This Is the Pop Star on Trial for Spreading HIV
Nadja Benaissa, a member of German girl band No Angels, is on trial for knowingly spreading HIV through unprotected sex. And her songs are infectious, too! But seriously, she testified today, and it was sad and scary.
Nadja is on trial for causing grievous bodily harm to a man who got HIV. In Germany laws against "intentional or negligent transmission of HIV" are enforced. (Though some debate their usefulness in slowing the disease's spread.) Nadja had sex with at least three men while aware of her HIV status. Today in court, both Nadja and her victim testified: He said she had "created a lot of suffering in the world," and she told a sob story about living on the street, becoming a crack addict at 14, and discovering she was HIV-positive during a pregnancy when she was 16. She claimed she didn't understand how easily she could infect others.
If convicted, Nadja could go to jail for up to 10 years.
Now, to put this terrible, tragic, polarizing trial into context, here are the No Angels performing a truly atrocious song called "Daylight in Your Eyes," which is like if you turned "Ray of Light" into an ad for maxi pads and had the Fantanas' uglier, less talented cousins sing it in a time warp from 1995.
