Our Collections

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.

Story Updates

We interviewed previous storytellers for an update on their story and also to find out what’s been going on in their life since they first shared their story. Part interview, part sequel, these long-format updates provide a more in-depth look into the storytellers themselves.

Watch Story Updates

What Was It Like?

When you have more years under your belt, you naturally have more stories to share. What Was It Like? Is a program that allows elders to share between 4-6 standalone stories. If you want to hear what it was like to be LGBTQIA+ in years past, this program is for you.

Watch What Was It Like?

Coming Out Stories

Whether it’s to a family member, colleague, or new friend, coming out is something queer and trans people do throughout their entire lives. These stories span the entire emotional spectrum, from hilarious to tragic, from relatable to unimaginable.

Watch Coming Out Stories

50-State Story Tour

In 2010, the I’m From Driftwood crew embarked on a 4-month, 50-state story collection tour to document stories in towns and cities all across the country. The Tour itself landed in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, and you can watch all the stories collected from the Story Tour right here.

Watch 50-State Story Tour

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Latest Stories

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He Went to a Rally… and Met His Future Husband

by Larry Picard

He Went to a Rally… and Met His Future Husband

 My name is Larry Picard. I’m from Holyoke, Massachusetts.  So I met my first, well, my only girlfriend when I was 19 years old, and I was a singing waiter and she was a s...

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School District Tried to Erase LGBTQIA+ Families–And Failed

by Peggy Gillespie

School District Tried to Erase LGBTQIA+ Families–And Failed

 So I’m Peggy Gillespie and I’m living in North Hampton, Massachusetts.  Back in 1993, I was a mom of a three-year-old multiracial child. In preschool, my kid was gr...

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Trans Man Thought He Had It All—Until He Found His True Self

by Criss Christoff Smith

Trans Man Thought He Had It All—Until He Found His True Self

 I am Criss Christoff Smith. I grew up on a farm in Jamaica.  When I was about six years old, I was on my grandmother’s farm playing with my older brother. My grandmother ...

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