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 Latinx Stories

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Hate Hits Home: How One Queer Couple’s Lives Were Upended By the 2016 Election.

by Jovier Sanchez

Hate Hits Home: How One Queer Couple’s Lives Were Upended By the 2016 Election.

My name is Jovier Sanchez and I’m from New York, New York.  So I moved to Salem with my husband in 2015. We opened a candle store there and it was on the first floor of the&...

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Non-Binary Person Thrives After Finding Supportive Community. “I Feel Very Optimistic.”

by Vic

Non-Binary Person Thrives After Finding Supportive Community. “I Feel Very Optimistic.”

Hi, I’m Vic. I’m from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.    When I was younger, I felt like I knew I was different and my body was not mine. And the way I remembe...

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Lesbian Stops Seeking Mother’s Approval & Finds Peace. “I Have to Start Living For Myself.”

by Nina Hernandez

Lesbian Stops Seeking Mother’s Approval & Finds Peace. “I Have to Start Living For Myself.”

I’m Nina Hernandez and I’m from Austin, Texas. Starting from when I was about six years old, I started noticing that my mom would prefer if I like boys. I remember very...

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Out of the Closet, Into the Mayor’s Office. Todd Gloria’s Coming Out Journey Gives Hope to Others

by Todd Gloria

Out of the Closet, Into the Mayor’s Office. Todd Gloria’s Coming Out Journey Gives Hope to Others

Hi, my name is Todd Gloria, and I was born and raised in San Diego. I’m a third-generation San Diegan and I now serve as the mayor of my hometown.  I was probably about four...

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Gay Man Grateful After Coming Out to Parents: “You Never Know How Long We’re Going To Be Around.”

by Edison

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, ...

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Junior, a latino gay man stands in front of pink brick wall.

by Junior Suazo

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...

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Dina, a queer peruvian immigrant sits for interview.

by Dina Paolo Rodriguez

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...

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Tim, a gay man, sits smiling looking off to the side.

by Tim

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...

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Queer Woman with brown hair, glasses, and golf hoop earrings smiles at the camera. She is wearing a button up shirt with tigers on it sitting in a blue chair.

by Rachel Reyes

Queer Woman Shares Her Path to Parenthood: “Being Queer Wasn’t Going to Stop Me from Being a Mother.”

My name is Rachel Reyes. I’m from Sicklerville, New Jersey. I’ve known since I was a kid, maybe 16, that I wanted to be a mother. I always used to say that I wanted sev...

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Swipes Right, Finds Love: Queer Undocumented Woman Falls in Love & Finds Herself Along the Way.

by Tashi Sanchez-Llaury

Swipes Right, Finds Love: Queer Undocumented Woman Falls in Love & Finds Herself Along the Way.

My name is Tashi Sanchez-Llaury and I am from Trujillo, Peru. It was after another breakup with another cishetero man. I personally think that it was a big rebound, but I think I t...

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“I Didn’t Have a Good Outcome With My Family.” Nonbinary Person Overcomes Challenges To Live Authentically.

by Ley

“I Didn’t Have a Good Outcome With My Family.” Nonbinary Person Overcomes Challenges To Live Authentically.

My name is Ley and I’m from the Dominican Republic.  I was 15, 14 when I told my mother for the first time that I was bisexual, because that’s the language that I have...

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Trans Non-Binary Person Discovers Himself During the Pandemic. “I Feel Super Great to Have Dared.”

by Rio

Trans Non-Binary Person Discovers Himself During the Pandemic. “I Feel Super Great to Have Dared.”

Mi nombre es Río y soy de Sonora, México. En el 2015 estaba en un proyecto que se llamaba “Voces de mujeres, historias que transforman”, donde éramos un grupo de compañeras...

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