My Handful of Stars

"My Handful of Stars" chronicles the life of a ninety-year-old gay man who had never come to terms with his gift of homosexuality. Born in 1930 during the great depression, he grew up first in a small Western Kansas town and was indoctrinated into a somewhat, fundamental Christian church. After his first male-to-male sexual experience, the influence of the church teachings to which he had been exposed forced him to internalize his homosexuality, and most of his life was spent as a straight-acting, closeted homosexual. He eventually "outed" himself to his daughter and then the world.

"My Handful of Stars" chronicles the life of a ninety-year-old gay man who had never come to terms with his gift of homosexuality. Born in 1930 during the great depression, he grew up first in a small Western Kansas town and was indoctrinated into a somewhat, fundamental Christian church. After his first male-to-male sexual experience, the influence of the church teachings to which he had been exposed forced him to internalize his homosexuality, and most of his life was spent as a straight-acting, closeted homosexual. He eventually "outed" himself to his daughter and then the world. After coming out, author Kenneth Felts has appeared on many national and international T.V. shows telling the story of his life, including his four years as a Navy Personnelman on a minesweeper during the Korean War. He also talks about the difficulty of straight-acting in a non-accepting and dangerous world. The period of change resulting from the Stonewall Riots as well as the Vietnam protester movement created an atmosphere that eventually made it safe to come out of the closet.

Born May 20, 1930, in Dodge City, Kansas, his family moved several times following his father's employment by the Santa Fe Railroad but eventually, the family returned to the town of his birth. He had his first male-to-male sexual experience at age twelve in Belen, New Mexico, and knew immediately what his sexual orientation was and was aware that his religion taught that it was sinful behavior. Thus, he spent most of his life denying his gift of homosexuality. After serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, he moved to California in 1957 determined to lead a straight life. Love interfered with those plans when he met a handsome young man who worked in the office where he found employment and eventually, they lived together for about eighteen months. The tragic events of their breakup forced a reconsideration of his sexual proclivity and ended in a firm determination to go straight. When writing his memoirs, Felts was finally faced with publicly expressing his sexuality, which occurred when he was ninety years old.