Kenneth Felts is already 90 years old, and for as long as he can remember, he has been keeping his sexuality to himself. For decades, Ken thought it would be best that he kept everything that he felt.
That is not until the coronavirus pandemic struck the entire world. The 90-year-old Navy veteran decided to come out in a Facebook post. The dad's confession came along with his search for the love of his life, Phillip Allen Jones.
His story gained attention from a lot of people online.
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The 90-year-old dad's journey before the confession
In an interview with the 3rd Hour of TODAY, the 90-year-old dad shared that he planned to keep the secret about his sexuality until he died. He said to USA Today, "I just denied it and ignored it."
As Ken Felts, 90, worked on a memoir, old memories gave him the push he needed to reveal openly for the first time that he was gay.
Watch his inspiring story and see how his message is helping others find the strength to live their truth. pic.twitter.com/x8wddun46F — 3rd Hour of TODAY (@3rdHourTODAY) August 7, 2020
Felts already knew he was gay when he was 12 years old. Since his younger years, he was afraid of coming out until he became older because he was scared of being ostracized.
The 90-year-old dad had a few homosexual encounters but chose to keep it a secret as well.
Felts joined the Navy for four years, then moved to California from Kansas. That is when he met the love of his life, Phillip. Ken said that they were happy until Felts was no longer sure if he can still stay in the relationship. Ken felt his religious beliefs were not reconciling with his identity.
He moved back to Kansas and got married in 1963. However, after 16 years, they got divorced. They had a daughter, who, in 1995, came out to his father.
The Facebook post
Ken's "coming out" message said, "I am free, I am gay and I am out."
In his other posts, he also explained the kind of relationship that he and Phillip had.
However, he also shared that someone confirmed to him that Phillip already passed away.
In his interview with the 3rd Hour of Today, the 90-yer-old dad was very emotional in recounting his memories with the love of his life. Ken said that he feels terrible that he was not even able to say goodbye to Phillip.
Even if his story did not end as happily ever after, as fairytales go, Felts is still happy that he can inspire others in the LGBTQ community.
