by Ashley Jackson

Story Update: Ashley Jackson—“Life Is Short And We All Have Our Own Life To Live.”

Nathan:  Hello, I’m Nathan Manske. I’m the Founder and Executive Director of I’m From Driftwood. For this week’s Story Update, we’re going to hear from Ashley Jackson, ...

by Harold Cottman

Black Gay Man Reflects On A Life Defined By Love, Authenticity, Activism And Connection. “That’s Just Part Of Who I Am.”

1980s: Black Gay Man On Coming Out In The South: “While I Did Come Out, I Didn’t Really Feel Free.” So, you know, for me, the last thing that I wanted to be was a gay man b...

by Jack

Gay Man Finds Confidence And Sheds His Toxic Masculinity On The Theater Stage. “For Once, You’re Seeing The Real Me.”

My name is Jack. I’m from Chicago, Illinois. So I came out of the closet when I was about 15 years old. I come from a very masculine, sportsy middle class suburban background, a...

by Nicholas

Gay Man Works Through The Trauma Of Sexual Assault. “I Am A Lot Happier Now That I’ve Done This Work.”

My name is Nicholas and I’m from Orange County, California. So when I was 14, or sophomore year of high school, whichever came first, I came out to my mom first off as a bisexua...

by William Perez

Gay Puerto Rican Learns To Embrace Both His Sexuality And His Ethnicity. “I Feel More Balanced.”

My name is William Perez and I’m from Brooklyn, New York. I went to Cornell University in 1987. I struggled my first semester so much that I had straight Fs and one D. So I was ...

by Leona Thomas

Lesbian Activist Recounts Her Decades-Long Fight For Equality In Philadelphia And Beyond.

1980s: Being Openly Gay In College “Wasn’t Without Some Level Of Risk Every Day.” When I was growing up in high school, I had no idea that I was LGBTQ or potentially LGBTQ....

by Romain Goubet

“We Never Know What Life Has In Store For Us.” Gay Man Details Journey From Small Town France To Grand Wedding In Paris.

*Scroll down for English transcript.   Je m’appelle Romain Goubet ; je viens de Saint-Quentin en France. J’ai grandi dans cette petite ville de Picardie dans les années ...

by Michael Hickerson

Black & Gay In New Orleans From The 60s To Today: “You Get Up, You Dust Yourself Off, And You Fight On.”

First Shunned By Neighbors, Then The Bars: Being Black In New Orleans In The 1960s and 1970s. Well, I was born to Sadie and Charlie Hickerson. We lived in an area of New Orleans ...

by Jose Ramon

From “Jose” To “Joe” And Back Again: Gay Man Creates Alternate Identity To Overcome Trauma.

Hi. My name is Jose Ramon. I’m from the Bronx, New York. I was 13. I lived on Riverside Drive on 160th and Riverside. Beautiful neighborhood. My mother and father were both born...