: K( } {; z/ k我接着问，“那么，健康风险呢？你经常被感染吗”？% X! A- O# |/ D3 y1 w- O# Y: s
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她说，“也就是染上过一两次衣原体，还有淋病，除此之外，没什么大不了的。我们每个月都体检，得了病，赶紧吃药，然后就又能回去上班了。没问题。” 9 u. r6 E. e3 I9 E- e3 @9 ~ 8 w& D& m0 t, w: P! ^4 g' X. \1 k我看，宝碧人很“加州”。进一步说，整个色情电影业都有点“很加州”的意思。有执著的热情、反叛的心态，还有一点点自由主义者反抗压力的顽强。 2 ~& e% v9 Z6 X: F% g' y# C+ v/ F4 R. R: N- B
1980年代，官司一直打到高等法院，色情电影在加州才得到了合法化的地位，正式与普通意义上的嫖娼卖淫划清了界限。 ! w7 W E: {. H- J不戴安全套的权利 1 ]: G3 I% X+ ]5 e- T* P+ U 1 `3 h0 A8 ?. _+ a6 s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。5 } C/ y7 C) K, z
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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”？# k, t. F! c0 E( K8 n" H$ [
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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。 - \3 g' v* \. X* c# W n2 h# Q( R: p1 V- [# ]' ?9 `
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？ ' C% T! V! H2 v% Q5 T- l7 \( o; v% m4 F& x
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。7 {0 k* }$ F5 ]7 H. W
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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。 2 _3 a# a2 _/ |- m+ x; L v& Q& S 6 n; a; s/ T- \一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。$ W) T- v8 a7 r
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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。5 `* x9 b |% t6 ?4 g9 \0 c, \
4 F/ Y) u) H3 R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。) U2 j( K, O$ X [* L
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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…….' W( _3 Q' A2 U* o1 B. [
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles % Z0 E& i B6 T1 b * d- e5 Y2 T& o! x3 XCalifornia'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.0 T8 A! R( X9 q+ q' ?# i' [
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.% ~: \( O ?+ \8 C) B4 O% i+ b. b! g
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I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. ( p$ M) Q+ |% Z7 H 9 z( M* F6 n% p8 NWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. ; n# e2 v. [# B; n7 f# ^- V0 v1 S0 n3 f 9 |: c3 U. I1 C# O& f5 kThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga./ h$ a' \ {) X; y* D
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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. - g1 g' Y) `& n0 r ! c; Q* H4 p; I! f' JThis 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. , J3 s4 t, }- v0 I f8 R. B$ Q9 m% f. m) G& S, [
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.( I* {6 o+ m) c+ |( E. ~( r) U
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The 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. ! n% `- x6 k1 k! D " Q2 w' x% X: P# _2 A# H6 EThe problem, increasingly, is revenue., v' z5 h2 h9 f1 j9 O6 y) s! e
3 c, x( T2 }& i1 Y2 N+ u4 S7 O( _Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. ; V g- R' k& b4 C$ T1 {& W( `7 R3 w6 y( i6 r
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. $ Q. d9 X( V. Z) ^; S" [5 q7 g7 b7 e* V6 s7 ^
And the economic downturn does not help. 7 x4 M( d2 s/ s1 |$ |6 Q' J2 R4 D 8 X) L2 z+ y/ C" C" c# g8 a* e"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. # D* ~# V- z' N6 F, |3 t! F8 l% J* G( ^- l5 Z- @+ O
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.0 O6 s( q' o/ I
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 4 x: U% F5 V/ K8 z k6 K. s/ E4 G. `
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 4 ]( v4 `2 x1 T; h6 v5 f. h- g+ C9 p# d! R# k. q
But the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. : n7 ?' F( M% i7 r- d+ N) y5 L$ C) E3 r/ T. S1 |& J
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. + B+ V, Q* e s& m' `1 g * w1 Y0 s$ c- cA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. q& d" m/ i8 c+ g- E2 e( G: o% u [8 }% p2 L
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. A5 F7 G0 a/ u& w3 F) e, ~% ]
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"$ s% s* ]; B% q
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Her 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. ) u$ V5 f2 k- O* k2 s: e4 _* u0 g# T! W6 \( |
Each day would be 15 hours long.# i L6 w, [( \' a, y6 }8 L
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.4 d7 t7 e j7 l( ^: o% c
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"You get used to it," she smiled.6 s5 d& w, s3 a9 ]$ l& {) g: ~+ W
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" + S) ^% [6 y1 i' L, N! s, u# X7 s! W7 L; Z( f. }2 n. u
"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." $ Y W& p& ^7 e" i5 ]2 U/ O ; _0 d: p X7 ^' vThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. y3 `' Q4 ?( v9 H. j6 q3 ?5 k
6 p w& F: P% \% G; Z* mExpensive lawsuits 5 T8 g* r# V* t6 D X' n+ _! E' o1 a' f* o+ d# O! [7 H4 f
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 3 m3 I, w9 E7 ~ % `* C! |/ T0 H1 d7 w, dA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.$ F7 h& C8 w8 v0 D6 p; e4 {
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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.) ?, J2 ~1 R; T1 R/ R" D2 l+ V
9 D+ f% D( W2 h" o$ p6 v( zNow, 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.3 x M+ W; v- e4 f' s
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"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"8 c3 r+ Q2 q: S) I
% p4 O2 q5 }# M! rI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.; h# e; l- n1 w3 `- b/ ?4 t
( t! T( h7 O4 y6 c0 m5 bBut 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? 2 S1 B$ ~+ W' f; I + J# n( a: m% W0 B. HThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. ) U$ A; I1 W0 \. C 8 y3 x4 ?8 F6 b# L0 H# gIt 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.' h! H& n8 d, _: r; C& V
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 7 Z, \: D8 n/ M5 C) g, S / v4 g$ s) U6 l6 F% RThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.3 A/ J' }5 l- l, `
# O4 t; a0 k# k' A& A/ D. H! |9 G3 YThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.: L1 }, P+ h& w6 t
2 d" Y+ o9 u, i: S2 EI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 0 b) d$ r, E/ | j1 u0 ? G 6 ]& l+ B4 c. v, N2 b" {' n $ A4 J8 N, r" i7 y( _" u* ^/ F5 s) i# y3 g( M; q" J8 N& I; u3 X. P6 T : L9 L' Q$ K) j0 E/ c, ]/ R3 oCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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