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
LGBTQIA+ Texans Find Belonging at Texas Latino Pride
I am Juan Contreras. I’m from Dallas, Texas. So the first person I came out to was my cousin. You know, he was more… he was out. He asked me if I wanted to go to this...
Gay Son Brings Mom to His Ball… and She Ends Up Competing
I’m Ryan Thompson. I’m from Houston, Texas. And in high school, I was out in school, but not out to my mom. A couple of years later, I’m in college, first win...
Coming Out as Gender Expansive to Family
I’m Andrew Knips. I’m from St. Paul, Minnesota. I grew up in the ’90s and early 2000s and in a really, really loving, caring home. My parents provided me wit...
San Antonio Rallies Around Drag Queen After Cancer Diagnosis
I’m Kristi Waters. I am from Corpus Christi, Texas, and I am a drag queen. Started in Corpus doing drag and I kind of flourished more over here in San Antonio. Around th...
A Gay Man’s Journey From Self-Loathing to Self-Acceptance
I am Harrison David Eppright, and I’m from Austin, Texas. About 1960… I’ll say 1968, I came across an article in Time Magazine. I was 13 years old, came acro...
Hymn Leads Queer Christian to Come Out to His Parents
My name is Dr. Marlon Johnson. I am from Sumter, South Carolina. When I was finishing up the first year of my time in grad school, I was learning to become a professional coun...
Becoming Herself: A Trans Woman’s Journey Through Identity and Survival
My name’s Alexis. I’m from Brownsville, Texas. I grew up very feminine in a conservative family. We grew up on the southern border and I kind of was just developin...
How One Poetry Slam Led to a Queer Movement
My name is Crush. I’m from Dallas. I grew up in a fairly intensely religious household and did not see queerness anywhere around me. I eventually got to high school wher...
HIV Diagnosis Leads to Hope, Healing, & Purpose
Hey, I’m Chris and I’m from Memphis, Tennessee. I kind of always realized that I was a little bit different. You know, in school I was always called gay before I e...
How Music Helped One Trans Guitarist Survive and Thrive
My name’s Jennifer Knight and I’m from Canada. I knew from age two that I was female or trans as they call it, at that age. During the Atomic era, being a child of...
Music, Pride, and Perseverance: Leading a Queer Marching Band During the AIDS Epidemic
Hi, my name is Sam Gindin and I’m from Brooklyn. One of the memories I have, which definitely turned my life around, was when I went to a local party. And I went there w...
Adoption, Transition, and Becoming Whole
I’m Jendi Reiter and I’m from New York City. I grew up in the lower East side of Manhattan in the 1970s with two moms. My biological mom was very femme and kind of...