At 28, Nathan Manske-- the creator of I'm From Driftwood, a website that publishes true stories by gay people from all over the world--has dedicated the last six months to developing this website and it's quickly gaining a lot of attention.What recognition? A month ago, the Advocate.com, a lgbt publication, caught up with Manske about his Harvey Milk-inspired vision. And on Thursday night, Oilcan Harry's, one of Austin's first gay bars, hosted the live readings of first-person accounts from IFD.
What amazed me the most? Most of the narratives were surprisingly optimistic, hopeful accounts. The majority of the stories ended in a parable-quality, leaving the entertained audience responding with an, "Aww." And, aw is right! These swift stories say more with less.
Overall, the reading was not just great, but inspiring. So if that's part of Manske's vision, then well done. These far-from-fiction accounts were so good, I had to share one with you.
Note: To read more of these stories, visit the IFD website.
People don’t usually ask you what it’s like to be gay. They ask you how your parents reacted when you came out to them. They ask you when you knew. But they never ask what it feels like or what it means to you. When I tell straight people that I’m gay, sometimes they fall all over themselves trying to let me know that it’s okay with them. Sometimes, they get really quiet and end the conversation. Lately they’ve been asking if I got married before Prop 8 passed...
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