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 Stories
Sexually Harassed at Work, Fired, and Then Empowered: Two-Spirit Person Finds Voice by Speaking Up.
My name is Cherokee Lindsay, and I’m from the Bronx, New York. About four years ago, four or five years ago or so, I was at a place in my life where I was happy with my job...
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...
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...
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...
How One Trans Couple Found Love During the Pandemic. “Don’t Be Afraid to Love and to Let It In.”
I am Darius McLean and I’m from Newfield, New Jersey. About seven years ago I was working at the Mazzoni Center and the CHOP Gender Clinic. When I was working at Mazzoni Ce...
“You Will Find Your Way.” Transgender Woman’s Multi-Stop–And Ongoing–Journey to Realizing Her Identity.
My name is Samantha. I’m from Houston, Texas. When I was in college, just kind of finishing my degree at University of Texas in Austin, I started dating this guy whom I had...
From Hooking Up to Happily Ever After: A Lesbian Love Story That Defied The Odds.
My name is Danielle Stanziale. I’m from Queens, New York. It was the end of summer, eight years ago, and I was sitting outside The Duplex on Christopher and Seventh Avenue. M...
Trans Nonbinary Person Thrives After Being Welcomed Back to Work with New Identity, Name, & Pronouns.
I did a lot of self-reflecting and I was able to self-identify as well as to allow myself, my inner Shellby, to come alive.I am Shellby Forbes. I am from Brooklyn, New York. So in early 2000s, I started in the finance industry working in retail banking. And during that timeframe, I started off as a tel...
Gay Man Reunites with Estranged Father After Seven Years. “It Takes Time But You Gotta Work at It.”
Hi, my name is Nick from Toms River, New Jersey. I was in my mid 20s living in New York City. I met a guy, I went home with him. We had a really wonderful night. We decided that we...
How a Crush Saved a Queer Person’s Life. “Falling in Love was the Catalyst for Accepting Who I Am.”
Hey, so my name is Grey. I grew up in Florida. I grew up in a church and in a family that was very conservative Christianity wise. They’re also Caribbean. There’s als...
After Coming Out to Filipino Immigrant Parents, Gay Man Learns to Stop Seeking Approval From Others.
I’m Justin Senense, and I’m from Abilene, Texas. I was raised under three pillars. I would say for a Filipino family, it was always food, then it was family, and then i...
“You’re My Child. I Want To Be There.” Iowa Mom Accompanies Daughter to Thailand for Gender-Confirming Surgery.
My name is Daye and I’m from Clear Lake, Iowa. Growing up in the country, back home, I always knew that I was different. And I remember at one point when I was 10, actually...