Groff's relationship with Gavin Creel became public after the two attended the National Equality March in Washington DC in October 2009. He spoke openly about the positive impact Creel had on his life during an interview with Broadway.com in November 2017.
"He changed my life in so many ways, that being one of them," Groff said, noting that it was at the march where he first publicly came out gay. "I was in love, and we were in DC, and it just made sense. A reporter from Broadway.com asked me: 'Are you gay?' She asked me, and I kind of took a moment. And she said, 'Oh my god! I don't want to make you feel weird. Forget I said that.'"
"I was just looking around at the crowd and at Gavin who was just like speaking into a megaphone. I felt so wrong to just be standing there," he added. "I always knew that I would come out. To me, love is more important than career. And so I walked over to her again, and I said, 'Hey, I know you wanted to ask me a question. I'm sorry to walk over here again after you just asked me that. But yeah, I'm gay.' And she was like, 'On the record?' And I said, 'Yes.'"