by Arielle Rebekah

After Therapist Outs Student To Parents & Turns School Against Her, Trans Teen Finds a Way to Thrive.

I’m Arielle Rebekah. I am from Harrington Park, New Jersey. I struggled with depression my entire life. And when I was 17 years old, I became so depressed that my parents decide...

by Michelle

Queer Black Woman Stops Letting Others Define Her. “I Am Queer. I’m African-American. I’m Very Happy in My Own Skin.”

Hi, I’m Michelle from Austin, Texas. I was here in Austin and applying for the Air Force Academy and West Point, the US Military Academy and was submitting my documentation to t...

by Kadeem Fyffe

From Homophobia in the Hallways to Making it in Milan. How A Gay Fashion Designer Planned His Way To Success.

Hi, my name is Kadeem Fyffe.. I’m from Durham, North Carolina. I grew up in a very, very religious family. My mom is a Southern Baptist minister. And I come from a Jamaican, ver...

by Saya Naomi

Chicago Drag Queen Suffers Violent Assault & Partial Blindness But Bounces Back “With Love and Positivity.”

Hey, I’m Saya Naomi and I am from Chicago, Illinois. So four years ago, my ex and I were having a night and we ended up drinking a lot. Drinking led to us getting annoyed and an...

by Christian Luu

After Series of Incidents, How One Person Learned to Stop “Letting It Go” & Start “Naming My Needs.”

My name is Christian Luu. I’m from Dallas, Texas. And before the pandemic, maybe four or five months, I was working at a pretty large national chain restaurant. Servers tend to ...

by David

After a Nearly Fatal Bout with Depression, Gay Man Learns to “Smile for Yourself” And Live Authentically.

I’m David. I’m from Toronto, Ontario in Canada. Back when I was in high school, I was watching this YouTube video of this YouTuber. He was gay at the time. When I saw his vide...

by John

Gay Man Learns to Accept Himself After Reaching Low Point. “No Matter What Happens Now, I’m Comfortable With Who I Am.”

My name is John. I’m from Salt Lake City, Utah. One of the first times I encountered anything to do with LGBT+ issues was when I was 10. I was watching the news with my mother, ...

by Mike Hendrix

Gay Man Overcomes Conversion Therapy, Sexual Abuse and Addiction. “I Look at Myself as a Survivor, Not a Victim.”

My name’s Mike Hendrix. I’m from Austin, Texas. As a young child, we moved to Singapore. I was around seven years of age. My parents became Baptist ministers and missionaries....

by Alina Oswald

How a Straight Cis Ally Became a Leading Writer on HIV/AIDS & LGBTQ+ Issues.

Hello. My name is Alina Oswald. I’m from Valcea, Romania. In 1986, my mother, who was an infectious disease doctor, invited me to join her in attending a conference in Buchare...