In 2022, SAG-AFTRA took significant steps to professionalize the role of intimacy coordinators by inviting them to join the union and passing a resolution for their membership.

Intimacy coordinators play a crucial role in choreographing intimate scenes, ensuring consent and safety on set, especially in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

Following HBO's lead in mandating intimacy coordinators for intimate scenes, SAG-AFTRA aims to establish stricter regulations and guidelines for these professionals.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher emphasized the importance of intimacy coordinators in creating a safer environment for performers during vulnerable scenes.

Despite their growing importance, intimacy coordinators currently work without protections or consistent compensation, a situation the organizing committee seeks to change.

The intimacy coordinator organizing committee believes that union representation would secure essential protections, standardized wages, and benefits for their profession.

SAG-AFTRA has filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to represent intimacy coordinators, which, if recognized, would allow for negotiations on better working conditions.

If the NLRB recognizes the union, SAG-AFTRA would be able to negotiate for minimum pay and improved working conditions for intimacy coordinators.

This initiative is part of a broader effort by SAG-AFTRA, which has been working for several years to define and regulate the role of intimacy coordinators.

The union previously released guidelines for intimacy coordinators in 2020 and established an accreditation program in 2021, which currently includes about 70 members globally.

While HBO mandates the use of intimacy coordinators for sex scenes, this requirement is not universal across the industry, highlighting the need for standardization.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has not yet agreed to voluntarily recognize the role of intimacy coordinators, which remains a point of contention.