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 Sexuality Stories
Gay Man Frees Himself from the Grip of Addiction. “My Life Started to Get Better.”
Hi, my name’s Gary Lane. I’m from Austin, Texas. I don’t remember exactly when, but I think it was either late high school or maybe right after. One day just at...
From Peer Pressure & Unhealthy Habits to Pride & Self Love: How One Gay Man Turned His Life Around.
My name is Dario Beck Torres, and I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. So I grew up in a fairly religious environment. I remember one time being pulled aside by this lady. I didn...
Back On Track: Gay Man Finds Fulfillment By Prioritizing His Dreams Over Partying & Distractions.
My name is Daniel. I’m from Guanajuato, Mexico. And when I was 15 years old, I moved to the United States, specifically Reno, Nevada. Ever since when I was a little kid, I al...
Keeping Austin Weird: How One Queer Woman Learned to Let Her Freak Flag Fly.
I’m Erica Nix. I’m from Arlington, Texas. Arlington, when I was growing up, was a pretty conservative place. It wasn’t really that cool to be different, and I alw...
Put It In Writing: Gay Man Learns Tough Lesson After Losing His Partner – and Everything They Built.
Hello, my name is Alfred Engstrand. I’m from San Antonio, Texas. When I was 25 years old, I was approached by an older gentleman who needed my help to run his restaurant, b...
From Bi Erasure to “Flaming Bisexual”: Bi Asian Mom Learns the Value of Visibility.
Hi, I’m Ivy Le from Dallas, Texas. I thought everybody was bisexual. My family immigrated from Vietnam, so I actually grew up in two really conservative cultures; Vietnamese ...
X-Men & Real-Life Heroes Inspire Gay Man to Become a “Super Lawyer”
Hi, I’m Rick Anderson. I’m from Pearland, Texas. I grew up in the Clear Lake, Friendswood area in my early childhood in the eighties and nineties. And it was a communit...
Love & Loss in Russia: How One Queer Person Drew a Valuable Lesson from Their Teenage Heartbreak.
My name is Irina Groushevaia and I’m from Moscow, Russia. When I was 16 years old, I was living with my estranged father because my mom abandoned me, and it was a difficult...
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...
Non-Binary Excellence: How One Employee’s Authenticity Served as a Model for Others.
My name is Will Verchereau. I’m from Lansing, Michigan. In May 2011, I found myself freshly graduated from Michigan State University and crying alone in my closet in my apa...