ]! ?: p+ x7 U8 ^2 p/ o6 p4 K9 }% J+ `/ H, Z4 X/ r, F
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. # G/ I! S( C/ ~& p# m0 @5 C# h4 H/ a3 s. a' m, E
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 2 D. j. E% b# A- o# X/ r # V' }3 [7 d, A' rShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. / S2 ^6 S/ ~( e6 ?* t ' B1 Q; d0 U# w4 A$ ]"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"' q/ G+ T1 d; ?9 Z4 ]: l" R
, s& ?! y- g9 |1 y8 t5 BHer packed schedule today involved a couple of lines, then a four-hour sex scene. Then a costume fitting on Tuesday and she was off to have her monthly health test after that.% {: L4 k! k6 b, Q5 @5 V, w2 e' j% M: a
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Each day would be 15 hours long.: j/ I1 P/ P% h0 l4 @
* f! f, Q4 W- x9 p Z# k"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.$ H: v( J( }9 b% T
+ N' }. j! J) v9 t4 h) h"You get used to it," she smiled.* _9 j+ J8 q6 Y& [% d! b9 Q& s
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"# @6 r3 T, L- E$ T
6 |) E/ V! H; K! Q9 o"Well, just chlamydia a couple of times, gonorrhoea - nothing much. Anyway, we test each month so, when you're diagnosed, you just take your medication and you're good to go. No problem." 5 b' o5 z! x. q% Z7 L& Z: ?5 S4 P& B m- X
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.) V5 J' d4 M5 d2 E9 ^6 t' |/ u$ w
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. $ }3 b3 }, W% F+ i7 |5 G6 u, ~' U/ e0 I+ [
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.& J6 h' z& t7 t7 ^) B& E
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It had taken a Supreme Court battle back in the 1980s to make porn legal in California in the first place, formally distinguishing it from common-or-garden prostitution. " @+ B1 k( c6 v! F) ]9 s' l. Z: h" G5 ^5 D t. b
Now, many I met spoke of the right not to wear condoms as a key aspect of their constitutional right to free speech, as set out by the Founding Fathers. , b8 T* n! U* [; ]" }8 h/ U3 H6 N9 P2 w/ u( e$ _: p' s2 M# m) `; s
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?": h* C+ w7 @+ p, \7 I
# v W. a# E( ?3 i4 {/ eI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 2 D1 }' s4 {9 m& p8 h4 D: F, G % x7 V' ?, I3 w) y9 a' w* [But then I also struggled to picture hordes of Star Trek fans queuing up to see Captain Jean-Luc Picard going hard-core with the crew of the Star Trek Enterprise. So what did I know? / H. G+ o+ l, @# p . I! r1 |5 d5 Z* gThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. * q% m! e) O. c 2 h- ~. ~" i) [$ k, ~! G: OIt seems likely that porn will eventually lose its battle against the California regulators, not least because - as well as state penalties - the industry could be about to face some very expensive lawsuits brought by former performers. 5 z! K; v' ?9 ]* ^, i, C5 p) @5 [ J: k4 g* W6 ~
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.0 f$ F p. w2 F; v# ^+ k: r$ W" S
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The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. / P7 x; X3 h" P$ C; D1 Z6 G : ^% L: `) ]& }0 ], W, Z( IThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 0 s2 X* ]8 J! ?2 ?( E5 u' [* U; j$ r6 Z
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.' j+ G6 l3 I1 M7 _: z4 j8 ~
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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