| Darren James | |
|---|---|
| Birthdate: | February 25, 1964 |
| Birth location: | Detroit, Michigan |
| Ethnicity: | Black |
Darren James (born February 25, 1964 in Detroit, Michigan) is a former personal trainer and pornographic actor who was known for his professional demeanor and devotion to fitness.
James and several other adult performers contracted HIV while filming adult movies and the event sent shock waves throughout the adult entertainment industry and made worldwide headlines in 2004. This event came on the heels of another HIV scandal involving porn actor Marc Wallice in 1998.
To prevent an HIV outbreak, an urgent search was initiated for potentially infected performers.[1] The search and subsequent testing was conducted by the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation. James was suspected to have been infected by Bianca Biaggi.[2][3][4]
By the end of the month it was discovered that three actresses had also become infected with the virus. These were Canadian newcomer Lara Roxx, Miss Arroyo, and Czech-born Jessica Dee.[5][6] [7] Roxx had only entered the adult industry two months before contracting the virus. [8] On learning about the HIV ourbreak, she has said, "It totally made me realize how I trusted this system that wasn't to be trusted at all, because it obviously doesn't work," and "I thought porn people were the cleanest people in the world."[8]
Judy Star appeared in several movies where Roxx was also in the cast, and was known to have performed a sex scene with a female actress who had performed a scene with James.[9] Star, however, tested negative for HIV.[10]
The ensuing fears of HIV infection (as well as the public scandal and criticisms of the industry that followed the outbreak) caused a temporary shutdown of production of adult movies in the U.S.[11]
According to James, his diagnosis and the public disclosure thereof — which was how his family learned of his pornographic career — left him so distraught that he attempted suicide. After his recovery, he sued the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation for publicly disclosing his condition. The lawsuit was settled out of court, with terms remaining confidential. James turned to working behind the scenes of the adult film industry as a director and continues in that line of work.[12]
In 2005, the porn industry shutdown was the subject of the first episode of The Dark Side of Porn, a British documentary series produced for Channel 4.[13]
References
- ^ Nick Madigan (2004-05-10). "Voice of Health in a Pornographic World". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?&res=9C05EEDF123CF933A25756C0A9629C8B63. Retrieved 2007-02-26. "
Sharon Mitchell — Well-behaved women rarely make history" - ^ AVN :: Test Results Pending for Two Performers
- ^ Gene Ross (2007-05-27). "Lara Roxx Timeline Begs Questions: Darren James got it from Lara Roxx, not the other way around?". Adult FYI. http://www.adultfyi.com/read.php?ID=22883.
- ^ "Pyramid of potential infection". Los Angeles Times. 2004-04-16. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-041604adult-g,1,4216028.graphic. Retrieved 2008-03-20. "Time line of potential first and second generation infections"
- ^ Nick Madigan (2004-04-30). "New H.I.V. Infection Found in Sex-Film Industry". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506E4DD143DF933A05757C0A9629C8B63. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
- ^ http://business.avn.com/articles/15987.html
- ^ http://business.avn.com/articles/15867.html
- ^ a b "Lara Roxx: “I thought porn people were the cleanest people in the world.”". Adult Video News. 2004-04-17. http://business.avn.com/articles/15762.html. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
- ^ "Canadian Trio on the Quarantine List; Doghouse Digital Offers Aid", Adult Video News, April 15, 2004. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
- ^ "On the Roxx", by Kristian Gravenor, Montreal Mirror, 2004-04-29. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
- ^ Nick Madigan (2004-04-17). "H.I.V. Cases Shut Down Pornography Film Industry". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE4DB133BF934A25757C0A9629C8B63. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
- ^ Lin II, Rong-Gong. (2009, June 15). "Porn star recalls nightmare of testing HIV positive", Los Angeles Times
- ^ The Dark Side of Porn Channel4.com
External links
- Darren James at the Internet Movie Database
- Filmography at the Adult Film Database
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