Results for "stories"
“I Don’t Want You To Go.” Gay Soldier Dares to Love Amidst a Backdrop of War & Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
I’m João Kiser from Milledgeville, Georgia. I came out when I was 16 and then I joined the military at 21, which was something I did not want to do because of the kind of mI remember the last day, the day before he left because they deployed – you go back really early in the morning. The hardest thing was getting up to go to work and he was li...
Non-Binary Person Thrives After Finding Supportive Community. “I Feel Very Optimistic.”
Hi, I’m Vic. I’m from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. When I was younger, I felt like I knew I was different and my body was not mine. And the way I remembI started Googling, YouTubing, and I found that there are other people who also feel this way and that I’m not alone. Even though I had a lot of queer, lesbian and gay frien...
Lesbian Stops Seeking Mother’s Approval & Finds Peace. “I Have to Start Living For Myself.”
I’m Nina Hernandez and I’m from Austin, Texas. Starting from when I was about six years old, I started noticing that my mom would prefer if I like boys. I remember verBecause I do really value my relationship with my mother, after that incident, I did make another attempt at reconciliation. During this time, I also met and committed to my first...
Trans Man Breaks Free From Evangelical Cult and Finds Supportive Community.
I’m Andy, and I’m from Tallahassee, Florida. So I was raised in an evangelical cult. I didn’t realize that at the time. I thought this was a normal church and After I initially came out to that one friend, I started to take more chances on sharing, not just that I was non-binary, but other aspects of my life with more people. And one of...
Out of the Closet, Into the Mayor’s Office. Todd Gloria’s Coming Out Journey Gives Hope to Others
Hi, my name is Todd Gloria, and I was born and raised in San Diego. I’m a third-generation San Diegan and I now serve as the mayor of my hometown. I was probably about fouSo I would clean my room because I was never going to have my parents go in my room and say, “Go clean your room.” I wasn’t going to have them interact with my t...
Music to His Ears: Competitive Karaoke Helps Gay Man Find the Confidence to Come Out & Help Others
My name is Vu Doan. I am from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Grew up in a very conservative Vietnamese, Buddhist household. So I had girlfriends and was very much focused on school asAnd as the night ended, and I think everyone celebrated the highlight of the night, but I don’t think anyone there knew how much it meant to me because it really sparked int...
Why Getting a Short Haircut & Tattoos After Breakup Felt “Like a Second Coming Out” For Lesbian
My name is Sarah Rahl, and I’m from Kennebunk, Maine. When I went to school in Virginia, I went to college, I was on the lacrosse team. I was so closeted at that point. I I woke up the next morning early because I really didn’t sleep that night. Like I said, I was in Rhode Island. My parents were in Maine at the time. I called them and said, ...
A Lesson, Then a Plan: How a Sixth Grade Student Changed a Trans Teacher’s Life
I identified as a girl for most of my life, but in 5th grade I started getting a lot of anxiety around school. And it wasn’t until I realized that clothing and the way peoplI didn’t really have the courage to say anything or stand up for that student in that moment, which I still think about a lot. But what it did do was it kind of set an alarm off...
From SF Gay Bubble to Conservative College Station, TX: How One Gay Woman Found Her Core of Queers.
A while ago, I moved from Detroit to a lot of other places and eventually ended up in San Francisco. I just basically thought it was a bubble of gay. Everywhere I went, it felt gaAnd she passed me and I passed her, kept on walking. I noticed that my stomach unclenched. I took a breath. I just felt better. I straightened up my shoulders a little bit and I k...
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