I'm From Driftwood
The stories on I’m From Driftwood send a simple but powerful message to LGBTQIA+ people everywhere: You are not alone. I’m From Driftwood combats isolation and creates empathy to build a more understanding and accepting world. These are our stories, told in our own voices.
Latest Coming Out Stories
From “Utter Agony” to Love and Trust: A Father’s Journey of Acceptance Towards His Gay Son
Hi, I’m James Palmer. I’m from Atlanta, Georgia. In my mid 20s, I reached out to a therapist because I was having some challenges with the relationship that I was in, a...
Kicked Out of the Military for Being Gay: One Man’s Experience During “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
Hi, my name is James Garcia and I am from New York City. In 1996, I enlisted in the Air Force. During that time, don’t ask, don’t tell was in place. That means the mi...
Gay Man Grateful After Coming Out to Parents: “You Never Know How Long We’re Going To Be Around.”
My name is Edison and I’m from New York City. I grew up in a loving but extremely conservative household. My family, my parents were immigrants, are immigrants from Ecuador, ...
From NSYNC Cover Band Drag King to Coming Out at Work, Trans Man Shares Journey to Self-Acceptance
My name is Jay Beaulieu, I’m from South Pasadena, California. When I was six years old, I remember learning how to play basketball. I was on the court learning to shoot fre...
First Love Compels Gay Man to Mend Fences with his Mom. “There is a Light at the End of the Tunnel.”
I’m Junior Suazo and I’m from Miami, Florida. My family is from Nicaragua. I’m a first generation college graduate and I come from a Catholic background. Growin...
Queer Person Thrives After Choosing Theater Over Evangelism. “How Could It Possibly Be a Sin?”
My name is Dina Paolo Rodriguez. I’m from El Caja, Peru. We immigrated to the US, to Miami, in the late nineties and my mom became a born again Christian, evangelical Chris...
Top, Bottom or Vers? Gay Man Defies Social Pressure and Comes Out as a Side.
I’m Tim, and I’m from Montclair, New Jersey. I came out in three separate occasions over a summer. The first one was, “I think I might be gay.” And the se...
“You Will Find Your Way.” Transgender Woman’s Multi-Stop–And Ongoing–Journey to Realizing Her Identity.
My name is Samantha. I’m from Houston, Texas. When I was in college, just kind of finishing my degree at University of Texas in Austin, I started dating this guy whom I had...
Trans Nonbinary Person Thrives After Being Welcomed Back to Work with New Identity, Name, & Pronouns.
I did a lot of self-reflecting and I was able to self-identify as well as to allow myself, my inner Shellby, to come alive.I am Shellby Forbes. I am from Brooklyn, New York. So in early 2000s, I started in the finance industry working in retail banking. And during that timeframe, I started off as a tel...
Gay Man Reunites with Estranged Father After Seven Years. “It Takes Time But You Gotta Work at It.”
Hi, my name is Nick from Toms River, New Jersey. I was in my mid 20s living in New York City. I met a guy, I went home with him. We had a really wonderful night. We decided that we...
How a Crush Saved a Queer Person’s Life. “Falling in Love was the Catalyst for Accepting Who I Am.”
Hey, so my name is Grey. I grew up in Florida. I grew up in a church and in a family that was very conservative Christianity wise. They’re also Caribbean. There’s als...
After Coming Out to Filipino Immigrant Parents, Gay Man Learns to Stop Seeking Approval From Others.
I’m Justin Senense, and I’m from Abilene, Texas. I was raised under three pillars. I would say for a Filipino family, it was always food, then it was family, and then i...
