For 30 years, Dennis Creamer was happily married to a woman. But when she passed away 15 years ago, Creamer finally admitted a secret that had followed him for most of his life: he was gay. Creamer is a subject of the documentary 'Before You Know It,' which chronicles the lives of gay men as they deal with getting older and how they enjoy their golden years. He shared his story on HuffPost Live.
Creamer, now 80, felt he could not come out while he was married. "While I was married, that was not a real option, and I was married 30 years, quite a long time," he told host Ricky Camilleri. "My wife and I had a very good relationship. All that time, [I knew it was there], but I kept it suppressed."
He also shared his coming out story. "When she passed away, I sort of felt a complete loss. It was a gradual process, it wasn't something that happened all at once."
After staying closeted for years, Creamer has now embraced the LGBT community. He lives in a gay senior community home, Rainbow Vista in Oregon, where he enjoys going to lunch with his fellow retirees, working out at the gym, gardening and going to gay clubs in Portland.
Joining Creamer and Camilleri in the conversation were Ty Martin, a Community Liaison at SAGE Harlem who was also featured in the documentary, PJ Raval, director of 'Before You Know It,' and Mitchell Williams, HuffPost Live producer.