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 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...
From Heartache to Hope: How a Lesbian and Her Wife Built Their Dream Family.
My name is Amara Richardson, and I’m from San Marcos, Texas. I was 24, and my first close friend had started her family and had her first kid. And it was all new to me as n...
Hate Hits Home: How One Queer Couple’s Lives Were Upended By the 2016 Election.
My name is Jovier Sanchez and I’m from New York, New York. So I moved to Salem with my husband in 2015. We opened a candle store there and it was on the first floor of the&...
Queer Man Leaves Behind Homophobic & Racist Microaggressions at Corporate Job & Thrives in the Arts
Hi, I’m Jeremy Rashad Brown. I am from Waxahachie, Texas. Seventeen years ago, I went to UT where I majored in American studies and music business. And upon graduati...
Cheers to That! How a Dusty Bottle of Champagne Came to Represent a Father’s Love for Queer Son.
So my name is Peter Pinto. I’m from Milford, Pennsylvania. I grew up in a very low income household. My parents were newlyweds, didn’t have a lot of money. We were on...
“I Don’t Want You To Go.” Gay Soldier Dares to Love Amidst a Backdrop of War & Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
I came out when I was 16 and then I joined the military at 21, which was something I did not want to do because of the kind of macho culture that I grew up seeing. And I didn’t w...
Lesbian Stops Seeking Mother’s Approval & Finds Peace. “I Have to Start Living For Myself.”
I’m Nina Hernandez and I’m from Austin, Texas. Starting from when I was about six years old, I started noticing that my mom would prefer if I like boys. I remember very...
Out of the Closet, Into the Mayor’s Office. Todd Gloria’s Coming Out Journey Gives Hope to Others
Hi, my name is Todd Gloria, and I was born and raised in San Diego. I’m a third-generation San Diegan and I now serve as the mayor of my hometown. I was probably about four...
Music to His Ears: Competitive Karaoke Helps Gay Man Find the Confidence to Come Out & Help Others
My name is Vu Doan. I am from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Grew up in a very conservative Vietnamese, Buddhist household. So I had girlfriends and was very much focused on school as ...
