Court TV Hostaim-med.org/, a foundation that helps people who work in the adult film industry, and other sex workers to get HIV tests and tests for sexually transmitted diseases. Sharon Mitchell was one of the participants interviewed in the documentary The Secret History of the Other Hollywood that aired last night on Court TV.

Court TV Host: Our guest, Sharon Mitchell, is here! Welcome!

Sharon Mitchell: Hello

Court TV Host: Let me ask the first question...What did you think of last night's program?

Sharon Mitchell: I thought it was fun. I thought it was a very different outlook on the porn business. People very rarely see any other side than the stars or the scandals. It was nice to see evidence that the porn business was actually founded by organized crime.

albert_300: Are organized crime figures still involved in the porn business today, as far as you know?

Sharon Mitchell: Pretty much, this industry has mainstreamed down. By that I mean that anyone who was tied to organized crime at this point has been forced to become a legitimate businessman. My query always is: we got through paying taxes, can we move onto health care now?

absolutebloom: Why do so many people in the industry give in to drug and alcohol abuse...are there any programs the industry has to try and avoid this?

Sharon Mitchell: Drug and alcoholism is not quite as rampant as you would think in adult entertainment. I am now chatting from my clinic the AIM, Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation. I founded this facility in 1998, and we provide HIV testing, STD testing and treatment, and drug and alcohol counseling and support groups for four to 700 adult industry talent members per month.

wcbkool1: How and why did you get in the business?

Sharon Mitchell: I needed lots of attention, and I was a very rebellious young girl, and when I saw my genitalia 16 feet high on the silver screen, I knew this was for me.

maik19832001: Is it hard to be a porn star?

Sharon Mitchell: Looking back on more than 20 years in that industry as an actress, producer, director and dancer, I had some wonderful times. The difficulty with the porn business is that it will follow you wherever you go. It was very difficult for me to have a relationship, and I was also a heroin addict for 16 of those 20 years, which, by the way, I do NOT attribute to pornography. But, all in all, as a clinician and a counselor to sex workers at my facility, I couldn't be who I am today without that wonderful background, so I'm grateful for my life in porn.

wcbkool1: What made you get out of the business and when did you get out?

Sharon Mitchell: In 1996, I was attacked by a crazed fan, someone who was obsessed by Sharon Mitchell S&M movies and Jesus Christ at the same time, and I was raped and beaten within an inch of my life. This quickly prompted me to go into detox, and I began to go back to school, and found the Aim Health Care Foundation. I did do about 6 movies after that, but it wasn't the same without the anesthetic. I believe that I should have been done about 10 years earlier, but I felt safe in porn. I felt the camaraderie, and it provided a wealth of money for my drug addiction, so I stayed. So I thank God for that crazy fan, because he started me on my road to recovery.

jake_sa: How many movies have you made?

Sharon Mitchell: Well, bear in mind that there were some black-out years there. Near as I can figure, about 1600 spanning 25 years, and probably another 400 with compilations.

domn8rx33606: Is AIM federally-funded or relying on private donations?

Sharon Mitchell: We are at this time relying on private donations. We are currently and constantly seeking federal funding. We are a 501c3, which is a 100% charitable organization (like a church). We do get local government services through Los Angeles county health department but, by all means, feel free to contact us regarding donations, aim-med.org.

albert_300: Does your clinic serve only sex workers?

Sharon Mitchell: No, of course not. We will serve anyone who walks through the door, and we also do outreach.

jaypodus: Hey Sharon, my wife and I have always been fans of yours, and when we saw you on the Court TV show ,we were just wondering, will you be doing any more hardcore soon? We think you look great!

Sharon Mitchell: Thank you, but I have hung up my g-string for good.

albert_300: About what percentage of actors and actresses in the industry are infected with various STDs, such as herpes, HIV, etc.?

Sharon Mitchell: A very small percentage. Less than 7% HIV, and 12-28% STDs. Herpes is always about 66%. People are medicated with acyclovir for herpes, which is very effective in preventing the herpes outbreaks. Chlamydia and gonorrhea, however, along with hepatitis, seem to stick to everything from dildos to flat surfaces to hands, so, pardon my expression, but we are usually up to our asses in chlamydia.

Court TV Host: Those are all pretty high percentages, though?

Sharon Mitchell: Not when you consider that 700 people per month in the San Fernando Valley are working with each other. Most of these are co-infections. We are a partner notification facility, and all partners are located, detected and treated within one day of the original infected person coming forward. With partners Our statistics indicate that in this business, with first and second generation contact partner tracings, a disease can potentially reach as many as 198 partners in three days. So we have to move very quickly, medicate heavily, and rely on prevention, education and partner counseling. This is what makes Aim Health Care different and special because we're able to do it, and I'm a proud mother.

Court TV Host: Here's a follow-up ... someone wants to know what happened to the person who attacked you...

jyuchas: Was this person ever caught?

Sharon Mitchell: Yes, he was. He was caught and dealt with by the authorities.

jayp_b: Who was your favorite actor to work with and why?

Sharon Mitchell: Jamie Gillis because he was like the perverted father I always wanted and never had.

darsb69: What is your opinion of the quality/content of the movies made today?

Sharon Mitchell: What quality? Quantity? Actually, I don't watch porn. I really never have. However, short of driving a train up someone's anus, I don't know quite how much further it can go.

johnny_rockin: What are some things the porn industry has taught you?

Sharon Mitchell: How to survive. How to be extremely open-minded. How to forgive. How to dance in the mirror naked until I like what I see, and how to be a great lover.

kscsken: Any regrets about becoming a porn star?

Sharon Mitchell: Nah, I think it's a little late for that, don't you?

absolutebloom: Did you have any desire to go mainstream, or did you want to stay in the adult business?

