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 Voices Stories
“Now It’s Time to Tell My Granddaughter.” Trans Woman Finds Love & Support After Coming Out to Family.
I’m Christynne Lili Wrene Wood, 66 years old. I’m originally from Springfield, Ohio. I’m one of those who knew from a very early age, four years of age actually...
Out of the Closet, Out of a Job: Following Discrimination, Lesbian Pursues Life of LGBTQ+ Activism
My name is Angie Harden. I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When I was 15, I got my first job. I was thrilled to have my first job. I was lucky enough to work at a recreational...
From a Secret Wedding to Legal Marriage: A Lesbian Love Story in the Shadow of Prop 8
My name is KishaLynn Elliot and I’m from San Diego, California. One night in 2006, a friend of mine dragged me out for drinks in West Hollywood. We’re sitting at the ...
Gay Man Grateful After Coming Out to Parents: “You Never Know How Long We’re Going To Be Around.”
My name is Edison and I’m from New York City. I grew up in a loving but extremely conservative household. My family, my parents were immigrants, are immigrants from Ecuador, ...
Sexually Harassed at Work, Fired, and Then Empowered: Two-Spirit Person Finds Voice by Speaking Up.
My name is Cherokee Lindsay, and I’m from the Bronx, New York. About four years ago, four or five years ago or so, I was at a place in my life where I was happy with my job...
First Love Compels Gay Man to Mend Fences with his Mom. “There is a Light at the End of the Tunnel.”
I’m Junior Suazo and I’m from Miami, Florida. My family is from Nicaragua. I’m a first generation college graduate and I come from a Catholic background. Growin...
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...
Top, Bottom or Vers? Gay Man Defies Social Pressure and Comes Out as a Side.
I’m Tim, and I’m from Montclair, New Jersey. I came out in three separate occasions over a summer. The first one was, “I think I might be gay.” And the se...
How One Trans Couple Found Love During the Pandemic. “Don’t Be Afraid to Love and to Let It In.”
I am Darius McLean and I’m from Newfield, New Jersey. About seven years ago I was working at the Mazzoni Center and the CHOP Gender Clinic. When I was working at Mazzoni Ce...
“You Will Find Your Way.” Transgender Woman’s Multi-Stop–And Ongoing–Journey to Realizing Her Identity.
My name is Samantha. I’m from Houston, Texas. When I was in college, just kind of finishing my degree at University of Texas in Austin, I started dating this guy whom I had...
From Hooking Up to Happily Ever After: A Lesbian Love Story That Defied The Odds.
My name is Danielle Stanziale. I’m from Queens, New York. It was the end of summer, eight years ago, and I was sitting outside The Duplex on Christopher and Seventh Avenue. M...
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...
