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 Black Stories
Queer Black Woman Stops Letting Others Define Her. “I Am Queer. I’m African-American. I’m Very Happy in My Own Skin.”
Hi, I’m Michelle from Austin, Texas. I was here in Austin and applying for the Air Force Academy and West Point, the US Military Academy and was submitting my documentation to th...
From Homophobia in the Hallways to Making it in Milan. How A Gay Fashion Designer Planned His Way To Success.
Hi, my name is Kadeem Fyffe.. I’m from Durham, North Carolina. I grew up in a very, very religious family. My mom is a Southern Baptist minister. And I come from a Jamaican, very...
Chicago Drag Queen Suffers Violent Assault & Partial Blindness But Bounces Back “With Love and Positivity.”
Hey, I’m Saya Naomi and I am from Chicago, Illinois. So four years ago, my ex and I were having a night and we ended up drinking a lot. Drinking led to us getting annoyed and ang...
How One Person, In the Wake of Their Own HIV Diagnosis, Came to Save the Life of Another. “I Like to Call It a Dark Blessing.”
My name is Dimitri Moïse and I am from Queens, New York. So back in 2018, I was diagnosed with HIV. It was one of the hardest things I think I’ve ever had to hear. It was a huge...
Trans Nonbinary Person Learns to Put Herself First: “Sha’Nyia Today Is Just All About Self-Care.”
My name is Sha’Nyia Baltimore. I’m from New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1995, I graduated high school. My best friend takes me to a gay bar for the first time. I see drag. I’m com...
Trans Person Finds a New City, New Friends, New Therapist: “So This Is What Happiness and Freedom Can Actually Feel Like.”
Hi, my name is Sam Davis and I’m from Washington DC. It all started when I was 11 years old and I first experienced my horrific menstrual cycle. I was out on a Sunday afternoon a...
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...
After High School Trauma and Housing Insecurity, Gay Man Finds His Voice and Uplifts Others.
My name is Nico Ramsey and I am from Keller, Texas. The first boyfriend happened when I – because I came out when I was 12 years old and that was great, but then we broke up. Fas...
Black Gay Man Reflects On A Life Defined By Love, Authenticity, Activism And Connection. “That’s Just Part Of Who I Am.”
1980s: Black Gay Man On Coming Out In The South: “While I Did Come Out, I Didn’t Really Feel Free.” So, you know, for me, the last thing that I wanted to be was a gay man be...
Lesbian Activist Recounts Her Decades-Long Fight For Equality In Philadelphia And Beyond.
1980s: Being Openly Gay In College “Wasn’t Without Some Level Of Risk Every Day.” When I was growing up in high school, I had no idea that I was LGBTQ or potentially LGBTQ. ...
Black & Gay In New Orleans From The 60s To Today: “You Get Up, You Dust Yourself Off, And You Fight On.”
First Shunned By Neighbors, Then The Bars: Being Black In New Orleans In The 1960s and 1970s. Well, I was born to Sadie and Charlie Hickerson. We lived in an area of New Orleans c...
