Colorado Man Celebrates His First Pride at 91

After nearly a century spent in the closet, Ken Felts accidentally came out at 89. And this year, the Denver resident, now 91, celebrated his first Pride ever, proving that it's never too late to embrace who you truly are.

But here's the thing: Felts's public coming-out almost didn't happen at all. Felts had been diagnosed with cancer and began writing his memoir, including his stories about a man he once loved named Philip. After reconnecting with those memories, he decided to come out to his daughter, telling her that when he married in 1963 he had destroyed everything related to Phillip, except for a single photo.

After opening up to his daughter, Felts became empowered to do the same with a small group of his closest friends. He took to Facebook to privately come out to them but instead posted his coming-out publicly. The supportive messages immediately came pouring in. "I was getting messages from people all over about my coming-out," he told CBS's Denver affiliate. "It was almost all positive, very positive, over and over. 'Congratulations' and 'welcome' and things like that."

The experience was liberating for Felts. "It was a huge experience of freedom," he shared. "I wasn't looking over my shoulder worried about who's wondering if I'm gay or not."

While the pandemic may have prevented him from celebrating Pride 2020, this year he got to ring in the month as an out and proud gay man. And he didn't have to do it alone, as Felts is now in a relationship with a man.

Felts hopes his story can help to inspire others in similar situations to come out. "You'll be very surprised about the response," he said. "The world is full of love, and you're entitled to some of it, and people are going to give it to you if you take the chance, if you come out and say 'Here I am.'"