LGBT Stories: Father Comes Out After 28 Years Of Marriage

BY NATHAN MANSKE

 Gill was married to his wife for 28 years and had a few children. On the outside he seemed to have had it all.

“Going back 15 years ago I thought I was happy having the big house and the car and the vacations and the perfect relationship and social life,” Gill remembers before adding, ”but something was missing.”

After realizing he was gay and coming out to a friend as well as his therapist, Gill went through “a complete deconstruction of my life, as I describe it, so I had to rebuild emotionally, familially, financially...had to rebuild it all over again.”

In our latest video, Gill shares his wife’s and children’s reactions to his coming out, which ultimately sends an inspiring message to older folks still in the closet: it’s never too late to be your true self.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Nathan Manske and Marquise Lee embarked on a 4 month, 50 state tour of the United States collecting stories for their I'm From Driftwood site. We'll be sharing some of the stories they collected along with some of the insight into what they saw. They're still encouraging people to submit their written stories via IFD. You can follow IFD on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

LGBT Stories: Coming Out In A Cuban Family

BY NATHAN MANSKE

On the Tour, I especially loved hearing stories where I learn even a little about new cultures. That's why I was excited when Nicholas, who grew up in Little Havana in Miami, wanted to share his story. With Nicholas's story, I never knew where it was going until the very end. The way he sets up Cuban culture, the workplace discrimination, then finally the moment when he tells his parents...you're waiting to find out if it ends happily or not right up until the last bit of his story.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Nathan Manske and Marquise Lee embarked on a 4 month, 50 state tour of the United States collecting stories for their I'm From Driftwood site. We'll be sharing some of the stories they collected along with some of the insight into what they saw. They're still encouraging people to submit their written stories via IFD. You can follow IFD on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

CHECK OUT OUR RECENT LGBT STORIES...
It's Okay to Be Gay in Montana[tr]
Teen Becomes More Popular After Coming Out in Conservative Town [tr]
Bullying Affects Everyone [tr]
Accidental Online Chat Leads to 13 Years of Love [tr]

LGBT Stories: It's Okay To Be Gay In Montana

BY NATHAN MANSKE

Of the nearly 170 stories we collected on the Tour, I think this one is my favorite setting. The mountains, the horses, the mobile home with the rainbow decoration waving in the wind, all as the backdrop to Mark talking about how it's okay to be gay in Montana. Oh, and of course the chihuahua who insisted on sitting in my lap for the duration of the filming.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Nathan Manske and Marquise Lee embarked on a 4 month, 50 state tour of the United States collecting stories for their I'm From Driftwood site. We'll be sharing some of the stories they collected along with some of the insight into what they saw. They're still encouraging people to submit their written stories via IFD. You can follow IFD on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

CHECK OUT OUR RECENT LGBT STORIES...
Teen Becomes More Popular After Coming Out in Conservative Town [tr]
Bullying Affects Everyone [tr]
Accidental Online Chat Leads to 13 Years of Love [tr]
A Man's Journey Into - and Out of - 'Ex-Gay' Therapy[tr]
Gay Teen Saved by Lesbian Teacher, Outed, Excommunicated by Church [tr]

LGBT Stories: Teen Becomes More Popular After Coming Out In Conservative Town

BY NATHAN MANSKE

We filmed Derrick's story in Pocatello, Idaho. When we first arrived in Pocatello, we stopped at a diner to grab some dinner and a beer, which became custom after a long drive. 

After I went back in, the young waitress made a joke about leaving my friends at the table to go talk on the phone. She was quite the talkative and friendly waitress and kept asking questions, why we're in town, what we're doing, etc. I then noticed she had a small rainbow chain dangling from her necklace. I told her all about the site and the Tour and that we were having an event at Idaho State the next day and that she should come. She did and she brought some friends. Add that to Derrick's ultimately optimistic story, our little visit to Pocatello was a bit of a surprise hit.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Nathan Manske and Marquise Lee embarked on a 4 month, 50 state tour of the United States collecting stories for their I'm From Driftwood site. We'll be sharing some of the stories they collected along with some of the insight into what they saw. They're still encouraging people to submit their written stories via IFD. You can follow IFD on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

CHECK OUT OUR RECENT LGBT STORIES...
Bullying Affects Everyone [tr]
Accidental Online Chat Leads to 13 Years of Love [tr]
A Man's Journey Into - and Out of - 'Ex-Gay' Therapy[tr]
Gay Teen Saved by Lesbian Teacher, Outed, Excommunicated by Church [tr]
Boston College Professor Nearly Outed in Uganda, Comes Out in Ghana [tr]

LGBT Stories: Bullying Affects Everyone

BY NATHAN MANSKE

Nathan Manske and Marquise Lee embarked on a 4 month, 50 state tour of the United States collecting stories for their I'm From Driftwood site. We'll be sharing some of the stories they collected along with some of the insight into what they saw. They're still encouraging people to submit their written stories via IFD. You can follow IFD on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

We met Jason in Las Vegas back in October, when the media was in full swing of focusing on gay bullying and suicides. We noticed a shift in stories people wanted to share, many talking about their own bullying and near-suicide experiences. Jason's story brings up an interesting point, that bullying doesn't only affect one group but that we're all in this together. Vegas was also the same place we filmed Ace's story, the Deaf gay man who stood up to his bullies with great success.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Nathan Manske and Marquise Lee embarked on a 4 month, 50 state tour of the United States collecting stories for their I'm From Driftwood site. We'll be sharing some of the stories they collected along with some of the insight into what they saw. They're still encouraging people to submit their written stories via IFD. You can follow IFD on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

CHECK OUT OUR RECENT LGBT STORIES...
Accidental Online Chat Leads to 13 Years of Love [tr]
A Man's Journey Into - and Out of - 'Ex-Gay' Therapy[tr]
Gay Teen Saved by Lesbian Teacher, Outed, Excommunicated by Church [tr]
Boston College Professor Nearly Outed in Uganda, Comes Out in Ghana [tr]
Inclusion Activist Organizes Protest Against Kansas City Pride [tr]

LGBT Stories: Accidental Online Chat Leads To 13 Years Of Love

BY NATHAN MANSKE

Before we even started the Story Tour, I received a donation along with a message from today's storyteller, John, insisting that we make a stop in Palm Springs. We were still in the planning stages of the Tour and John really wanted us to visit and collect some stories. We figured what the heck, if someone has a story to share, that's what we're here for so Palm Springs, here we come. After hearing John's sweet story, I'm sure glad we did.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Nathan Manske and Marquise Lee embarked on a 4 month, 50 state tour of the United States collecting stories for their I'm From Driftwood site. We'll be sharing some of the stories they collected along with some of the insight into what they saw. They're still encouraging people to submit their written stories via IFD. You can follow IFD on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

CHECK OUT OUR RECENT LGBT STORIES...
A Man's Journey Into - and Out of - 'Ex-Gay' Therapy[tr]
Gay Teen Saved by Lesbian Teacher, Outed, Excommunicated by Church [tr]
Boston College Professor Nearly Outed in Uganda, Comes Out in Ghana [tr]
Inclusion Activist Organizes Protest Against Kansas City Pride [tr]
Serbian Exchange Student Remembers Tough and Unwelcoming Life Back Home [tr]