Pro-Truvada Docu-Short Features Treasure Island Models

SAN FRANCISCO—FusionTV has released a short documentary (that feels like a PSA) on Truvada, the HIV transmission-reducing drug that has reignited a fierce debate in the gay community about the proper role of condoms and the wisdom of promoting a wonder drug that if not used properly could actually put people in greater jeopardy than normal. At least that is the fear among a lot of thoughtful people: that Truvada, a PreP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) drug made by Gilead Sciences of Foster City, California, will make people more complacent than they already are, and as a result lead them to engage in more unprotected sex than they otherwise might consider. That core argument is what the documentary appears intended to counter, and to do so it uses as its main means of illustrating its point a gay couple—one of whom is HIV positive, the other negative—who also moonlight as porn stars for one of the industry's most controversial bareback studios. According to laist.com, "Max and Drew have day jobs as a special ed teacher and chef, respectively, but they also moonlight as models for Treasure Island Media—the same local porn concern that has made headlines for its aversion to condoms and some subsequent fines from the California workplace health authority, Cal/OSHA." The article continues, "Max is HIV-negative, while Drew, his boyfriend of a year and a half, is HIV-positive, and Max has, like some small percentage of urban gay men in the U.S., opted to take PreP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a.k.a. the drug Truvada, which has been shown to be potentially more effective than condoms in reducing the risk of HIV transmission." Needless to say, Max and Drew are proponents of Truvada, and believe it has enhanced their relationship while also keeping them safe in their private and professional lives. But the documentary also "talks to UCSF medical professor Robert Grant who took part in the clinical trial that led to Truvada's being approved by the FDA in 2012 for the purposes of preventing HIV in sexually active, HIV-negative men (it showed more than a 99 percent effectiveness rate)." The filmmakers also trek around the city, during the day and at night, to get man-on-the-street interviews with people about whether they are even aware of the existence of Truvada. Many people, it turns out, are not, or are unsure exactly what it does and does not do, and most appeared completely ignorant of its use by HIV negative individuals. The reason for that might be the marketing blackout by Gilead, which provided a statement to the producers of the documentary to the effect that they have no plans to market the drug, but have been actively reaching out to community groups and healthcare providers to make sure that the people who need it get it. That said, a relative drop in the bucket of HIV negative people seem to be currently taking the drug. "According to Gilead," writes Jay Barmann for laist.com, "only 1,400 HIV-negative gay men have sought prescriptions so far, despite the rates of unsafe sex and new HIV infections continuing to rise." Barmann adds anecdotally, "I already know of a few people who are taking the drug at the urging of their doctors, because they'd rather not use condoms in their sex lives." As AVN and others have noted, the increasing awareness of Truvada despite lack of active marketing on the part of Gilead is sure to focus this discussion about its adoption not only by the gay community, but also by the adult entertainment industry, gay and straight. The very decision to use Treasure Island models in a documentary intended to reach civilians is in itself a highly controversial move that is sure to upset people who feel just as strongly that promoting Truvada is irresponsible at best. But the cat is out of the bag as far as Truvada's influence on adult production. Michael Lucas, a New York-based major producer of quality gay porn who was formerly an avowed proponent of safe sex on the set, has changed his tune with the emergence of Truvada, and only recently filmed his first bareback scene. Last month, in response to his sea change, Lucas told Queerty,  "For many years, as you know, I was vocally opposed to bareback sex in videos, because I felt that it was putting the models in danger. But times have changed. HIV treatments can now reduce viral loads to the point where, as far as we can tell, they pose little to no risk of transmission. Combine that with PrEP treatments for HIV-negative people, and we’re talking about a much, much lower danger than was previously the case." On the straight side of the industry, discussion of Truvada is rare for one reason only: because performers' careers in straight porn come to a screeching halt the minute their HIV positive status become public. However, the issue of viral loads does lurk in the background when the relatively rare HIV infection hits the straight industry, and is also whispered about when the subject of crossover performers comes up. That said, the issues raised in the FusionTV documentary—including the unspoken issue of testing!—though thoughtfully and sensitively delivered, will continue to challenge not only the gay community in general, but also the adult industry, gay and straight, which has to also deal with market forces in addition to the pesky issue of keeping workplace sex, and the workers having that sex, as safe as humanly possible. The FusionTV documentary can be seen here.