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
Egyptt LaBeija – Life In And Out Of The Ballroom.
1980s: Seeing Trans Women For The First Time: “I Felt Welcomed.” I grew up in a town in Long Island called Freeport. And I grew up basically in a middle-class home. My parents ...
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...
HIV Diagnosis Reunites Son With Family. “That Kind Of Love Coming From Parents Who Threw Me Out Was Unexpected.”
My name is Shareef Hadid Jenkins. I am from Lancaster, Pennsylvania Growing up, I knew I was different. I knew that people sort of whispered about me. My family would – my uncle ...
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...
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...
Falling In Love, Breaking Up, And Reuniting: “Every Day Was The Best, Best, Best, Best Day Ever.”
1950s: Experience During Naptime: “It Was An Inkling Of A Difference.” So being a native New Yorker, I started my early childhood education on the Lower East Side. I was four ...
How A Lesbian Pushed Her Mom Beyond Tolerance To Become An Advocate.
Hi. I’m Jourdan Porter. I am from Davidson, North Carolina. In tenth grade, I was living right outside Jackson, Mississippi. And it was pretty early in the school year and I had ...
“Sometimes I’m A Woman, Sometimes A Man. Most Of The Time I’m Neither. Sometimes I’m Both At The Same Time.”
My name is Erin Busbee. I’m from Cleveland, Ohio. When I was 6 years old, I was at a playground or a park. And I’m playing with the kid there and their parent comes over and in...
How A Christina Aguilera Song Impacted A Gay Teen’s Life.
Hi. My name’s Courtney Walton. I’m from Newark, Delaware. I was a sophomore in high school – this is 2002 – and my family and I were driving back from my cousin’s basketb...
Encountering Homophobia At A Networking Event: “I Wasn’t Going To Let People Devalue Me.”
I am Marc Coleman. I’m from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. About 14 years ago, I started my business in what has become its current incarnation. And as in the course of running a bu...
With Help From “Gay Spirit Guide”, Woman Goes From Self-Identified Tomboy To “Definitely 100% Gay” In First 72 Hours Of College.
Hi. I’m Keisha Price. I’m from Dover, Delaware. When I was getting ready to go to college, I was loading up the U-Haul with my mom and my dad and my baby brother. My boyfriend ...
“Are The Cats Gay, Too?” Queer Woman Comes Out To Mother With A Little Help From Her Feline Friends.
My name is Sho Barksdale. I am from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Animals have always been a big part of my family’s life. Growing up, I’ve had cats, dogs, hamsters, rats, snapping t...
