SHOCK CLAIM: LA County Official Goes To Gay Performer’s Home Asking For Blood

derrickbthumbIn an apparent attempt to isolate how gay porn performer Derrick Burts (a.k.a. Patient Zeta) became infected with HIV last October, LA County Health Department officials are now showing up at the homes of adult models and asking for blood samples.

That’s what one gay porn star tells The Sword, who has asked to remain anonymous. In an interview earlier today, the HIV-positive performer (who is hereafter referred to as “Joe”) claims that a female clinical services coordinator sent by LA County knocked on his door Monday asking for personal health information, and blood.

“She asked if she could come in and if I had a moment to speak, and I said OK. It was just a total surprise. I mean, I’m still dealing with becoming positive six months ago, and now this? It’s just ridiculous,” says Joe. “She asked if I’d be willing to give a blood sample to LA County and if I’d be willing to cooperate, and I was like, ‘no!’ They didn’t have a subpoena or anything. I’m not going to just put myself out there and not know what someone is going to do with the information.”

Though the clinical services coordinator would not confirm or deny to Joe that her inquiry was part of the ongoing Derrick Burts investigation, sources tell The Sword that LA County has been actively hunting down anyone and everyone associated with Burts, from co-stars and friends to agents and studios. In fact, The Sword can confirm that two health department officials attended last week’s Cybersocket Awards in West Hollywood, seeking out those who had associated with Burts.

Last September, Joe was scheduled to shoot a scene with Burts in Florida, but that scene was canceled hours before call time when Joe’s HIV test came back positive. He explains, “I was supposed to shoot with him I think, but honestly I can’t remember. I’ve worked with so many guys. I don’t even know the kid. He obviously gave [LA County] my name, but it doesn’t even make sense because we didn’t end up shooting together. This fuckin’ kid…he doesn’t even know his own situation. I’ve heard him say tons of things that are completely false.”

Derrick Burts’ public statements have indeed been confusing, at best. He told the LA Times that he believed he acquired the virus on a gay porn set in Florida from a “known positive” and had never had gay sex off camera; within hours his Rentboy profile surfaced. He first opined that he became infected after oral sex; later he theorized that it happened after a co-star ejaculated on to his back and semen dripped into his anus. That a young and undoubtedly scared man has put forth contradictory statements while coming to grips with a life-altering medical condition is not surprising. What is surprising? That a state agency has purportedly been roped into a wild goose chase predicated on his emotionally charged and conflicting stories.

“Even if [LA County] finds out I’m positive, what does that matter? I didn’t give it to him. And whoever did give it to him doesn’t matter either; it’s not like they can be stopped from working,” Joe tells The Sword. “There are so many models working today who are positive, and it’s up to the studios whether or not to use us or who to pair us with. It’s up to the other models who aren’t positive, too. Some don’t care about working with a positive performer, some do. The point is, we’re here, and there’s a lot of us, and we’re not gonna go anywhere. We’re not just gonna leave on the drop of a dime because some kid is trying to blame everyone in the world for what happened to him. We’re in the industry and this is our job, and we do the best that we can. We do the best that we can.”

This morning, Joe says the clinical services coordinator called him on the phone, asking again if he’d be willing to cooperate with a county doctor and give a blood sample.

“Again, I told her ‘no!’ It’s an invastion of privacy. It’s none of their business. I’m just trying to live my life. If they want to get a subpoena, then fine. They can give it to my doctor and he can turn over my records. Until then, just leave me the fuck alone.”

13 thoughts on “SHOCK CLAIM: LA County Official Goes To Gay Performer’s Home Asking For Blood”

  1. I read this and see a completely different problem here. If people fear that a county health officer will show up their door unannounced and ask for a blood sample, it may cause FEWER people to get tested. We need MORE people to get tested.

  2. .I hope lawyers are on to this story or he has contacted one..it is illegal to show up @ someone’s home requesting such..of all people the city should know this…This may be his financial ticket out…:-))

  3. I worked in the Texas Health department doing HIV Testing and Counseling and the office next to mine was the Disease Intervention Specialist. Under no circumstances do blood techs and lab folks show up on door steps. I saw them round up people exposed to Syphillis and the DIS was relentless in following the trail of finding who slept with who. They were picked up en mass in a department van and lined up for blood test in the hall way. It just doesn’t ring true for me based on my experience with the Texas Health Department who follow CDC guidelines.

