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
Gay Man Works Through The Trauma Of Sexual Assault. “I Am A Lot Happier Now That I’ve Done This Work.”
My name is Nicholas and I’m from Orange County, California. So when I was 14, or sophomore year of high school, whichever came first, I came out to my mom first off as a bisexual...
Gay Puerto Rican Learns To Embrace Both His Sexuality And His Ethnicity. “I Feel More Balanced.”
My name is William Perez and I’m from Brooklyn, New York. I went to Cornell University in 1987. I struggled my first semester so much that I had straight Fs and one D. So I was s...
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...
From “Jose” To “Joe” And Back Again: Gay Man Creates Alternate Identity To Overcome Trauma.
Hi. My name is Jose Ramon. I’m from the Bronx, New York. I was 13. I lived on Riverside Drive on 160th and Riverside. Beautiful neighborhood. My mother and father were both born ...
Trans Person Finds Community And Gender Euphoria In Philadelphia. “It’s Not Going To Be An Easy Road, But It’s Worth It.”
My name’s Sunny Marks. I am from Coopersburg, Pennsylvania. In 2016, I came out as a lesbian, as a Butch lesbian or stud, to my family and friends. It was definitely a difficult ...
Tensions Ease After Gay Man Comes Out To Mom. “It Just Changed Things For The Better.”
My name is Aaron. I’m from Detroit, Michigan. Growing up, I always felt a little bit different and I was also more of an introvert. So I didn’t have a lot of friends – I was ...
Gay Man Forgives His Family For Traumatic Childhood. “I Did That For Myself Because I Needed To Heal.”
Hello. My name is Luis and I’m from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. My mother was intermittently present. She used to live in a different city. My father wasn’t around or was...
Queer Black Man To Grandmother: “He’s My Fiance And If You Don’t Get That, You Don’t Have To Come To The Wedding.”
My name is Terry. I’m from Baltimore, Maryland. Growing up, I was really close to my grandmother. I lived with her for times. My mother and I lived with her for months or maybe a...
Woman Stands Up Against Biphobia In The LGBTQ community: “I Have To Be Who I Am.”
My name is Evonna McDonald and I’m from Baltimore, Maryland. So it was the summer going into high school right after middle school where I decided to explore my sexuality. A real...
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 ...
Gay Man’s Life Changes After Adoption Of Son. “He’s The Most Important Thing In My Life Right Now.”
Hi. My name’s Tariem Burroughs and I am from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My partner and I, we always knew we wanted to have kids, even when we first met. Luckily a person that I ...
