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
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’m João Kiser from Milledgeville, Georgia. 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 ma...
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 ...
Why Getting a Short Haircut & Tattoos After Breakup Felt “Like a Second Coming Out” For Lesbian
My name is Sarah Rahl, and I’m from Kennebunk, Maine. When I went to school in Virginia, I went to college, I was on the lacrosse team. I was so closeted at that point. I k...
From SF Gay Bubble to Conservative College Station, TX: How One Gay Woman Found Her Core of Queers.
A while ago, I moved from Detroit to a lot of other places and eventually ended up in San Francisco. I just basically thought it was a bubble of gay. Everywhere I went, it felt gay...
From Threatened to Celebrated: Gay Cop Leaves Law Enforcement, Comes Out, Becomes Educator & Thrives
I’m Greg Miraglia, and I’m from Moraga, California. In 1978, I discovered law enforcement as a possible career. I got really excited about it and I had a chance to jo...
Gay Man Pushes Back Against Mother’s Anti-Gay Vitriol and Their Relationship Thrives as a Result.
Hi, I’m Kai Ambakad from Fullerton, California. I was 19 and I was going to do errands and just have a good day with my mom. So we went out on a Sunday and we were shopping f...
How a Queer Woman’s Life-Changing Haircut Set Her on a More Authentic Path. “It Was Like Freedom.”
I’m Natasha Sumner and I am from Santa Rosa, California. Growing up, I was a rough and tumble kid. I loved to be out in the dirt, out in nature. It was the place where I fe...
