Male and female, two shades of humanity without any one of them, both human existence and life are incomplete. It would be impossible to imagine the world if these two are not present. But there is gender indifference and inequality present in our society. Still, both genders are accepted and celebrated in our society with open arms.

No one criticizes them for being a man or a woman. But there is another gender that exists between us. The third gender, the LGBTQ community, they are not accepted by us. More than equality, they need acceptance and recognition. Over the years, the LGBTQ community has been at the forefront of fighting for their right. It’s time to come out of the closet and be recognized and accepted.

Today’s story is a heartwarming one about a 25-year-old homosexual, Sherwin Court. His success story is truly inspiring, and his family played a supporting role in his life, and it helped him gain strength and feel confident.

Hatke Story presents Sherwin’s brother, Shannon, who aided him in some of the battles he fought as a child in his growing years.

I’m Shannon Ridge Court, Sherwin Court’s brother, and I will be narrating his story. Sherwin is my younger brother. Since his childhood, Sherwin was experimental with his clothes. Even for a walk in the park, he took time out to smell good and dress well. At home, he would get into our mother’s outfits and catwalk or dance around. He wasn’t like us.

There were many instances where my friends made fun of him, and I’d feel bruised. I remember getting into a fistfight with people I considered friends when they called him names right in front of me. Going back home, I would yell at him, saying, “Why are you behaving like a girl? Stop walking like you’re on a ramp,” and he would reply, “What am I doing wrong?”

Often, when I speak to him, he wouldn’t respond. For some time, I thought that he was perhaps too focused on what he was doing, so he wasn’t paying attention to what was going on around him. There were times, our mother thought he might have a hearing disability, but that was never an option to be considered – too harsh a thought, too painful a route to go down. It was easier to be in denial.

When he was about eight years old and wasn’t doing too well at school, somebody suggested taking a hearing test. And that is when we learned that he was completely deaf in one ear and had about 20% hearing capability in the other. I remember my parents running around getting hearing tests done from one doctor and to another. When all reports read the same, we had to accept it. Sherwin got hearing aids, and I thought that would resolve the problem, but it didn’t.

The early struggle of Sherwin Court

At school, other students were curious about his ear and started touching it, which sent a buzz into his ear; some children called him a spy. But more than ever, Sherwin Court found it challenging to adjust the volume control for every different person he spoke to. And during Diwali, the sound of the crackers used to be above a line and go up to his head and down his neck. He just couldn’t adjust to the unexpected noise.

So, he used to set out to school wearing them, and when he reached school, he would put them in his pocket and eventually lose them. I would get mad at Sherwin for not using his hearing aids. I would say, “It’s such a big gift, and you are throwing it away!”

My parents informed Sherwin Court’s school about his hearing disability. Some of his teachers would pay special attention to him. Since Sherwin and I used to go to the same school, we studied the same subjects. Whenever he required my assistance in learning those subjects, I would always pitch in and help. My parents always made sure Sherwin completed and understood his assignments.

Sherwin Court also overcame this problematic situation by learning to lip-read and listening to vibrations. The last hearing aid we bought him, he threw away. He has perfected the art of lip-reading and listening to vibration to such an extent that he not only started doing a lot better in school, but he won athletic championships and even participated in District Level Sports.

Sherwin has performed in many dance competitions too. He has mastered the art to such an extent that even if you would stay around Sherwin for a long while still, you wouldn’t know he is deaf. There are 95 percent chances that you would never guess it! Yes, it’s that perfect and almost equal when compared to an average person. 

Growing up, while I played with GI Joe’s and cars, while Sherwin Court was busy grooming a Barbie doll. I would watch cartoons, and Sherwin would take an interest in Fashion Television. He was at ease in the company of girls while I would be nervous even to strike a conversation with them.

Sherwin was often questioned about his behavior. I would be embarrassed at his constant mocking. He would look to me for protection and understanding. Sherwin cried regularly and complained about being spoken rudely. He used to find solace in me and would see me as his best friend. 

Sherwin grew up witnessing all the mayhem around him. Deep down, we knew the truth, but we never dared to accept it. He would often disappear from our house for hours just to stay alone. 

In 2015, he kept doing the disappearing act for about a week to ten days. He was always out of the house before we could say, “Wait!”.

Sherwin Court with his brother, Shannon, and family

One night, at around 8 o’clock, he said he was going jogging, and he would be back in an hour. My family couldn’t imagine him jogging on the busy streets of Delhi.

One hour turned into 3 hours, and he finally returned from his marathon. Our mother had enough of this act of his, so when he returned, she confronted him about it because his safety was our priority. 

“Where have you been? Where did you go jogging so late at night? What took you so long?” this is how the conversation panned out, and she sternly cornered him with her parade of questions.

“Mum, I was out with my boyfriend,” Sherwin replied with hesitance and truth. We felt a wave of relief and happiness washed over us at that moment, and our anger grew into understanding and support.

We always knew Sherwin was gay, and it was only a matter of time before he would tell me in person. I felt guilty because, throughout the years, I didn’t allow him to be who he indeed was despite defending him when he needed me to.

We wanted to make amends. Sherwin invited me to a gay pride parade, and I gladly went. There, I interacted and spoke to many LGBTQ individuals and learned more about their life. I came to know how challenging it is to come out in our society. Many of them were thrown out of their homes and were cut off from their families because of their identities. That day, I hugged Sherwin after a long time and said, “You are so strong, and you inspire me.”

I also understood the value of family support. Our encouragement gave Sherwin the strength to be his person in a world that inspires you to change into something they think you ought to be.

Today, Sherwin is thriving as a fashion designer. He runs his clothing page named Unser Platz, where he sells clothes and outfits designed by him.

I would tell those reading this that all members of the LGBTQ seek acceptance. They are not different from you. Their emotions, dreams, and goals are the same as everyone else. I urge you not to be judgemental and give them a fair chance. They are similar and represent the same traits, but they are unique in their way. So learn to respect them and keep humanity above everything. In the end, we all are humans, and we together define the shades of humanity.

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