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 Elders Stories
Trans Woman Comes Out To Colleagues, Who Welcome Her With Open Arms.
Hi, my name is Jessica Soukup. I’m from Austin, Texas. I currently work at Texas State University. I’ve been here now for 11 years. About five years ago, I came to a revelation...
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...
After Hitting Rock Bottom, Gay Man Adopts A Dog. “I Have A Great Life With An Amazing, Little, Bitchy Dog.”
Hi. My name’s Rob Garofalo. I’m from Parsippany, New Jersey. I’ve led a pretty charmed life or a life of privilege and then, you know, at about the age of 39 or right before ...
“It Ain’t Over Till The Bisexual Speaks.” Activist Fights For Bi Inclusion Throughout The Decades.
From Living As A Straight Housewife to Becoming A Lesbian Activist. “It Was An Amazing Awakening.” I was conceived in Hawaii. This is how the story goes – conceived in Hawa...
Trans Woman Reflects On Her Four-Decade Journey To Authenticity.
1969: Trans Woman Reflects On Exploring Her Gender As A Child. “I Knew Inside Who I Really Was.” In 1969, I was 12 years old. I was living in Douglaston, Queens. And I had –...
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 ...
“I Should Call The Police Right Now!” Homophobic Doctor Shames Gay Teen.
Hi. My name’s Chris Tanner and I’m from Duarte, California. When I was 15, me and my friend David, we used to hang out in front of the high school, in front of Duarte High, and...
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...
Gay And Coming Of Age In 1970s New York City.
1960s: A Trip To The Met Was “The First Time I Remember Any Attraction For Men.” I first became aware of being attracted to men when growing up in the mid-sixties, when I was ...
Finding Love While Living Through The AIDS Epidemic.
Coming Out To Parents in the 1970s Wasn’t Easy But “Time Heals All.” Every every gay man knows at some point in their childhood, certainly by puberty, that – what their at...
