Murray Martin hopes his trip to Pride inspires young LGBTQ people to be proud of themselves.
An 86-year-old photographer who goes by Martin is finally ready to come out as gay. For the last 85 years, he buried his identity and only recently found the courage to come out as gay. He shares his story as part of 5 Gum’s “No Regrets” short film collection.
The “No Regrets” series, which debuted last week, features five incredible seniors. Each episode documents moments in their lives in which they lived their truths. In the online series, Martin reveals that concealing his true self for a lifetime left him tormented with self-doubts.
The video begins with a heart-wrenching monologue from Martin. “My name’s Martin, and I’m 86 years young,” he says. “It’s tough to be an outsider. I regret being such a sissy. So nervous. So shy. I left it until I was 85 years old to come out.”
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“I missed the boat as regards to finding a lovely partner. A soulmate that I could love and live with. If you ask me if you want to set up with another young guy, go ahead. Do it. You’ve got to. You owe it to yourself and him.”
“Regret is a powerful, universal emotion, and 5 Gum believes that you regret the things you don’t do in life more than the things you do,” 5 Gum’s brand manager Ashley Findlay told HuffPost. “When we heard Martin’s story, we knew we had to help him share it with the world to encourage younger generations to live life to the fullest.”
After visiting his first Pride, Martin’s reaction said it all: “Go to it. Be together. It’s wonderful.”
