It’s Never Too Late To Take That Step

After living his life “deep in the closet,” 90-year-old Kenneth Felts planned to take his secret to the grave. But then came a pandemic, and Felts, who was working on an autobiography began thinking about a relationship he had in the 1950s with a man named Phillip—whom he calls his one true love—before he decided to remain closeted and marry a woman.

Now he’s out.

Felts first divulged his secret to his daughter, Rebecca Mayes, who also happens to be gay, saying he regretted leaving Phillip, and had never been able to find him later on in life. And then Kenneth Felts came out to other family and friends on Facebook and in emails and, well, as most of us know, the response has been amazing:

“I’ve been in the closet all my life—deep in the closet, behind rows and rows of clothing. I’m way back there. Opening that door at the front, I had great trepidation as to what people would say. I was very concerned because I needed people and I couldn’t stand the thought of losing them just because I decided to finally be who I really was. Coming out in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s was horrendous. That was part of the reason I didn’t ever consider coming out (before). There was no gay community, there really weren’t gay organizations or anything. People who came out came out on their own, without support. And I guess I didn’t have the courage to face society at that time, so I just went ahead and buried it.”

Felts has been supportive of Rebecca’s coming out, which occurred twenty years ago. He divorced his wife years ago, but doesn’t regret the marriage because it brought him his daughter. And, since coming out, Kenneth Felts has become an activist, wearing his rainbow-colored hoodie, hosting virtual LGBTQ senior coffee group meetings, and raising money for LGBTQ events like an upcoming virtual 5K.

Kenneth Felts has known he was gay for 78 years, but says his message is:

“It’s never, ever too late to be yourself. Don’t underestimate your friends and family. You might be surprised at how they react if you were to decide to come out. Enjoy what you’ve got while you’ve got it, because you’ve only got it once.”

Welcome out Kenneth.

And please accept as our gift to you from HOMO HQ, the Official Coming Out Toaster Oven™ and your own copy of the Gay Agenda.

Thanks for coming out and sharing your story. You've helped people come to terms, and perhaps come out, and you've helped people understand waht living a life in the closet can do.

Towleroad