Hm, a thread by straight men and for straight men I guess, but since Jovial asked:
There are 2 types of anal sex in gay porn: with condoms and without, the without being called "bareback" or "bare" or "raw". Before HIV (so, '70s and early 80's) I don't think any gay porn used condoms.
Bareback gay porn is very controversial in the gay community, a community which let us remember was disproportionately affected in the early days of the epidemic and in which almost everyone who was out and having sex in the early 80's is either a) now dead, b) now HIV positive, or c) knows several people who passed away from complications related to HIV. The feeling among many is that even producing condom-free gay pornographic material will lead more people in the "real world" (that is, not the porn movie set) to have bareback sex, thereby increasing their risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Others claim this is ridiculous, that porn is a fantasy to be observed only and has no basis in what people will or will not do in real life. I, for one, have not seen any study of this issue that attempts to answer this question.
There are a number of gay porn directors (notably including Chi Chi LaRue and Kristen Bjorn) who are vehemently opposed to bareback porn. There are others (notably Paul Morris and Valdo Iresch) who make only bareback films at their production companies. Now and then a story comes out from the straight porn world such as the one quoted above in which, unfortunately, yet another performer has tested positive for HIV. Why these performers and the industry are often so stunned about this I don't really understand - HIV has *never* been a solely gay or injection drug user issue, and if porn actors of any gender or sexuality are having unprotected sex they are putting themselves at risk for HIV and other STDs just like if we in the "real world" have unprotected sex.
So I guess my answer to the original question of the thread is that performers in straight porn who wear condoms do so because they want to protect themselves or because the director mandates it. I remain surprised how few condoms are used in straight porn.
To those who believe that sex without a condom is the only proper way to have sex, or the only way sex can feel good...in my opinion you are wrong and your opinion (though you are certainly entitled to it) makes me so angry I don't even know what to write. Sex can feel very good with a condom - I even got a great blowjob while wearing a condom once, and I NEVER thought that was possible. More importantly, sex with a condom or other form of protection is the ONLY way to be certain that neither partner will end up with an STD and that the woman will not end up with an unexpected (read: unwanted) pregnancy. I know someone is going to throw out the statistic that condoms are only 99-point-something percent effective. Well, that's a hell of a lot better than not using one and just assuming (hoping? wishing?) that nothing bad will happen. This notion that sex must only be had for precreation is in my opinion 1) ridiculous and 2) responsible for overpopulation, and thus for much of the suffering, in this world. Large families who do not have the means to support a large family leads to far more suffering than enjoyment.
Happy Tuesday!