Proving that one is never too old to become true to oneself, an RAF veteran talks of how he hid his sexuality for more than 60 years but now that he has come out as gay, he can finally live the life he always wanted even though he’s close to a century old.
George Montague, who is now 96 years old, jokingly calls himself the ‘oldest gay in the village,’ a reference to the famous Little Britain sketch.
Watch to find out more of George’s story below.
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Video credit: Rumble
He married a woman and fathered three children, but only because he was afraid of being arrested and of disappointing his family. But that all changed in 1981 after his mother died when he felt he could finally come clean about his sexuality.
George has faced a lot of hardship due to his sexual orientation, including the arrest that he feared initially, but that hasn’t stopped him from campaigning for acceptance and equality for people who want to enter into same-sex relationships.
George is married to his husband Somchai, 50, and they say they’ve never been happier.
George, from Brighton, added: “I have spent so much of my life hiding who I really was that now I want to shout it from the rooftops.
“I have been blessed with real love in my life and I can’t ask for any more than that.
“I had to spend so many years hiding who I was, my ex-wife, Vera, knew I was gay before we married but she said she would rather have a gay man than no man at all.
“My mother kept asking me to get married and give her grandchildren as I was 35 at the time, she said she would rather not know if I was swinging the other way.
“I played the part and had three beautiful children with Vera, but nobody else knew anything about how I really felt.
“Being who I was inside was illegal in the 70’s but I made the decision to stop hiding who I was when my mother passed away.
“I always thought it was insane that a person couldn’t love who they wanted to based on their gender and whether they are both male or female.
“Now, I’m married to a wonderful man and our lives have been full of love since we first met each other in 1997 when Somchai was working for a Norwegian oil company and was attending a conference in London.”
George and Somchai first met in a bar in London 23 years ago. George’s wife, Vera, was supportive and said that since they already had 21 years together, Somchai could have the rest of George’s life.
George said: “Somchai and I had our civil partnership in 2006 and have been blissfully in love ever since.
“After spending such a large part of my life in hiding, I have been campaigning for acceptance ever since I decided to be open about my sexuality.
“I tell everyone I meet that I’m gay, I want everyone one to know. When you spend so much of life hiding who you are and finally open yourself up it becomes addictive.”
George has made a promise to get to 100 and says that as long as he lives, he will proudly celebrate his sexuality.
He added: “It must be accepted by everyone because nobody should be made to feel that they can’t love someone of the same sex.
“I loved my mother very much but she would never have been OK with me being gay, the police said to keep watch on us, sending plain-clothed coppers into the toilets to catch people out.
“It was awful when you were caught, I was on the list of people to watch out for and when you were found out to be gay you were automatically assumed to be a pedophile.
“But things are so different now, I’ll campaign for as long as I live, I love my life, I love who I am and I love my wonderful husband.
“I could quite possibly be the oldest gay man in the UK, and I’m quite positive I’m the oldest gay in the village.”
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