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
After Parents Find Scandalous Photos of Men on Phone, Queer Person Decides It’s Time To Leave Home.
Hi. My name’s Tony DiMauro. I live in Manchester, New Hampshire. I grew up in a very Christian household. I was completely homeschooled all the way through high school. The only ...
“Smart Geek Girls” and Gay Comic Book Fanfic Lead Queer Author To Write Authentically
My name is J. Marshall Freeman and I’m from Toronto, Canada. When I was 13 years old, I was a pretty normal kid reading my X-Men comics and living a pretty happy life. I come fro...
After A Fire & Brimstone Warning, Queer Man Finds Solace In Lauryn Hill and An Ice Cream Shop. “We All Need Angels. Keep a Lookout for Yours.”
I’m Dusty Childers and I’m from Gaffney, South Carolina. I went to a church called Blue Branch Baptist Church. And there were a lot of women there, most of them I was related t...
From Hyper-Feminine to Gender Nonconforming: Bisexual Woman Leaves Toxic Fiancé & Embraces Identity.
My name is MJ Hébert. I’m from Lafayette, Louisiana. It’s 2016 and I’ve just met someone that I have overwhelming feelings for. And I fall into a whirlwind romance with them...
Queer Teen Defies Principal And Starts LGBTQ Student Group. “‘No’ Makes No Sense to Me.”
My name is Grant Loveless and I’m from Austin, Texas. My story begins when I was 10 years old and I moved to Manor, Texas. At the age of 10, I was influenced a lot, especially by...
Gay Man Opens Up About HIV Status to Provide Hope for Black Queer Youth.
I’m Tarik Daniels and I’m from Detroit, Michigan. Around 12 years ago, maybe 11, back in Atlanta, I was in a long-term relationship and we went on a business trip in Miami. H...
One Person’s Path To Nonbinary Identity: “Having Doubt and Uncertainty Doesn’t Make Me a Fraud. It Makes Me Human.”
Hi, my name is Rae McDaniel. I’m from Chicago, Illinois. I was in a place in my life about four or five years ago where I was really questioning a lot about my gender identity an...
Traumatic House Fire Experience Leads Genderqueer Person To Accept Themselves: “The More I Go Down this Journey, the Happier I Become.”
Hi. My name is Emmet Hunker and I’m from Washington DC. I had just gotten back from my solo travels around the world, and I was sitting on the couch of a friend who I was crashin...
Queer Black Man To Grandmother: “He’s My Fiance And If You Don’t Get That, You Don’t Have To Come To The Wedding.”
My name is Terry. I’m from Baltimore, Maryland. Growing up, I was really close to my grandmother. I lived with her for times. My mother and I lived with her for months or maybe a...
After Years of Searching, Queer Man Finds Community In Philadelphia. “This Is What A Family Feels Like.”
My name is Gabriel Marenco-Garcia and I’m from Tomball, Texas. I grew up in a predominantly Latinx household, which was also dominated by Catholicism. Even the location of where ...
“We Tolerate You. Isn’t That Enough?” How A Father Grew To Embrace His Queer Son.
I’m Peter Zook and I’m from Cincinnati, Ohio. So I came out when I was 16. First, my mom – at first, I told my mom. It was during the summer after my sophomore year of high s...
After Rejection From Family, Gender Non-Binary Person Learns To Live For Themselves. “I Am Ecstatic That I Am Me.”
My name is Parker Haines and I’m from Chicago, Illinois. When I was 22, I was sitting in a Friday’s restaurant with my mother. And I had just recently moved to Minneapolis, Min...