  4. Contact tracing is routine public health practice, and in a high profile case, it gets done this way. Normally, it would consist of having the poz person contact their partners by phone/email or having the County do it by phone/email.

  5. Everyone knows Derrick Burts isnt telling the full story.

    I do, however, find it a little hard to believe that we have teams door knocking asking for blood samples.

    Apart from being totally illegal, what would it acheive?

  6. mike you sound like such a asshole. you have no idea what the story is with the full deals. what does showing a picture have to do with the story. it sounds like your more of the “hater” then anyone since you lack the ability to focus on the original post. i dont think anyone should have a visit at their home regarding a “test” i am surprised you could find any porn star home at all. But you don’t know official when he became positive or when and his last shoot. Maybe you could take some time to research your claim before typing safely behind your computer.

    1. You sound like an idiot. Everyone in the media knows when he tested (+) because it shut down the entire porn industry for days. And when he was identified he immediately started his “dirty gays gave it to me” campaign. The JetSet photospread was publicized just last week months after his accusations, like we need to or want to see him.

  7. Derrick Burts filmed both straight (unprotected) and gay (condom-only) scenes and it is disgusting to see him play the “dirty gays!” card. It was also strange to see Chris Steele promoting just last week the guy in a Jet Set photo spread. He’s become a very outspoken in the press little homo-hater, Chris. What was the point?

  8. I’m am angry at these people who think it is perfectly acceptable to NOT tell there status! And they also treat the disease as if its a cold, when clearly it isn’t! You are obligated to tell your partners. Any guy that doesn’t I hope dies a horrible prolonged death at an AIDS hospice. People should be able to make an informed decision on who they have sex with. IF they cannot deal with having sex with a positive person, that is not a problem. They should feel comfortable to decline.

    And to be clear, the blame isn’t on the actors who get infected; its the studios that employ them and not share this information with scene partners–and rely heavily on just testing afterward to clear those productions of any wrong doing.

    Condoms are the only choice that can effectively protect you from STI’s and those that say otherwise in the industry are complete idiots.

    It also could be that this ‘joe’ is completely fabricating this story.

    1. Shut the fuck up you idiot..it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect themselves..you sound like one who did NOT..now u’re angry @ the world..these people are fucking as a livelihood on and off camera for coins..they know the risk..we have better things to go like rebuild our economy ect…get the fuck outta here–>>>>
      ..Don’t bother responding i wouldn’t be reading it:-)))

      1. “Don’t bother responding i wouldn’t be reading it:-))) “—Okay, let us test this statement.

        First off, in no way shape or form did I suggest that it was NOT “everyone’s responsibility to protect themselves.”

        In fact, if you spent more time actually reading the text i wrote, it would suggest that I feel people should be allowed to make informed decisions on who they have sex with. And not to penalize those who simple decline the offer, or rather have sex with a condom with those people… so explain to me, how this act of declining a persons offer IS NOT PROTECTING THEMSELVES, or the act of condoms being used in productions, for that matter?

        “these people are fucking as a livelihood on and off camera for coins”
        I don’t place value on what people do for a living, and it appears you do; you demean those people who actively chooses to work in the sex profession. I treat it as a legitimate job for those who may or MAY NOT have the ability to find regular jobs outside of the sex trade. I treat this issue, like any other profession, were physical hazards exist for those workers.. for instance, I agree with industry regulation of coal mines, people get hurt and the threat is clearly there–laws are put in place to ensure employers take the precautions necessary for the safety of their employees. Ethically they are required to provide safe work conditions for their employees. Porn Productions get away with a lot of BS, that isn’t tolerated any other place–even the main stream media follows a set guidelines(with the exception of stuntmen).

        “.you sound like one who did NOT..now u’re angry @ the world”– I would like to state for the record, that I AM NOT POSITIVE. And I don’t have resentments towards people who do…I do however have resentments towards people who skirt the issue all together.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 50 MB. You can upload: image. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here

Scroll to Top