In case you’ve been living under a rock: Last week, a porn gossip blog published Mason Wyler’s HIV-positive status, which Wyler later confirmed. Then, Raging Stallion made Wyler a job offer. But Raging Stallion will have to wait, as Next Door Studios’ Stephan Sirard (the owner of MasonWyler.com), tells The Sword that he has no plans of ending his relationship with Wyler or closing his membership site.
Last June, Next Door announced that Wyler’s site would only feature live, solo webcam shows from Mason. No reason was given at the time, but Sirard now confirms that this was because of Wyler’s positive test results, which Wyler actually learned of in April during an adult marketing convention in Arizona, the Phoenix Forum.
“After 29 months of shooting with us, Mason did test positive,” Sirard tells The Sword. “Any performer who has a contract with us understands that he or she can not work with another model if they test positive for any STD. But Mason is a great guy and a great performer, so of course we made arrangements for him to do solo work and webcam work. He signed a new contract that expires in February, and we’d love to have him renew with us when the time comes.”
Sirard disagrees with those who call Next Door’s business practices discriminatory. “We don’t discriminate. We have staff members who are HIV-positive, I have friends who are positive. And models who test positive are welcome to shoot solo scenes, jerk off scenes, webcams, do photos, all of that. Look, every month–every damn month–I have someone test positive for an STD. We’ve been getting Chlamydia every month for five years, and we’ve had only two, well Mason makes three, who’ve tested HIV-positive. It’s not just a business decision, it’s a common sense decision. Condoms aren’t 100%, so if someone comes back positive, we can’t put other models at risk.”
I can respect wanting to protect models, obviously. Who wouldn’t? But in real life, people with HIV have sex with other people! And this includes negative people. In real life, people with HIV aren’t relegated to webcam masturbation shows, by themselves. So, is stigmatizing HIV-positive models as “solo only” performers realistic? Is it fair?
Of course, it’s Sirard’s choice to run his business however he wants. And business is booming, according to Sirard. “To our shock, Mason’s site, as it is now–a webcam and solo site–is bringing in greater revenue than it did before when Mason was working with other models.”
I asked Sirard if he had any theories as to how Mason’s test results became public knowledge (full disclosure: I heard the news third-handedly from someone who knew someone who knew someone who worked on a Next Door set, so I called Mason and asked him directly in June before deciding to keep it to myself), but he could only speculate.
“I don’t know. Maybe [Mason] may have told someone? Maybe it was a rumor among our staff, or one of his co-stars? When people saw that there wasn’t content being filmed, it may have been obvious that something was going on, and rumors may have started from there.”
This sets a dangerous precedent, especially considering the nature in which Mason’s test results were revealed last week. If, say, Next Door’s Tommy D. suddenly stopped filming scenes or had his site transitioned to webcam/solo, how long before someone with a grudge or an agenda starts writing a blog post claiming that Tommy D. might be HIV-positive and “spreading diseases”?
Maintaining a policy that publicly ostracizes certain performers based on the most private information has wider implications than many people realize. And it’s not just Next Door Studios that conducts business this way. And Mason’s story, unfortunately, is only the beginning.
I’m sorry, but I think this disease is LONG past its expiration. When you sign with a studio, I believe that you should also sign a HIPPA disclosure that allows the studio to know your medical records and agree to a full testing every 3 months at the least. I’m so tired of people saying that it’s none of their business when it is hurting everyone involved! There needs to be more transparency when it comes to STDs and VDs and the models that don’t agree can polarize themselves.
The average life expectancy for someone with HIV in the 80s was 10 years, and that was 20 years ago; this virus should be history! The only reason it isn’t because people are selfish or just won’t let go. If you are HIV positive, then it should be your DUTY to protect yourself as well as the people who aren’t. Yes a cure would be wonderful, but until then, let’s focus on breaking the cycle.
I have black friends I can’t be racist….oh wait what were we talking about?
I find it odd that anyone would question the business’s decision not to take the risk of allowing someone with HIV to work with other models. Should they be COMPELLED to let HIV-positive actors work with actors who test negative? I am suspicious of people’s opinions on this subject since a majority of porn consumers also seem to vastly prefer condomless sex scenes and not to be able to grasp that porn is not a “fantasy” to the people actually making it.
The coverage on ths site has been fair and balanced, something Fox News claims to be but obviously is not.
I doubt Mason will resign with Next Door Studios when he has offers from other studios that will allow him to perform with others condom or bareback. If two stars who are both poz agree to perform bareback together I see that as thier right, and not the right of someone else to tell them thewy cannlot because as long as they are being honest with one another about thier status then it should be no one elsees business what they do in the bedroom even if they film it for others to view. Don’t like it then do not buy it or watch it, simple as that!
If he’s not more careful Mason might have to join Nadja Benaissa in jail.
she has been given a two year suspended sentence…no jail so far…
There’s a huge difference between an HIV-positive person having sex on their own, and an HIV-positive person having sex with a co-worker as part of their JOB.
