Tom Rees as drag queen Sissy Chanson wears a pink curly wig, a pink dress and a silver ruffled stole, and plays the ukulele against a blue background.

Yes to Following Your Own Path

Tom Rees works as a Lufthansa purser and performs as drag queen Sissy Chanson. In both cases, the aim is to make others happy and create good vibes 

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3 min read
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“Sissy can be translated as coward or weakling,” says Tom Rees. “But to perform as a drag queen, to stand on stage in a glittery dress, wig and make-up and sing, you need a lot of courage.” That's why he chose the stage name Sissy Chanson. “It's my way of turning the insult 'sissy', which I often heard as a boy, into something positive,” says Rees. 

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It is important to him to make others happy, to create a good atmosphere. And Rees does this not only when he is on stage in clubs and bars wearing a pink drag outfit, but also in his role as a Lufthansa purser. He almost always has his “Sparklelele” – a ukulele decorated all over with rhinestones – with him. And the guests on board are often treated to a song he has composed himself. One of those guests was singer Michael Bublé, who uploaded a video of Rees' serenade to TikTok, where it promptly went viral. 

As with many queer people, Tom Rees' life is divided into a before and after: before and after his coming out as a gay man. Rees was born in Hawaii. Later, his Catholic parents moved with him and his 11 siblings to Louisiana in the deep south of the USA. At university, he met a German woman, his future wife, whom he followed to Mainz. He studied Catholic theology in Rhineland-Palatinate, became the father of a son and a pastor in the diocese of Speyer.  

His coming out in his late 20s was bittersweet. It meant separating from his wife and child. A difficult step. At the same time, Rees was able to live what he felt for the first time. “That was exciting,” says Rees. Today, he has lived with his husband for 30 years. 

Rees gave up his job at the Catholic Church after coming out. “I thought to myself, if I can't go to heaven with the church, I'll go to heaven with Lufthansa,” he says. That's exactly what he said at his job interview – and he got the job as a flight attendant. 

Tom Rees as drag queen Sissy Chanson wears a pink curly wig, a pink dress and a silver ruffled stole, and plays the ukulele in front of a staircase.
Big dreams: as Sissy Chanson, Tom Rees wants to “perform on every stage in the world” (© House of Communication)

After a video of Rees as Sissy Chanson was shared on Lufthansa's social media channels, there was a lot of encouragement – but also some negative comments. “I read them all the next day,” says Rees. “Lufthansa responded to every single comment and emphasized that they stand by me as an employee. That really touched me and totally reinforced my identity as a Lufthansa employee.”

As a purser, Rees is about to retire – unlike Sissy. “I want to expand and refine what I started with Sissy,” says Rees. “And perform on every stage in the world,” he adds theatrically and with a twinkle in his eye, and starts singing: “New York, Rio, Tokyo ...”

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