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 Queer Stories
Queer Person Thrives After Choosing Theater Over Evangelism. “How Could It Possibly Be a Sin?”
My name is Dina Paolo Rodriguez. I’m from El Caja, Peru. We immigrated to the US, to Miami, in the late nineties and my mom became a born again Christian, evangelical Chris...
Trans Nonbinary Person Thrives After Being Welcomed Back to Work with New Identity, Name, & Pronouns.
I did a lot of self-reflecting and I was able to self-identify as well as to allow myself, my inner Shellby, to come alive.I am Shellby Forbes. I am from Brooklyn, New York. So in early 2000s, I started in the finance industry working in retail banking. And during that timeframe, I started off as a tel...
How a Crush Saved a Queer Person’s Life. “Falling in Love was the Catalyst for Accepting Who I Am.”
Hey, so my name is Grey. I grew up in Florida. I grew up in a church and in a family that was very conservative Christianity wise. They’re also Caribbean. There’s als...
Queer Woman Shares Her Path to Parenthood: “Being Queer Wasn’t Going to Stop Me from Being a Mother.”
My name is Rachel Reyes. I’m from Sicklerville, New Jersey. I’ve known since I was a kid, maybe 16, that I wanted to be a mother. I always used to say that I wanted sev...
Swipes Right, Finds Love: Queer Undocumented Woman Falls in Love & Finds Herself Along the Way.
My name is Tashi Sanchez-Llaury and I am from Trujillo, Peru. It was after another breakup with another cishetero man. I personally think that it was a big rebound, but I think I t...
From Dance Class to Bible Study to Basic Training, Queer Woman Finally Finds Her Identity.
My name is Staci Molinar, and I’m from Chicago, Illinois. I grew up in an upper-middle class suburb that was very diverse, and very inclusive, and welcoming for all individuals. ...
Fun Home Changes Course of Lesbian’s Life. “Representation Really Can Make or Break Someone’s Path.”
Hi, my name is Emily. I’m from Queens, New York. So in 2015, I was in a class called the physics of technical theater. And in that class, one of the things we had to do was creat...
From Anderson Cooper to Heartstopper, Gay Man Learns the Value of Living for Himself.
My name is Kevin Bentley, and I’m from Baltimore, Maryland. When I was 17, my brother came out as bisexual. He put it out there and was just, “This is it. No room for discussio...
“I Felt This Sense of Coming Home.” The Importance of Lesbian Bars Like Cubbyhole and Henrietta Hudson.
I’m Kinsey and I’m from Detroit, Michigan. Almost three years ago, I moved to New York from Detroit. I moved here for many reasons, one of them being, that I was looking for mo...
Queer Woman Honors Friend’s Life By Coming Out And Living Fearlessly.
My name is Jina and I’m from Marietta, Georgia. When I was growing up in Marietta, which is this majority white conservative suburb of Atlanta, I was very much an outsider. I als...
“If My Personality Is Multifaceted, Why Can’t My Experiences Be?” Queer South Asian Embraces How He Doesn’t Fit Perfectly Anywhere.
Hi, I’m Darshan Shah. I’m from Lake Mary, Florida. It was my sophomore year at the University of Florida. New to coming out, just kind of came out to my closest group of friend...
New Country, New Style, New Hair Brings Out the Swagger in Gender Nonconforming Woman.
My name is Vi Andrews and I’m from Miami, Florida. I’m living at my parents’ house at this time. It was at the midway point of COVID. It’s been about a year and a half, and...