Sharon Mitchell: I actually started in mainstream. For about the first five years of my career, I did some print work, soap operas, Broadway, one Off-Broadway play. I had a big ego. I had low self-esteem. I didn't feel like I was doing good enough in the legitimate business, and that type of personality is perfect for porn, where you can be a big fish in a little pond.

wolf5124: I read once that you're a fantastic cook. Are you trained as a chef??

Sharon Mitchell: No, I'm not However, I love to cook, and I love to garden. I grow my own tomatoes, peppers, zucchinis, I have a herb garden. I have citrus trees in my yard, and a strawberry patch. I only prepare with organic foods, and I've really learned that food can be one of the great joys of life.

alluringhunk: Are you related to or did you ever work for the famous Mitchell brothers, Artie and Jim?

Sharon Mitchell: No relation.

rascalcity: Have you ever fallen in love with a male star from one of your movies?

Sharon Mitchell: Looking back, I think I fell for attention. I really was portraying sex so much, and performing acts of intimacy over and over again without the intimacy. That kept me from discovering love for quite some time.

Court TV Host: Here's a question about the Adult Industry Medical foundation....

beachgirl_ca2001: Sharon, was there anything like this for you when you were a porn actress? And if there wasn't, is this why you chose to start this program? Thank you for your time.

Sharon Mitchell: Thank you for asking. No, there wasn't anything like this, and in 1998, there was an HIV outbreak in the industry. I had just finished graduating from the clinician's program in California, and part of me did not want to have anything to do with this industry ever again. I would have been happy to turn on my heels and walk away and work in a chemical dependency unit or an HIV unit, and blame my heroin addiction on the porn industry, but that's not true, and after a long meditation and prayer, I realized that here, at AIM Health Care, can I be of maximum service to God and to the people around me. And here, my life makes sense. The piece of the puzzle of the past fit together here, and I see myself in my chair in my office every day. I see 17- and 18-year-old girls every day who have no idea what they're getting into. I'm able to give them enough prevention education through my experiences and as a clinician, so that they can start their journey in the porn business based on all the truths, rather than all the assumptions. And as a counselor, I never tell people to leave the porn business or to get started in the porn business. Who am I to take the path away from the girl?

bobbyed53: What responsibilities do you feel filmmakers have towards actors regarding drug use, safe sex, etc?

Sharon Mitchell: That's a difficult question. AIM has been difficult to keep going, because the filmmakers feel that they have no responsibility for the health care of the talent. Whether I agree or disagree with that, the fact is, that ain't changing anytime quick. So my best hope is to do hat I have done: start a monitoring system for HIV testing that the industry has been grateful to comply with for 3 and a half years now. When talent gets a job, they cannot work without a negative test from AIM, so when new talent comes here to get their test, I get a chance to give them a tremendous amount of prevention education and information and knowledge of our support groups. And our unique programs, such as the Porn 101 series, which is actors like Nina Hartley, myself, Herschel Savage and Richard Pacheco, giving the benefit of our experience our strengths and our help to new actors getting started in porn. And being a recovering addict, IV drug users are my personal favorite.

Sir_Walter_1967: How do you think the industry is dealing with actors and actresses after they've been infected with AIDS, as far as emotional and financial support and being there for them?

Sharon Mitchell: They're not. If AIM were not in place, they would not have the advantage of early intervention programs, and what little support an HIV positive actor has boils down to working as a salesperson or an editor in these movies, which is better than nothing. However, in my opinion there's just not enough that one could do, considering the amount of economic exploitation these actors have experienced.

alpino798: Did you ever get any STDs while doing porno?

Sharon Mitchell: Oh yeah. I have gotten herpes, a bout of chlamydia here and there. I also contracted hepatitis from the drug addiction and a case of trichomoniasis. This is standard when you have sex for a living, by the way.

bobbyed53: As a recovering addict, how do you feel about legalizing drugs?

Sharon Mitchell: I think it's a good idea, primarily because I feel it would put an end to the difficulties of the drug war with other countries. I don't feel it would make a difference with more people doing drugs, because I know better than anyone that an addict will find it whether it's legal or not

domn8rx33606: Miss Mitchell, you mentioned you began in the industry underage, just how underage were you?

Sharon Mitchell: I was about 6 months away from 18, 17 and a half.

Court TV Host: Did that ever cause any problems for you or distributors?

Sharon Mitchell: No, honey, this was a long time ago. By the time my first movie was released, I was already 18. We're talking 27 years ago, guys. The only people that would've known were the raincoat guys.

absolutebloom: How do you feel about the whole Traci Lords thing...she has blamed everything on the industry? Do you agree or disagree with her?

Sharon Mitchell: Whatever Traci chooses to do with her own thoughts or whatever she needs to do to make amends of that situation, she has done that. If that's how she feels, then that's her perception. It did cause a lot of problems for a lot of people in the industry. However, I wish her the best, and our industry obviously survived the situation. We need to learn from our experiences in life and move on.

bdbwilde: Any chance of forcing filmmakers to take responsibility for health risks through OSHA or similar government agencies?

Sharon Mitchell: I have tried until I am blue in the face. To the best of my knowledge, this will not be happening any time soon. However, if Ashcroft decides to do that, I will be right behind him, tooting my horn.

houston365: Is "classic" porn a different genre than what's out there now?

Sharon Mitchell: You could say so. Classic porn had plots, was shot on 35mm. Rehearsals took several weeks to shoot, and I would have sex in character. I don't think that's the standard today by any means. I feel that the best movies that are being made today are the ones that my sisters make: Candida Royale and Veronica Hart, my lifelong friends, and I, have grown up in porn, and are giving our best gifts back to the world. Thank you.