The New York Times - November 1, 1985
Aljean Harmetz

Many people in the film industry are afraid that the new rule will trigger a backlash against homosexuals. Medical authorities have identified homosexuals, intravenous drug users and hemophiliacs as the groups with the highest risk of being infected by the virus that causes AIDS.

Carol Akiyama, senior vice president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, said, "We do sympathize with the concerns of SAG's members. However, we feel their approach is not appropriate. It contains conclusions that are not supported by the medical evidence. There are no reported cases of AIDS being transmitted by saliva or tears or open-mouth kissing."

Under the new rule, producers are required to tell actors before they are hired, if the part includes an open-mouth kissing scene. However, in an effort to avoid discrimination, the actor or actress is not to be told who will be kissed in the scene.

No Secrets

"That approach is not workable," said Miss Akiyama. "The first question an actress would ask is 'Who's the guy?' And you know this town. You can't keep anything secret. If anything, SAG's approach will add to the hysteria."

The producer Daniel Melnick said that the new rule would have a "counterproductive" effect. "It makes AIDS mythic, like the black plague. The reaction will be homophobic because it will be a one-way street. You won't find actors who are afraid to kiss an actress because she may have kissed a gay actor in or out of the line of work."

However, Charlton Heston, the former president of the Screen Actors Guild and now the leader of a conservative group within the organization, said that the rule did not go far enough, since it did not allow an actor or actress to know the name of the person who would be kissed.

"AIDS is not a social problem," he said, "but a medical problem. This is a fatal disease. Yet the focus has unaccountably shifted to victims in a social sense.

Evidence Not In

"You wouldn't do kissing scenes with someone who has measles," Mr. Heston said. A welder is at no risk in the pursuit of his trade. If he's going to catch AIDS, he's going to catch it on his own time. The medical evidence is not all in yet, but an actor may be at risk."

Chris Uszler, president of the Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Artists, called the new rule unenforceable. "If you are auditioning for a part on 'Knott's Landing,' you know who you're going to be kissing," Mr. Uszler said. "There are actors who are not openly gay but people know they are gay. If a lot of actresses say they won't kiss such actors, they won't get hired."

Mr. Uszler, who works in movie post-production, said the solution was for movies to go back to "dry kissing, stage kissing, closed-mouth kissing." That way, he said, "There's no chance of the disease being transmitted and no chance for discrimination. Of the 14,000 plus cases of AIDS, not one has been linked to saliva, but some people think it might be. So it seems prudent to us for SAG to promote dry kissing."

Richard Brooks, the actor-director, said "In the old days, the closed-lips kind of kiss never looked very passionate. It seemed lifeless. In this town, everybody kisses everybody just to say hello." Mr. Brooks was also concerned that producers would avoid casting actors who had a reputation for being homosexual. "I'm afraid a whole group is going to be blacklisted because somebody will say, 'You know about him. He's a little queer.' And it may not be true."

Patty Duke, who is running for the presidency of the Screen Actors Guild in an election that will be decided next week, said at a news conference that she did not want to sensationalize the issue but felt the guild board was acting to protect the well-being of its members. "Caution is always the best course," she said.

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