MIAMI — Talent Testing Service (TTS) announced today a plan to “spearhead” the creation of a new organization which they will call the Adult Independent Health Panel (AIHP), with a stated mission that appears to overlap with that of the decades-old PASS system.
The announcement was made by TTS via Twitter this morning.
As XBIZ reported, TTS unilaterally stopped submitting data to the PASS system in June 2020, at the early height of the COVID pandemic, over a dispute about testing protocols.
According to the TTS statement released today announcing its intention to lead in the formation of the new AIHP, the proposed new group will consist of “advocates of all industry stakeholders including but not limited to talent, producers, agents, participating laboratories, media, as well as scientific experts.”
There are no details yet as to which specific stakeholders have agreed to participate in the AIHP organization. The statement invites interested parties from those communities to send an email to participate@youraihp.com.
The stated “primary mission” of the AIHP will be “to serve as a communicating forum between all stakeholders. It will review epidemiological trends and advise the industry as a whole on health-related matters with full transparency among other important topics.”
TTS President and CEO Sixto Pacheco said, “We have been advocating for a panel like this for some time. We are excited to be spearheading this effort as we feel it will fill a much-needed void.”
The statement added that AIHP intends to hold its first meeting sometime in Jan. 2023, to later meet quarterly and on an as-needed basis.
PASS Responds
Ian O’Brien, director of PASS, spoke with XBIZ today and stressed that PASS “is a neutral, nonprofit organization whose mission is to serve the health and safety of the adult industry.
“We make no money from testing,” O’Brien continued. “Our board is comprised of clinicians, public health experts, and industry stakeholders, including talent and production. We consult with studios, producers, and agents regularly. We recently established a Talent Advisory Board in response to the recent chlamydia outbreak to provide guidance.”
Regarding today’s TTS’s announcement, O’Brien pointed out that PASS has “strong relationships with our testing partners, who have been proactive and collaborative in finding better solutions for the industry. With TTS’s dominant market share, they already have a significant influence on what kind of testing the industry has access to. If this were a matter of health, there are plenty of opportunities for them to cooperate and invest in the betterment of this industry’s well-being. It is unclear to me what the formation of their own health panel serves other than their own self-interest.”
Mike Stabile, director of public affairs for FSC, tweeted today that “something about ‘independent’ and ‘entirely controlled by a for-profit testing lab’ is not making sense to me.”
Performers ‘Uncomfortable’ With TTS Move
Several performers took to social media this morning to vocally criticized the move by the prominent testing facility network, one of several that serves the adult population.
Lydia Black tweeted in reply to the TTS account that the formation of AIHP “is completely useless and pointless. Not everyone tests with you and in the future a lot less will. A waste of everyone’s time. Read the room and re join @PASScertified.”
Electra Rayne described the TTS move as “so disturbing, uncomfortable, and inappropriate. ‘Independent,’ yet started by a for-profit business? Disgusting. And terrifying.”
“Literally no one wants this,” added Leila Lewis. “Just work with the PASS system again. Can’t wait for @get_clrd to get settled in L.A. so i never have to use y’all again.”
Lewis is referring to the announced expansion of the CLEAR lab system into other markets, which does report to PASS. Industry sources consulted by XBIZ have speculated that TTS’ unexpected formation of a competitor to PASS led by them may be connected to their worries about CLEAR’s intentions to become a competitive player in the adult talent testing sector.
