Editor’s note:
The author of this piece, J. Rudy Flesher, is a Philadelphia based actor, blogger and college student. After a three-year detour working in health care he recently returned to The College of New Jersey to complete his B.A. in Women’s and Gender studies. He blogs (sporadically at the moment and daily when school is not in session) at The Pistol in Bed Thirteen.
Rudy earlier this year wrote here, “Twentysomething Hairless White Gay Men Who Have Time To Take Pilates 5 Days A Week.”
In case you’ve been under a rock (or in the closet), you may not have heard of Nathan Manske’s project “I’m From Driftwood.†The tagline is “true stories from gay people all over,†and that pretty well sums it up. Inspired by the movie “Milk,†and specifically a picture of Harvey Milk with a sign that said “I’m from Woodmore, NY,†meant to show how far people had come to attend a gay rights rally in San Fransisco, Nathan saw more. He saw that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people were everywhere, a message that seems impossible to LGBT teens who feel like they are alone in the world, oftentimes with an unbearable secret. Since the first inspired day when Nathan decided to direct his energy to help LGBT youth feel not so alone, I’m from Driftwood has collected an impressive four hundred-plus stories, including more than sixty which have been captured on video. These stories come not just from the US, but all over the world, and there have already been stories told from over twenty five countries. I’ve included three videos below that Nathan recommended, and if you scroll all the way to the bottom of the post you can find info on how to help out the tour, and check out upcoming events in New York and Philly. In this clip Krystal Summers, star of the highly controversial Ticked of Trannies with Knives, shares what it is like to grow up transgendered in Laurel, Mississippi.
Here, lawyer and activist Brian Sims shares what it was like to be gay and the captain of his college football team in Bloomsberg, PA.
Last but certainly not least, Chicago native Ronnie Kroell shares his touching story where he was found out by his mother rather than coming out, but his 78 year old grandmother intervened and saved the day with love and compassion. (Reality TV junkies may recognize Kroell from Bravo’s Make me a Supermodel.)
What’s next for I’m From Driftwood? They’re hitting the road and going on tour! Over four months they will visit all fifty states in the US, collecting stories in every state along the way. If you’d like to help, check out their Kickstarter fundraising page here. Additionally, New Yorkers can attend a great fundraiser party with them this Saturday at Etcetera, Etcetera, while Philadelphians can sip drinks with them this coming Wednesday the twenty eighth at Tavern on Camac.