John Paul keeps a stained-glass window in his home. It's a scene from The Wizard of Oz—he found it in San Francisco in the mid-1970s. It's silly, he knows, but it's a reminder of his partner, John, who passed away from lung cancer in 2003. The two men shared an apartment together in West Hollywood for nearly 40 years, starting in 1975.

Today, their home is filled with friends who span several generations: John Paul is 80, but his roommates Kevin and Joe are 34 and 68, respectively.

“He doesn’t like being alone,” says Joe, who has known John Paul for 35 years and moved in after his own partner’s death. “He doesn’t ever want to be alone. The more people around, the better.”

This intergenerational group of friends is the subject of Dinner at Home, a documentary short directed by Eli Rarey and Steven Chodoriwsky that's screening now for free on Vimeo.

“History for queer people isn’t always found in books,” Rarey told NewNowNext. “There are some great historians setting down what has happened in our communities and why it is important for the history of our country, but often these histories take place outside the normalized documented realms where what we think of as history with a capital 'H' is taking place. These oral histories are passed down in dinners like the one we show in our film.”

Clocking in at just under 13 minutes, the video is a moving, relatable and funny meditation not only on our need to share our stories, but also the close-knit bonds between gay men. Many of the guests who come for a weekly meal with John Paul describe his apartment as their second home.

“It’s kind of like living with my parents,” says Kevin, an ex-Mormon who moved in with Joe after coming out. “It’s like my family—just a different family.”