Free Speech Coalition calls for porn productions to shut down amid coronavirus

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) is calling for an immediate, voluntary shutdown of adult productions to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. The last time the industry shutdown was when a performer tested positive for HIV in 2018, according to FSC and Kink.com spokesperson Michael Stabile.

The FSC, the national trade association to the adult entertainment and products industries, updated their advisory on Sunday evening calling for the shutdown. This amends their previous advisories — which did not call for shutdowns — in the wake of heightened measures to stop the spread. Since the previous FSC update, Trump declared the United States to be in a national emergency and banned travel to many European nations.

In their press release, the FSC calls for a shutdown until March 31 and urges performers to stay at home as much as possible.

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"In accordance with the recent order from the Governor of the State of California to close all 'non-essential businesses,' and similar orders from other government officials throughout the United States and Canada, we ask that producers cancel all shoots through March 31," the press release reads, "and recommend that performers immediately stop filming with partners who are not a part of their household. We do not take this step lightly."

PASS (Performer Availability Screening Services), the test that performers take every two weeks to assure they are clear of STIs.

In the wake of coronavirus, performers may "work from home" instead, opting for options such as OnlyFans. Crew members, Stabile said in an interview with Mashable last week, may be hit the hardest as they cannot do their jobs at home.