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 Gay Men Stories
Using Art to Change Minds: “I Realized How Much Power a Drag Queen Can Have.”
Hello. My name is Christopher Barbosa. I am Mission, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. I was about four or five years old. I was in daycare. My mom was a business woman at the time. ...
Black Gay Man Reflects On A Life Defined By Love, Authenticity, Activism And Connection. “That’s Just Part Of Who I Am.”
1980s: Black Gay Man On Coming Out In The South: “While I Did Come Out, I Didn’t Really Feel Free.” So, you know, for me, the last thing that I wanted to be was a gay man be...
Gay Man Finds Confidence And Sheds His Toxic Masculinity On The Theater Stage. “For Once, You’re Seeing The Real Me.”
My name is Jack. I’m from Chicago, Illinois. So I came out of the closet when I was about 15 years old. I come from a very masculine, sportsy middle class suburban background, an...
Gay Man Works Through The Trauma Of Sexual Assault. “I Am A Lot Happier Now That I’ve Done This Work.”
My name is Nicholas and I’m from Orange County, California. So when I was 14, or sophomore year of high school, whichever came first, I came out to my mom first off as a bisexual...
Gay Puerto Rican Learns To Embrace Both His Sexuality And His Ethnicity. “I Feel More Balanced.”
My name is William Perez and I’m from Brooklyn, New York. I went to Cornell University in 1987. I struggled my first semester so much that I had straight Fs and one D. So I was s...
“We Never Know What Life Has In Store For Us.” Gay Man Details Journey From Small Town France To Grand Wedding In Paris.
*Scroll down for English transcript. Je m’appelle Romain Goubet ; je viens de Saint-Quentin en France. J’ai grandi dans cette petite ville de Picardie dans les années q...
Black & Gay In New Orleans From The 60s To Today: “You Get Up, You Dust Yourself Off, And You Fight On.”
First Shunned By Neighbors, Then The Bars: Being Black In New Orleans In The 1960s and 1970s. Well, I was born to Sadie and Charlie Hickerson. We lived in an area of New Orleans c...
From “Jose” To “Joe” And Back Again: Gay Man Creates Alternate Identity To Overcome Trauma.
Hi. My name is Jose Ramon. I’m from the Bronx, New York. I was 13. I lived on Riverside Drive on 160th and Riverside. Beautiful neighborhood. My mother and father were both born ...
Tensions Ease After Gay Man Comes Out To Mom. “It Just Changed Things For The Better.”
My name is Aaron. I’m from Detroit, Michigan. Growing up, I always felt a little bit different and I was also more of an introvert. So I didn’t have a lot of friends – I was ...
Gay Man Forgives His Family For Traumatic Childhood. “I Did That For Myself Because I Needed To Heal.”
Hello. My name is Luis and I’m from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. My mother was intermittently present. She used to live in a different city. My father wasn’t around or was...
After Hitting Rock Bottom, Gay Man Adopts A Dog. “I Have A Great Life With An Amazing, Little, Bitchy Dog.”
Hi. My name’s Rob Garofalo. I’m from Parsippany, New Jersey. I’ve led a pretty charmed life or a life of privilege and then, you know, at about the age of 39 or right before ...
Gay Man’s Life Changes After Adoption Of Son. “He’s The Most Important Thing In My Life Right Now.”
Hi. My name’s Tariem Burroughs and I am from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My partner and I, we always knew we wanted to have kids, even when we first met. Luckily a person that I ...
