Paddy Chew

Paddy Chew (March 29, 1960 - August 21, 1999) was the first Singaporean AIDS victim to come out to the general public. He attended St. Stephen's School and St. Patrick's School before becoming a flight steward. He worked for Singapore Airlines for thirteen years, after which he joined the Boom Boom Room, Singapore's first drag cabaret. Chew was not aware of AIDS or HIV during the first half of his career as a flight attendant, and never used a co... more

Paddy Chew (March 29, 1960 - August 21, 1999) was the first Singaporean AIDS victim to come out to the general public. He attended St. Stephen's School and St. Patrick's School before becoming a flight steward. He worked for Singapore Airlines for thirteen years, after which he joined the Boom Boom Room, Singapore's first drag cabaret. Chew was not aware of AIDS or HIV during the first half of his career as a flight attendant, and never used a condom. He began practicing safe sex after hearing of the disease in 1986 or '87, but fell ill in 1995, two years after leaving SA. His hospital caretakers were inexperienced with his condition, failing to recognize his oral thrush until he made the diagnosis. He was put through a series of standard medical tests before being administered an HIV test at his request, to the reluctance of his doctors. After his diagnosis he was relieved to know what was wrong. He traveled to Brussels to begin receiving treatment unavailable in Singapore at the... less