Rico has lived with HIV for almost a decade, confiding in only a small number of people in socially conservative Singapore, fearful of the reaction. Last month, he got a phone call saying information about his condition had been published online.
Rico was one of 14,200 people whose HIV status, name and address were dumped on the Internet by an American man who is believed to have obtained the confidential data from his partner — a senior Singaporean doctor.
“The LGBT community is angry and frustrated with the entire ordeal,” said Rico, who did not want to be identified by his full name.
The 31-year-old said he was frightened that “the leaked information may change people’s perception of me,” adding that he had not told all his friends he was HIV-positive.
“Society may be tolerant to the LGBT community, but I do not think they are ready to accept a gay and HIV-positive individual. Not in my lifetime,” he said.
While Singapore is modern in many ways, observers say social attitudes have not progressed at the same pace as economic development and are often highly conservative, as in other parts of Asia.
Those in Singapore with HIV — the virus that causes AIDS — have long complained of prejudice and campaigners say the negative reaction to the data breach has highlighted the stigma.
A human resources manager working in the hospitality industry was quoted in the Straits Times as saying she would sack any of her staff if their names were among those published.
The virus is usually transmitted through sex or sharing of needles and cannot be spread via casual contact, such as shaking hands or hugging.
Foreigners with HIV were for many years not allowed to set foot in Singapore at all.
In 2015, authorities lifted the ban on foreigners with the virus making short visits, but those seeking to work in Singapore must still pass a test.
The city-state of 5.6 million people is home to many overseas workers, from wealthy bankers to laborers at construction sites.
The leak, which involved the data of 5,400 Singaporeans and 8,800 foreigners, has caused widespread consternation.
Sumita Banerjee, executive director of non-governmental organization Action for AIDS, said that people with the virus have been calling her group in tears.
“One of the main concerns is that employers, friends and family who were not aware might react badly,” she said, adding that some were afraid of losing their jobs.
However, according to guidelines from health authorities, there are generally no valid grounds for terminating the services of an HIV-positive employee simply due to their condition.
Singapore authorities say they have rushed to block access to the information that was dumped online, allegedly by Mikhy Farrera Brochez, although they have warned he still has it and could release it again.
Speaking to the Straits Times, Brochez protested his innocence and described reports about him as “terribly nasty and inaccurate.”
Authorities have not offered any explanation as to why he leaked the data.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number