Yeah, health information is a very private, intimate thing, but guess what? So is sex. When having sex is part of your job, then health information that could effect your employer and fellow employees should be disclosed.
I agree that HIV has a terrible stigma associated with it and it’s unfair and often disheartening that a lot of HIV-positive people get discriminated against.
That being said, the comparison of “real life” with porn is completely ridiculous. What porn actors do at home is their own business but what they do on film is work. It’s called the porn INDUSTRY and I’m glad porn studios take this stuff seriously.
Think about it…
Is it unfair to make professional athletes wear helmets and padding, just because you don’t when you play football in your backyard with friends?
Is it unfair to force restaurant workers to wear gloves when handling food, just because you don’t wear gloves in your kitchen?
PS: Did you know hiring qualifications in certain medical professions also discriminate against people with HIV?
What part of a porn star’s HIV status being made public isn’t “real life”? The line between fantasy and reality is blurred here. This is obviously a complex issue with valid points on all sides, but none of us should tolerate violations of privacy.
Zach, I really appreciate your approach to gay porn news. It’s obvious that you take your job seriously. So many bloggers, reporters and editors want to “make” news rather than report news. Also, these same guys have (or want to have) such a cozy relationship with the studios and internet sites, they won’t ask the tough questions for fear of not receiving their free DVD’s, passwords or invites to the next party.
I found it odd that Sirard said he had no idea how Wylers health information was leaked, but did not take the opportunity to talk about the importance of protecting the privacy of his models.
Keep up the good work Zach.
Question: what would be a better method of protecting other model’s health while protecting a STD positive model’s privacy?
If perfomers are aware of Masons status and want to film anyway, that would be appropriate. But it sounds like Mason was well aware of the situation regarding STD contraction before he started working with Next Door.
I see no issue.
Contracts are binding, this is business. Make no mistake, when money is involved, there are always parameters that need to be defined.
Aren’t we all forgetting to ask one question of Mason in particular; “HOW did you get infected?” Because I doubt it was from someone at Next Door considering their policy.
I was with an HIV-positive friend 10 years ago when he was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. When the nurse learned that he was positive, she asked, “HOW did you get infected?” Aside from being unethical, it was none of her business.
Yeah for Chlamydia and boo for HIV! wow. Interesting perspective on the whole thing.
NextDoor’s Sirard says: “We’ve been getting Chlamydia every month for five years, and we’ve had only two, well Mason makes three, who’ve tested HIV-positive.” Isn’t it their policy to inform their performers that there is a vaccine for chlamydia? Men can carry the virus to men as to women, so any male in porn is a potential carrier, expecially the gay-for-pay performers. Until the risk of women contracting chlamydia becomes zero, men who have sex with them should get vaccinated. That said, the vaccine’s manufacturer obtained approval only for women. Some health care insurers may not pay for men to receive the vaccine. Should that happen, scream like bloody hell to the press and to the medical professionals. This is not an issue of common sense; this is an issue of personal and public health and of human decency. In the meantime, use condoms!
I loathe agreeing with Jason Sechrest but, Zach you are doing a great job with this story. It is a terrible precedent to set and one that will probably end up hurting Next Door Studios in the long run especially after the disastrous way this played out in the media. Between this and Sean Cody releasing one of his models actual real names it doesn’t seem internet site owners are very trustworthy with personal information.
I’m the Sean Cody model you’re referring to, and I want to add my voice to this. No matter how Mason’s status became known, it wasn’t by his own choosing, and that should not be tolerated AT ALL. His medical information is private, and the status of that information is protected by law for many reasons (including the issues of stigma and discrimination mentioned here already). As for legal names and other forms of private information that we models have to share for employment and tax purposes, I want to reiterate that I am absolutely ashamed of the people at Sean Cody for going out of their way to prove that they are everything I wrote about them. I hope Mason will be okay, and I hope some guarantee for privacy will begin to be worked into standard contracts, so that lapses such as those at Cody Media (and possibly Next Door Media?) can be countered with harsh legal penalties. I wish I knew of a way to insist upon it, so that other models wouldn’t be under this threat.
I have heard that the information about Mason’s status was being fed “off the record” to various affiliates by a rep from Next Door Studios. If this is true, Mr. Sirard is being disingenuous about how it became public, and his company may well have broken the law by disclosing confidential medical records they have privileged access to by virtue of administering testing.
unfortunately, this country is a litigation crazy. What Sirard politely doesn’t mention is that his business could be sued if another model sero-converted after sex with an HIV positive model. Of course it would be difficult to prove or disprove how the 2nd model became infected. But it would cost a fortune in litigation to try to defend his business in court. Sooooo….the mans’s got to pay his bills. He can’t jeopardize his livelihood. But shame on the person leaking out the info.
You’re really brave in your tackling of this subject, Zach. I’m really impressed and proud of you.