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 Gender Stories
Trans Man Thought He Had It All—Until He Found His True Self
I am Criss Christoff Smith. I grew up on a farm in Jamaica. When I was about six years old, I was on my grandmother’s farm playing with my older brother. My grandmother ...
The Trans Woman Behind the NYC Subway Announcements
My name is Bernie Wagenblast. I’m from Cranford, New Jersey. I was four years old. I recall being at my grandmother’s house, sitting in front of her vanity, putting o...
“Um, But…Why?” Nonbinary Person Navigates Questions After Coming Out
I’m Aria Renee Curameng and I’m from Fort Washington, Maryland. Back in, I want to say 2021, I went out with a friend of mine and we constantly went to piano bars....
“That’s My Daughter”: Construction Dad Doesn’t Hesitate to Support Trans Woman
My name is Sasha Buchert and I’m from Portland, Oregon. When I was younger, Iike a lot of people, I didn’t have the greatest relationship with my dad. We just weren&#...
From HRT to FIFA: Trans Athlete Joins a Women’s Soccer Team – Then Creates Her Own
I’m Bethany Cyrtmus-Davaul, and I’m from Hudson, Wisconsin. When I was 28-years-old, in my condo in Chicago, sitting on my nice wine red couch, I was watching some Yo...
Trans Parenthood: Daughter’s Birth Inspires Woman to Live Authentically.
Hi, I’m Sharlot and I am from San Antonio, Texas, originally. I have a 3-year-old daughter. She was born three months before the start of the pandemic. And so I was still w...
Ctrl+Alt+Defeat Discrimination: How One Trans Activist Transformed the Tech Industry.
My name is Mary Ann Horton, and I’m from San Diego, California. Think back to 1997. I was a closeted cross-dresser working for Lucent Technologies in Columbus, Ohio. I knew...
Gender-Affirming Care Leads Trans Woman From Sex Work & Prison to Motherhood, Marriage, and a Career
I’m Tabytha Gonzalez, pronouns she and her, and I’m from Newark, New Jersey. I first came to New York City. I was with my dance crew, or a dance crew that I was a par...
Gay Aunt Becomes Queer Person’s Beacon of Hope Amid Homophobic Family
My name is Kirsten and I’m from Queens, New York. So when I was growing up, me and my aunt, my mother’s sister, were very close. There was an intensity to that closen...
“We Can’t Be Patient Forever.” Trans Person Finds Joy & Community After Cutting Ties with Family
I’m SJ. I’m from Dallas, Texas. I grew up in a house where it wasn’t really normal for us to talk about our feelings. That was really difficult for me. As a chi...
Choosing Authenticity: How One Lesbian Risked It All to Be Themselves & Thrived.
My name is Sammi Price and I’m from Neenah, Wisconsin. I remember the first time that I had a crush on a girl, and it was in eighth grade in my little hometown in Wisconsin...
Shirtless Trans Man on a Beach Changes Stranger’s Life. “It is Super Important to See Our Marks.”
My name is Terrence Francois. I’m from Brooklyn, New York, also known as Indigenous Land of the Lenape people. So it’s 2021. We’re a year into the pandemic. The y...
