November 24, 2006 | Sex & Society

French TV bans bareback

While the topic of condom use in gay porn (and in gay life) has loomed large ever since AIDS reared its ugly head most of the straight porn world has skirted the issue. But now in France the national broadcasting regulator is mandating that condoms be used in porn shown on French cable television.  

Starting next year, French TV will not be allowed to broadcast porn with scenes of unprotected sex because it sets a dangerous example, the official French broadcasting watchdog High Audiovisual Council (CSA) announced Wednesday.

The change was due in part to a request from  AIDS awareness organization Act Up which wrote the CSA earlier this year. "The risks actors take by having unprotected sex during filming are real. These films trivialize and possibly glorify risky sex." 

The CSA agreed with ACT Up and moved to classify unprotected sex in pornos as "delinquent behavior."

Will other Western countries follow France's lead? According to a United Nation report issued this week, there are now 40 million people living with HIV and over 25 million people have died from AIDS since 1981. If the porn industry won't regulate itself, it should come as no surprise if government steps in.  

• French broadcasting watchdog: actors must wear condoms in TV porn [AP - International Herald Tribune]