Kink.com CEO Calls Out Michael Weinstein on His Falsehoods

SAN FRANCISCO—In an "open letter" on Peter Acworth's blog, the Kink.com CEO calls attention to several recent statements by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) president Michael Weinstein that are at best misleading, and which Acworth characterizes as "lies." The letter was written in the aftermath of the California Assembly having passed AB 1576, which would require, among other things, that all performers having sex on camera use "barrier protections"—including but not limited to condoms, latex gloves, dental dams, goggles and face shields—during all sexual activity. Acworth has previously written about his plans to move from Kink's base at the San Francisco Armory to another state if AB 1576 indeed becomes law. In the current letter, Acworth calls out Weinstein on three issues that have been central to AHF's (and Assembly member Isadore Hall III's) propaganda supporting the bill, perhaps the most deceptive of which was Weinstein's claim, as quoted in the press after recent Assembly committee hearings, that HIV-positive performers Cameron Bay and Rod Daily had "contracted HIV while working in adult film"—the clear implication being that they contracted the disease on an adult set, even though no one who worked with Bay tested HIV-positive, and even though Daily claimed he used a condom for all of his gay porn work. "By using a couple who have contracted HIV in their private life as evidence of a public health threat, you’re turning what should be a healthcare discussion into a moral debate," Acworth stated. "Would you say 'Magic Johnson contracted HIV while playing basketball'? Linguistically you’ve got some plausible deniability, but please. For you, the ends may justify the means, but in reality, it stops us from educating performers about real ways they should be protecting themselves." Also scoring high on the Pinocchio meter are AHF's reliance on "studies" conducted by Drs. Robert Kim-Farley and Peter Kerndt on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the adult industry—and ignoring the analysis by Johns Hopkins University epidemiologist and biostatistician Dr. Lawrence S. Mayer. "Among many fundamental flaws, these studies do not account for re-tests, do not accurately estimate the size of the population, and compare STI rates with the general population," Acworth analyzed. "If you compare porn stars to a group that includes pre-teens, moms and grandparents, you may get numbers you’re looking for. If you compare performers to people in their own age group? Not so much. These studies are profoundly flawed, and yet you still use them as fact. This is not only ethically problematic, it again unfairly stigmatizes porn performers." Finally, Acworth calls both Weinstein and Hall to task for repeating the falsehood that the only places where it is legal to shoot adult content are California and New Hampshire. "We shoot legally in nearly every state in the country, and many large companies are based in states like New York, Nevada and Florida," Acworth notes. "It may be politically expedient to tell legislators that performers and producers can’t set up shop out of state but, like so much else, it’s something that you know to be untrue." He goes on to add, "The ends do not justify the means. "So, please, Mr. Weinstein, stop misrepresenting the facts in this desperate manner to push your condom agenda through," Acworth pleads. "Please retract statements you know to be untrue. Please let’s come back to the table with honest, accurate dialog." Acworth's complete letter/blog post can be found here.