Former professional wrestler and Ohioan Andre “Gangsta of Love” Davis is in the national news this week for his failure to share his HIV-positive (human immunodeficiency virus) status with sexual partners. Sentenced to 32 years in prison, Davis was reprimanded in Common Pleas Court where Judge Jerome Metz Jr. confronted Davis about the women he had exposed to HIV.
Davis, who hails from Hyde Park, Ohio, is a father of five. He was notified of his HIV status in 2009 after a physical exam, but continued to travel the country and sleeping with up to 350 women. Eleven of those women have pressed charges against Davis for lying or failing to inform them of his HIV status.
According to Davis, he has “been discriminated against big time,” and insists that he “never intended to hurt anyone”.
The story has sparked outrage on several popular media sites such as USA Today online, where comments condemn, question, and defend Davis for his actions. One commenter states,
“Important note to people who meet someone and have casual sex…they can lie to you! Why would you take a chance like that? Have respect for yourself.”
Others defend the women who chose to engage in sex with Davis, saying “Wow, there’s some ignorant people on here. It’s the law to disclose your (HIV) status. He didn’t give them a chance to make a sound decision. Yes, they should’ve used protection, but that doesn’t give him the right to (act the way) he did.”
Such occurrences spark questions about how individuals diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) should handle their status when engaging with new partners. Section 2907.27 of the Ohio revised code requires that a person suffering from a venereal disease at an infectious stage is required to submit to medical treatment.
If they cannot afford it, the individual should report to a facility operated by a city health district or a general health district for treatment.
Individuals also are required to notify partners of his or her HIV status. It was under this law that Davis was prosecuted.
Despite this law, Davis maintains that his decision was morally sound. It is well known that HIV causes acquired immunodeficiency virus (AIDS), which in turn leads to death. An HIV diagnosis can also prevent an individual from having a normal sexual relationship in the future due to the negative social stigma surrounding HIV.
Women who contract HIV may be unable to have children because HIV/AIDS can be passed through blood and breast milk.
While science is making strides in finding a cure for HIV/AIDS, scientists have not published any statistically significant data that suggests a cure that can be administered to most people living with HIV/AIDS. According to first-year Olivia Hickman, there is no excuse for not disclosing HIV status.
“A person should tell another person that they have HIV before they have sex. Otherwise, it’s pretty selfish of them,” Hickman said. She went on to say that regardless of the STD, people have the right to know what they are exposing themselves to.
“The responsible choice in any situation regarding any STD would be to tell your partner about it. If a person didn’t tell his or her partner about the STD, that individual has to live with the fact that they harmed their partner for life,” Hickman said.
While Davis was well aware of how his diagnosis could affect the people he slept with, he kept it quiet to save his reputation. Before his conviction, Davis stated he “didn’t want his family to find out,” and even said he was addicted to sex.
“Drugs and alcohol are terrible, but sex is something everybody wants,” Davis said in defense of his actions.
Davis is also awaiting trial in several other counties where victims are legally pursuing him. Davis was sentenced last week in Cincinnati to 32 years in prison after being found guilty on 14 of 15 counts of failing to disclose his HIV-positive status.
