Grandfather comes out aged 95
A man married to his wife for 67 years decided to come out at age 95, and Tom Hanks gifts a coffee machine with a personal note to journalists stationed at the White House.
It's never too late
Is it ever too late to come to terms with one's true nature? Perhaps not.
Meet Roman, who decided at age 95 that it was time to set the records straight.
In a three-and-a-half-minute video interview with popular YouTuber Davey Wavey - himself a gay man - Roman, who is now 96, says he has had a wife for 67 years, two children, five grandchildren and one great grandchild.
But last year he decided it was time to "come out of the closet".
Davey told the BBC that he was connected with Roman through his grandson Brandon Gross.
"I happened to be in Los Angeles at the time and was immediately captivated by the story," he said.
So why did Roman wait until he was 95? He told Davey that there were "certain things I want the world to know".
He said he knew his true sexual orientation "when I was five years old".
And how did his family react to the news when he broke it to them?
"I just told them plain that I was born and was all my life gay. I told them the whole tragedy of my life and then they understood what happened to me," he replied.
"Can you imagine...90 years to be in the closet?"
Asked by Davey if he is now seeking a relationship with a boyfriend, Roman blushes, covers his face and looks away.
"Yes," he responds, avoiding eye contact with Davey.
"What type of guy do you go for? What does he look like?"
"I don't care," he says. "I don't look at the face. I look at the heart. Somebody to lean against. Somebody who feels the heart ticking."
And finally, now that he has let the world know his tale, what is he looking to gain?
"I want to go to sleep [and] have somebody close to me. Not for any other reason, but to be sure that someone cares."
Speaking to the BBC, Davey said he wanted his audience to witness Roman's "complex" story.
"On the one hand, it's the triumphant story of a 95-year-old man coming out of the closet and shedding the weight of a nine-decade secret...on the other hand, Roman's story is also deeply emotional and, at times, quite difficult."
"At some level, it's the story of lost opportunities. You can't help but wonder, had the circumstances been different how Roman's story could have ended differently.
"And you also feel for Roman's wife. While they undoubtedly loved each other in a deep way, both Roman and his wife deserve passion and sexual intimacy. Did they have that despite Roman being gay? I don't know."
But there is something "fundamentally human" about Roman's experience, he says.
"It's a simple yearning that drives all of us. In it, we see Roman's humanity. And we see ourselves."
Roman's grandson Brandon is making a film about his grandfather's story and the complexity of love, marriage and deeply held family secrets called "On My Way Out".
And Davey says the response he has received since he uploaded the video has been "overwhelming".
"Since posting the story, I've received an overwhelming response from viewers ranging from joyous to tearful. I'm not sure if Roman has seen the video, but I'm sure he'd be moved by the response."
A man married to his wife for 67 years decided to come out at age 95, and Tom Hanks gifts a coffee machine with a personal note to journalists stationed at the White House.
It's never too late
Is it ever too late to come to terms with one's true nature? Perhaps not.
Meet Roman, who decided at age 95 that it was time to set the records straight.
In a three-and-a-half-minute video interview with popular YouTuber Davey Wavey - himself a gay man - Roman, who is now 96, says he has had a wife for 67 years, two children, five grandchildren and one great grandchild.
But last year he decided it was time to "come out of the closet".
Davey told the BBC that he was connected with Roman through his grandson Brandon Gross.
"I happened to be in Los Angeles at the time and was immediately captivated by the story," he said.
So why did Roman wait until he was 95? He told Davey that there were "certain things I want the world to know".
He said he knew his true sexual orientation "when I was five years old".
And how did his family react to the news when he broke it to them?
"I just told them plain that I was born and was all my life gay. I told them the whole tragedy of my life and then they understood what happened to me," he replied.
"Can you imagine...90 years to be in the closet?"
Asked by Davey if he is now seeking a relationship with a boyfriend, Roman blushes, covers his face and looks away.
"Yes," he responds, avoiding eye contact with Davey.
"What type of guy do you go for? What does he look like?"
"I don't care," he says. "I don't look at the face. I look at the heart. Somebody to lean against. Somebody who feels the heart ticking."
And finally, now that he has let the world know his tale, what is he looking to gain?
"I want to go to sleep [and] have somebody close to me. Not for any other reason, but to be sure that someone cares."
Speaking to the BBC, Davey said he wanted his audience to witness Roman's "complex" story.
"On the one hand, it's the triumphant story of a 95-year-old man coming out of the closet and shedding the weight of a nine-decade secret...on the other hand, Roman's story is also deeply emotional and, at times, quite difficult."
"At some level, it's the story of lost opportunities. You can't help but wonder, had the circumstances been different how Roman's story could have ended differently.
"And you also feel for Roman's wife. While they undoubtedly loved each other in a deep way, both Roman and his wife deserve passion and sexual intimacy. Did they have that despite Roman being gay? I don't know."
But there is something "fundamentally human" about Roman's experience, he says.
"It's a simple yearning that drives all of us. In it, we see Roman's humanity. And we see ourselves."
Roman's grandson Brandon is making a film about his grandfather's story and the complexity of love, marriage and deeply held family secrets called "On My Way Out".
And Davey says the response he has received since he uploaded the video has been "overwhelming".
"Since posting the story, I've received an overwhelming response from viewers ranging from joyous to tearful. I'm not sure if Roman has seen the video, but I'm sure he'd be moved by the response."