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
“It Felt Amazing” After Sikh Man Took Off Turban, Cut Hair, Came Out of Closet
My name is Mandeep Jangi and I’m from Middlesex, New Jersey. When I think about my journey in life, my story, and kind of where I came from, it actually doesn’t start as a gay ...
“I Am Who I Am, You Should Get Over It.” A Trans* Youth’s Path to Self-Acceptance.
I’m Alex Williams. I’m from Philadelphia. Growing up, I was raised very, very, like, Christian, just strict, like, down-your-throat kind of Christian religion. Before you can e...
“I’m A Freak And I Like Being A Freak.” Keith Levy On The Creation, Ups, And Downs of His Drag Persona Sherry Vine.
y name is Keith Levy, and I’m originally from Columbia, Maryland. I also am known as Sherry Vine, who’s a character I perform as. My entire life and vision was on this path of ...
How Punk Music and Feminism Changed a Young Life.
My name is Rudy Garcia, and I’m from East L.A. I’m the last of eight children, and our family migrated here in the late ‘70s. My parents – at that point, by the time I reac...
IFD Archives: “Heterosexual, Transgender, Lesbian” Provides Hope to Young People.
My name is Amanda and I’m from Cazenovia, New York, small little town outside Syracuse, New York. When I first came to SAGE, which is an organization for elder LGBT, when I was a...
” I Want People to Know That There’s Not One Type of Love. There are a Billion Types.”
My name is Tyunique Nelson and I’m from Philadelphia, PA. My story started in 9th grade. I got bullied in school because of some other incidents that had been with another studen...
Lesbian Rapper Shares Tribute to Gay Uncle.
My name is Monique Contreras and I’m from Orange County, was raised in Missouri, and I have currently been living in Los Angeles the past 10 years. I cut hair, and I mostly cut m...
Coming Out In Brazilian Culture.
My name is Kelvin, I’m from Brazil, from a small city called Pocos de Caldas and I lived there until I was about thirteen and a half years old. I wasn’t aware of my sexuality�...
The Path of Acceptance vs. The Path of Rejection.
My name is Eric Thomas and I’m from the Bronx NY. I had a high school friend who was one of my best friends, his name was Felix. We came out to each other in high school so we we...
Why I Identify As “Queer.”
My name is Jaime-Jin Lewis and I’m from Charlottesville, Virginia. My whole life I feel like I’ve been an “other”, from being an Asian American, being female, being a trans...
“I’ll Be Damned If I’m Going To Be Buried A Girl.” Gender Transition Gives HIV+ Trans Man Reason To Live
My name is Teo Drake, I actually grew up in Connecticut, near New Haven. The story basically is this intersection or this way of looking at my struggle around gender identity and t...
Coming Out as an Undocumented Immigrant and Coming Out as a Queer Man.
My name is Carlos, Padilla, and I’m from Seattle, Washington. I was originally born in Guadalajara, Jadisco, Mexico, and I immigrated into the United States at the age of 2. For ...
