by Micah Peterson

Hi, my name is Micah Peterson and I’m from Phoenix, Arizona. So, when I was 21, I was in college at Oberlin up in Ohio, which is the middle of nowhere. I had an opportunity to s...

by Christian Tanja

Hi, my name is Christian Tanja and I’m from Bakersfield, California. A few years ago, when I was in college, I was sitting down at a restaurant with my then-boyfriend at the tim...

by Levi Wade

My name is Levi Wade. I am from Harrison, Arkansas. So the town I’m from, Harrison, Arkansas, there’s an active KKK outside of the town. And I remember specifically when I was...

by Donald Bell

“What Was It Like? Stories by LGBTQ Elders” is a new program by I’m From Driftwood, in partnership with Comcast, the nation’s largest cable provider, and SAGE, the countDictionary Makes Gay Teen Feel Less Alone One of the significant characterizations of the period that I spent in high school in the mid-60s – from ‘63 to ‘67 was that one da1960s: “I Was in a Process of Falling in Love at First Sight.” One of my life experiences that I like to share dates back to my early teen years. Back in the 1960s, I was 19 yBeing Black and Gay in the 1960s: A Matter of Life and Death My late teen years, when I was at university, were times that were really life and death-related times for people my a“It Was Extraordinary”: Man Asks Man On A Date In 1967 Another significant incident from my youth, from my late adolescence, happened in 1967, my first year at university. I w“[My Mother’s] Number One Duty Was To Be An Accepting Parent.” I went to my first march on Washington 48 years ago in 1969 in the moratorium march against the war. And what Racism At A Gay Bar: “It Was Shocking. It Was Hurtful. I Teared Up Right There.” I did have some experiences from later in life that were significant to me. One happened aboutLiving In LGBT-Friendly Senior Housing: “We Live Like Neighbors. And That’s A Good Thing.” Today, I am 67. Well, actually, 67 and a half, as my grandson would tell you. And ...

by Pearl Bennett

“What Was It Like? Stories by LGBTQ Elders” is a new program by I’m From Driftwood, in partnership with Comcast, the nation’s largest cable provider, and SAGE, the countTRANSCRIPTS: “IN THE LONG RUN, I’M GOING TO BE HAPPY I TOLD HER THIS.” My name is Pearl, I’m a transgender woman. I didn’t transition until I was 50 years of age. Back i“I’M NOT TAKING THIS DRESS OFF.” In 1997, give or take a year or two, I was working out on Fire Island, a barrier island, off of Long Island, and I worked at this little res“THE CHALLENGES OF LIVING PUBLICLY AS A WOMAN: “HE YELLED, ‘THAT’S A MAN!’” The year was 2000. I was living my life as a woman, as Pearl. I had not changed my “JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE DOG RUN.” During that first year before any, before my transition, I, the day before, I went to the dog, took my dogs to the dog run as Ken. And I wen“THAT’S HOW I CAME OUT TO THE FAMILY.” The big hurdle for me was telling my family about my living as a woman now, living as a transgender woman. What I did is, I went to a “MY NAME WAS PEARL FROM THEN ON.” The year was around 1997. I went out, it was Gay Pride weekend. I marched in the Gay Pride parade with some friends in New York City. They we...

by Tony

This story was found with the help of Diversity Role Models which actively seeks to prevent homophobic and transphobic bullying in UK schools. My name is Tony and I’m from Nor...

by Jason Daniel Fair

I’m Jason Daniel Fair, I’m from Baltimore, Maryland. My mom’s a white Jewish woman and my father is African American and his family is Christian. And we grew up at a time wh...

My name is James Felton Keith. I’m from Detroit Michigan. I moved back home in 2014 to work for the newly elected mayor of Detroit. A few days before I was supposed to start wor...

by Icon Ebony Fierce

My name is Icon, and I’m from Philadelphia, PA. I’ve always had a fascination with arts and performance and theater, growing up watching people like Michael Jackson or Janet J...