At their last meeting, the San Francisco Democratic Party's oversight body, the Democratic Country Central Committee, unanimously passed a resolution urging the state Democratic party to oppose a November ballot measure that would require condoms and perhaps other forms of protection like goggles to be used while filming porn.

The Bay Area Reporter explains the rationale for the SF Dems opposition of the ballot measure, which they hope they can convince the statewide party to share.

“These issues aren’t intuitive for a lot of people, especially when the measure is referred to as the ‘condoms in porn measure,'" Democratic County Central Committee member Matt Dorsey said. "The first question I would hear from people is, 'What is wrong with condoms?' Well, nothing. It really takes some going through the measure and understanding the context and larger narrative to get how dangerous this measure is. In the end everyone did their homework, and I applaud my colleagues on the DCCC for it.”

The measure, which last November received the requisite number of signatures to land on the ballot, is the brainchild of AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein. He's argued that protection use in porn sets a healthy example for viewers in addition to providing safe working conditions for performers.

But local democrats think the measure is a bridge too far. Frequent testing of performers for sexual transmitted infections is already required by state law, they argue. Weinstein, they also note, has voiced support for goggle use and other restrictive protection measures in porn. If it included such stipulations, or even if not, his ballot measure might easily spook the roughly $6 billion California porn industry altogether, prompting production companies to move to less restrictive areas.

For background, recall AB 1576, which had BDSM pornographers like Kink.com running scared and moving shoots to Las Vegas. That, though, eventually died in committee back in 2014. Incidentally, the porn website may have anticipated further pushes for mandated condom use, and Kink has continued to convert its Mission District studios to office space.

Technically the vote from the DCCC doesn't represent anything official. It can't, as local DCCCs may not endorse or oppose ballot measures unless the state party opts not to take an official position. Nonetheless, “San Francisco is a globally-recognized leader on HIV/AIDS issues,” Dorsey said. “This is a very strong statement from San Francisco’s Democratic Party, and I hope it will send an influential message to the California Democratic Party, and to voters statewide.”

Previously: Measure Mandating Condoms In Porn Approved For November Ballot