Episode 13: Leroy

Estrangement from his family was the price Leroy paid on the path to fulfil his dream of being a drag artiste.

When Leroy was 18, his father walked in on him while he was putting on face powder. Furious, he gave Leroy a good beating before throwing him out of the house. Years on, Leroy successfully donned drag costumes to fulfil a dream -- will his family ever welcome him back?

Leroy's parents were very young when they had him. So his grandmother raised him from birth. She became so attached she did not want to return him to his mother, causing a rift.

Although his parents would still visit him occasionally when he was growing up, they frowned on Leroy's tendencies to befriend girls and play with make-up. When Leroy was 18, his father walked in on him while he was putting on face powder. He was furious. He gave Leroy a good beating before throwing him out of the house. Leroy became estranged from his family.

A few years passed. His sister, Sarminah, sought him out at Boom Boom Room where he was making his debut as a showgirl. Sarminah encouraged him to contact his mother, but at that time she did not want to talk to him. Even when he went to her home, she would only speak to him through the window.

Leroy tried to forget his family but incident after incident kept bringing him back to them. First, his parents got divorced. And then Sarminah died in a car accident. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Leroy decided to try to contact his mother again.

Leroy's mother finally went to see him perform with some of her friends. She did not know what her son did and greeting her in drag made Leroy nervous. But it was an emotional moment when, trembling like a leaf with tears streaking down her face, he invited her on to stage. The moment ended in a hug and wild applause.