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

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Kicked Out By His Mom, Queer High School Student Uses Newfound “Alone Time” To Explore His Sexuality.

by Darren Mallett

Kicked Out By His Mom, Queer High School Student Uses Newfound “Alone Time” To Explore His Sexuality.

My name is Darren Mallett. I am from East Flatbush, Brooklyn. My mother and I moved from Brooklyn to Tampa, Florida to escape New York. We lived in a one bedroom apartment, so I ca...

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Gender Non-Binary Person Reflects On Not Conforming. “It’s Okay To Be Fluid. It’s Okay To Just Be.”

by Jin

Gender Non-Binary Person Reflects On Not Conforming. “It’s Okay To Be Fluid. It’s Okay To Just Be.”

My name is Jin. I’m from Aiea, Hawaii. I moved to New York City about maybe 8 years ago and 6 years ago I started becoming a sex worker. Unintentionally – it just kind of happe...

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Best Friends Come Out To Each Other – At The Same Time.

by Brian Johnson

Best Friends Come Out To Each Other – At The Same Time.

Hi. I am Brian and I’m from Lexington, Kentucky. So kind of a very quiet, shy kid from a mid-sized town, decided that I really wanted to live in New York City. And I had a passio...

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“I Never Thought About Sexual Violence As Something That Could Be Perpetrated By A Woman.”

by Marissa

“I Never Thought About Sexual Violence As Something That Could Be Perpetrated By A Woman.”

My name is Marissa. I am from Montclair, New Jersey. Growing up as an only child, I sought out older kids and wanted to be taken under their wing. When I was 17, I was a camp couns...

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Gay Man Reconciles His Spirituality With His Sexuality. “My Religious Life Is As Much A Part Of My Identity As My Queer Life.”

by Nick Donias

Gay Man Reconciles His Spirituality With His Sexuality. “My Religious Life Is As Much A Part Of My Identity As My Queer Life.”

Hi, my name is Nick Donias. I’m from Fort Worth, Texas. Growing up in Texas, I was the youngest of four children and we grew up in what people call the bad part of town. And I fo...

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Gay Life In Philadelphia From The 1940s To Today.

by Stanley Alper

Gay Life In Philadelphia From The 1940s To Today.

1947: Meeting Other Gays in High School: “It Was Something I Wanted To Be A Part Of.” My life actually started in early September of 1947. That was when I started my first day...

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Queer Woman Goes Undercover In Prison And Falls in Love.

by Angele Cooper

Queer Woman Goes Undercover In Prison And Falls in Love.

Coming out, I was just so much more stronger. Now I rep my queerness. I’m like, “Yeah!”My name’s Angele Cooper. I’m from Los Angeles, California. When I was 25 years old, I had just got out of a really bad breakup. I was going through a lot of depression and deal...

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From Couch Surfing To Owning Her Own Couch: How A Gay Woman Found Independence After Coming Out.

by Victoria A.

From Couch Surfing To Owning Her Own Couch: How A Gay Woman Found Independence After Coming Out.

My name is Victoria and I’m from Brooklyn, New York. When I was still living with my parents in Coney Island about two and a half years ago, I was going to college. And I had met...

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Gay Woman Learns To Love Her Body. “I Gave Myself Permission To Redefine My Life And Who I Am.”

by Raven

Gay Woman Learns To Love Her Body. “I Gave Myself Permission To Redefine My Life And Who I Am.”

My name is Raven. I’m from Brooklyn, New York. My freshman year of high school, I went to a school that was pretty gay. So when I moved to North Carolina my second year, my sopho...

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Queer Woman Shares Coming Out Story In Front Of Hundreds Of People – Including Her Mother.

by Día Bùi

Queer Woman Shares Coming Out Story In Front Of Hundreds Of People – Including Her Mother.

My name is Día Bùi. I am a queer Vietnamese Buddhist and I live in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, New York. On my twenty-sixth birthday, which I share with my father, my family went out to ...

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“Maybe I Am A Tatted-Up, Crazy Witch Lesbian Slut And Maybe I Just Need To Go Be That Person.”

by Autumn

“Maybe I Am A Tatted-Up, Crazy Witch Lesbian Slut And Maybe I Just Need To Go Be That Person.”

My name is Autumn and I’m from Brooklyn, New York. I grew up in a small cabin, Swiss Family Robinson-style treehouse type situation that my dad built in the middle of a state for...

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From Open Relationship To Polyamorous Marriage: “Sometimes You Think You Know What You Want. And Then You Get Something Else.”

by June

From Open Relationship To Polyamorous Marriage: “Sometimes You Think You Know What You Want. And Then You Get Something Else.”

My name is June. I’m from Houston, Texas. At the beginning of 2018, I was in a relationship. It was a longer term relationship than I had ever been in. And he and I learned a lot...

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