by Danielle Stanziale

My name is Danielle Stanziale. I’m from Queens, New York. It was the end of summer, eight years ago, and I was sitting outside The Duplex on Christopher and Seventh Avenue. Towards the end of the summer, I’m at dinner with some friends, some very close friends, and they’re like, “What’s going on with you? You’ve been moping ...

by Shellby Forbes

I did a lot of self-reflecting and I was able to self-identify as well as to allow myself, my inner Shellby, to come alive.I am Shellby Forbes. I am from Brooklyn, New York. So in early 2000s, I started in the finance industry working in retail banking. And during that timeframe, I started off as a teSo COVID happens, and during that timeframe I had the opportunity to work from home remote. And during this timeframe, I did a lot of self-reflecting and I was able to self-identi...

by Nick

Hi, my name is Nick from Toms River, New Jersey. I was in my mid 20s living in New York City. I met a guy, I went home with him. We had a really wonderful night. We decided that wShe looked at him and she said, “If you ever talk to my nephew like that again, I will kill you. You will be out of this house. That is it.” And literally my uncle jus...

by Grey

Hey, so my name is Grey. I grew up in Florida.  I grew up in a church and in a family that was very conservative Christianity wise. They’re also Caribbean. There’s alSo that led me to finding community online, then finding community in person, and then coming to a place where I can accept and be proud of who I am. And that has brought me to wh...

by Justin Senense

I’m Justin Senense, and I’m from Abilene, Texas. I was raised under three pillars. I would say for a Filipino family, it was always food, then it was family, and then I think in that moment with Elizabeth, the word anak shifted for me. I recognize I was always that son. And that being gay, loving a man, being something that my parents still had...

by Daye Pope

My name is Daye and I’m from Clear Lake, Iowa.  Growing up in the country, back home, I always knew that I was different. And I remember at one point when I was 10, actuallI couldn’t put it off any longer and I was living in Washington, DC at the time and I remember having so much nervous energy that I actually left my house and was pacing aro...

by Leoni Terblanche

I’m Leoni Terblanche from Pretoria, South Africa.  Ever since I remember when I was a child, my mom put me in dresses, until age six, where I started making my own decisionI was able to thrive discovering this beautiful, diverse and inclusive culture that we have over here. I met with my beautiful wife that I married. I was able to find jobs that I ...

by Li

My name is Li. I’m from Somers, New York.  My parents never forced gender norms on me. I never had super masculine or feminine toys as a kid or clothing. They let me lean tThis epiphany was really important to me because all of my childhood, I was so focused on liking men and the TV shows and movies I watched, I was like, “No, that man’s...

by Kimberly

My name is Kimberly. I’m from Ocho Rios, Jamaica.  When I was 10, I started at an all girls boarding school there. I remember getting there and I was pretty overwhelmed. I I didn’t sleep that entire night because I was just thinking, like, What’s about to happen tomorrow morning when I had to face the entire school? The morning I woke up...