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
Buffy and a Music Video Contributes to Trans Man Embracing His Identity. “You Deserve to Choose Yourself.”
I’m Bristtle. I’m from Liberty, South Carolina. I remember I was 11 years old the first time I realized that I was queer. I was watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Willow and...
A Letter From Founder & Executive Director Nathan Manske
The stories on I’m From Driftwood send a message that you’re not alone, no matter who you are or what you’re going through. But it also provides an opportunity for the LGBTQIA+ comI was inspired to create I’m From Driftwood after seeing a photograph of Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States, riding on the hood of a ...
College Student Finds His Queer Voice Studying Abroad in Rome. “It’s Been Incredibly Liberating.”
Hey, I’m Paolo Lee, and I am from Glendora, New Jersey.Hey, I’m Paolo Lee, and I am from Glendora, New Jersey. I’ve always been a musician. Music is in my family. I’ve been a singer-songwriter. I’ve learned how to play piano. B...
Gay Man Confronts Mother Over Microaggression. “Why Did You Introduce Him to Everybody Just as My Friend?”
I’m John Bronston. I’m from Richmond, Indiana. And it was the Thanksgiving after my sister passed away, I had just turned 30 years old and I was bringing home a boyfriend for t...
Gay Man Confronted By Ex-Wife. “I Hear You Have a Rainbow Sticker on Your Car.”
My name is Frank Zahn and I’m from Washington DC. The time is 1998. I’m living in California and it’s about 18 months after my marriage of five years to a woman came to a clo...
Gay Man Achieves Dream of Graduating Art School and Becoming a Drag Queen After Telling Parents to “F*** Off.”
Hi, I’m Gunner. I’m from Alpharetta, Georgia. My whole life since I was a kid, any birthday money, any Christmas money, anything that was given to me was put aside in a bank ac...
Despite Homophobia and Bullying, Gay Haitian Comes Out and Learns Strength and Patience. “We Have to Have That Patience to Teach Them How to Love Us.”
I’m Dimitry Etienne. I’m from Carrefour Marin in Haiti. Growing up there, being in school, there were words that people would use that I had no concept of because we lived so f...
After Friend’s Death by Suicide, Gay Musician Expresses Trauma Through Art. “Being Vulnerable Allows People In.”
I’m Blake Allen and I’m from El Paso, Texas. And when I was 18, I moved to Provo, Utah to go to school at Brigham Young University. Provo and BYU are very Mormon and LDS, and s...
Whoopi, The Prom Musical, & A Day With a Trans Trailblazer: How One Lifelong Activist Rediscovered the Meaning of Pride.
My name is Cathy Renna and I am from Queens, New York. I had the incredible privilege and exhausting responsibility of working with New York City Pride when we were the host city f...
“He Lives with a Man. He’s Gay. You Get It?” Gay Man Describes Mother’s Journey to Acceptance.
I’m Jack Drescher. I’m from Brooklyn, New York. I originally came out to myself at the age of 21 in 1972. And as part of my coming out process, I gradually started telling peop...
Lesbian Mom Protects Her Kids From Their Homophobic Grandfather. “You Won’t Disrespect Them.”
I am Chevon Cleveland and I am from Yonkers, New York. When I was 17 years old, my mom passed away. But my -, and I never knew my dad up until that point. In 2015, I was turning 35...
After Homophobic Assault, Gay Middle Eastern Man Refuses to Hide His Identity. “Yes, I Identify as a Gay Man.”
My name is Jawad Bandar. I’m from the port city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. When I was 15 years old, still living in Jeddah, I happen to be the one of my friends who had the bigge...
