Is porn you watch about to start featuring a lot more protection? A US federal appeals court ruled on Monday that actors in porn films shot in Los Angeles County must wear condoms in sex scenes.

Adult film companies and porn performers like Stoya and James Deen had fiercely resisted Measure B, the new law that intends to protect actors from HIV/AIDS. Voters passed the new law in 2012.

Proponents of the multibillion-dollar industry said that there were already sufficient regulations in place to curb the spread of diseases among performers. Industry lawyers argued that Measure B violates the guarantee of free expression in the US constitution's First Amendment. 

Adult movie producers also said that viewers would be turned off by the sight of condoms as it reminded them of IRL anxieties like STIs and pregnancy.

A panel of three judges upheld the new law. Judge Susan P Graber said: "Whatever unique message plaintiffs might intend to convey by depicting condomless sex, it is unlikely that viewers of adult films will understand that message."

Many US adult film companies are based in Los Angeles County, although critics say that the number of movies filmed in the area has dropped from nearly 500 in 2012 to 40 a year since the introduction of Measure B.  

In her column for Dazed, Stoya argued that pornography was a form of free artistic expression. "I’m definitely not arguing for a dedicated pornography wing in the Louvre, but I would absolutely argue that adult videos are a kind of low art," she wrote. "They are, after all, generally protected in the United States under the First Amendment. Pornography has undeniable mass appeal, and speaks to one of the most basic human needs."

"Like (prima ballerina) Emma Livry’s distaste for stiff skirts spoiling her illusion of weightlessness, I dislike the idea of being forced to use barrier protection when the accompanying friction impedes my ability to deliver the best performance possible."

Look on the bright side: at least they're not trying to outlaw female ejaculation in porn. 59% of respondents in the Dazed Sex Survey copped to watching porn once to five times a week. So have you noticed more rubbers in your favourite scenes?

Read Stoya's column, "Porn performer or prima ballerina? They aren't so different", here.