A gay man with HIV is appealing a court decision requiring him to register as a “sex offender” in order to prosecute under a 1987 Louisiana law that effectively criminalizes anyone with HIV One who has sex.
In 2009, Robert Suttle, a gay black man who was working as an assistant court clerk, was accused by a former lover of not disclosing his HIV status before consensual sex. As a result, Suttle found himself charged under Louisiana’s “intentional exposure to the AIDS virus” law—adopted at the height of the AIDS epidemic, when little was known about HIV—which could carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. .
Under the “intentional exposure” law, an accused would only have to allege that their former sexual partner failed to disclose their HIV status to them, even if there was no risk of transmission (due to condom use, HIV- PrEP by the negative partner, or antiretroviral use by the HIV-positive partner) or if no actual transmission of the virus ever occurred.
Instead of facing 10 years in prison, Sutal pleaded guilty to the charges against him and served six months in prison. As a result of his conviction, upon his release, Suttle was placed on the state’s sex offender registry until 2023, Louisiana being one of only five states to designate people convicted under HIV “at risk” statutes as sex offenders. was required to register.
Why would anyone, knowing that they have a deadly virus in their body, have intercourse with another person? It’s hard to feel sorry for people like that. Be glad you’re on the registry and not still in prison
The ever expansive registry. Creative ways are thought up all the time to place anyone that doesn’t fall under the umbrella of “our type” by narrow minded politicians.
To answer those “appalled” that he would attempt sexual intercourse while having a disease, HIV is controllable with medication.