The Certificates

The Code of Practice for models and producers in the Gay Adult Industry require models to hold, and be able to produce on demand, certificates showing their latest set of sexual health test results. The standard set of results will include HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, chlamydia and gonorrhoea.

Results and certificates may take up to ten days to be available from the date of the testing. Some GUM Clinics may provide an HIV point of care (finger prick) test which may give you the result the same day of taking the sample but do not rely on this being available.

It is always advisable to give sufficient time for the testing and return of results and certificates before accepting a booking if your certificates are out of date or you are new to the industry and do not have any certification.

You must always take photographic identity i.e. a passport or driving licence to the GUM Clinic as it will be this reference identity number that will be printed on your certificates to prove that it was you that attended the clinic for the tests. It has been known for a model to send a stand-in to take his tests or for a model to use somebody else’s certificates as their own.

The Code of Practice require models to provide, on demand, a certificate of a complete set of sexual health test results before the work is undertaken to be checked by the producers and any other model they are working with on that particular piece of work.

The Code of Practice require models that are taking part in any anal sex (prorected - with condoms or unprotected - without condoms) or unprotected (without condoms) oral sex to have a certificate that is dated within 30 days of the date of the work.

Basically this means that if a model works regularly in the adult industry and takes part in any anal sex or unprotected oral sex either in the course of work or in their personal lives they should be tested on a monthly basis.

Both models and producers need to note that the standard HIV antibody test only guarantees HIV negativity for the three month period prior to the test (six months for hepatitis C) These periods are known as window periods. As it takes the body between eight weeks and three months to develop detectable antibodies against HIV any unprotected anal sex undertaken in the window period renders certificates completely invalid. We would strongly advise that producers and models do not rely solely on certificates for model safety on film shoots, and use barrier methods of protection wherever possible. Because of window periods, producers who rely on the antibody test for HIV and ask their models to have anal sex without condoms are causing their models to take a risk of contracting HIV.