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    The I'm From Driftwood Podcast

    I’m From Driftwood is an LGBTQIA+ storytelling nonprofit whose aim is to increase empathy and empower individuals by creating an apolitical forum for LGBTQ stories from every age, race, gender identity, background and culture. Since 2009, IFD has filmed and published over 700 video stories that have accrued over 35+ million views on its YouTube Channel. The I'm From Driftwood Podcast brings its queer storytelling to a new medium. Each episode will feature the audio clips from stories from the I’m From Driftwood archive, and the stories and subject matter will be discussed by the two podcast hosts. Topics discussed will range from bi-inclusion, childhood crushes, and gender identity, to love, race, and drag culture. The Podcast will be produced by Anddy Egan-Thrope and hosted by Alex Berg and Phil aka Corinne. Anddy is a Made in NY Fellow, the producer of the podcast “Queers From the Crypt”, and creator, producer, and host of “Fruit Basket”, a podcast about queer comedy. Alex, a “loud and proud bisexual femme” is a journalist covering national news, women’s issues, and LGBTQ culture. Phil is the creator, producer, and host of the podcast “Transition of Style” whose mission is to “help gender non-conforming people bring forth their most authentic, confident and true selves by providing professional styling.”
    en47 Episodes

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    Episodes (47)

    LGBTQ+ Adoption & Families

    LGBTQ+ Adoption & Families
    What challenges do LGBTQ+ families face today? Phil and Alex are joined by Jim Obergefell, Director of Individual Giving at Family Equality and the lead plaintiff in the landmark marriage equality Supreme Court case, Obergefell v. Hodges. They discuss the current state of queer families in the United States and the unique obstacles families encounter in the adoption process. We also hear stories from Andy, whose adoption process was nearly sidelined by a homophobic nurse, and Fred, who ran into several roadblocks on his way of adopting a child.

    Conversion Therapy

    Conversion Therapy
    Is it possible to pray the gay away? Jack Bates, cohost of the queer spirituality podcast, Lavender Mafia, joins Phil and Alex in tackling this question. The answer is obviously no - but the damage this abuse does can have large consequences down the road. We also hear stories from Scott, a gay man who bested a so-called conversion "therapist" in a battle of wits, and John, a gay man who exposed a notorious conversion clinic on the national stage.

    Mental Health

    Mental Health
    Struggles with mental health impact everyone, but for those in the LGBTQ+ community, they can be amplified. Just ask Joe and Tom, two storytellers whose own battles with mental health intersected with their queer identities. In this episode, hear their stories and listen as Phil and Alex have a robust conversation around anxiety and depression, the shame of treatment, and how we need to equip ourselves with the tools to get better.

    Bullying

    Bullying
    The LGBTQ+ community is no stranger to bullying. We’ve all experienced it - whether we were being bullied or were the bullies ourselves. In this episode, educator, radio producer and host of the “Queer the Table” podcast Nico Wisler joins Alex and Phil for a lively conversation about bullying against and within the LGBTQ+ commnunity, and how that behavior sometimes continues into adulthood. We also hear stories from Olivia, a trans woman who was cyberbullied in high school, and Joseph, a now-out gay man was equally unkind to a queer classmate.

    Race & Dating in the LGBTQ+ Community

    Race & Dating in the LGBTQ+ Community
    Are racial preferences in dating inherently racist? In this episode, Black Queer comedian Sampson McCormick joins Alex and Phil as they have a candid discussion of the role race plays in the LGBTQ+ dating scene. We also hear stories from Moses and JC, two gay men of color who in their own dating lives were confronted with microaggressions and outright rejection based on their skin color.

    Teaching Charm & Embracing Age in the Trans Community: Interview and Stories with “Mama” Gloria Allen

    Teaching Charm & Embracing Age in the Trans Community: Interview and Stories with “Mama” Gloria Allen
    Thanks to the three “amazing women” who helped raise her, Gloria Allen knew from a young age that she didn’t need to feel any shame for being who she was. As she walked through life as a trans woman and, in her later years, settled into LGBTQ+ senior housing, she decided to pay it forward by opening up a charm school for Chicago’s queer community. Gloria - also known as “Mama Gloria” to many in Chicago - talks to Phil and Alex about her life’s own struggles and what’s next for her.

    LGBTQ+ People with Disabilities

    LGBTQ+ People with Disabilities
    Disabilities Awareness Expert and “bear in a chair” Drew Gurza joins the I’m From Driftwood Podcast hosts for a robust discussion of what it’s like to live at the intersection of the queer community and the community of people with disabilities. We also hear stories from Richard, a Deaf gay man, and George, a Blind gay man, who discuss how living with a disability impacted their lives as queer people.

    Nonbinary Voices

    Nonbinary Voices
    Few things in life are only one way or the other - and gender is no exception. Jacob learned in high school that gender was something fun and something you could play with. Erin realized in college that gender was a performance and that they could perform it however they want. For both, they learned that they define their gender, not the other way around. And Trekkies rejoice! In this episode, Phil and Alex discuss Erin’s and Jacob’s stories, their own respective relationships with gender, and how Phil relates their gender to a character in a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode.

    Body Image

    Body Image
    A lot of people - especially those in the LGBTQIA+ community - struggle with body image issues. For Raven, it was her journey to being a masculine-presenting queer woman who also has a feminine shape to her body. For Richard, it was dealing with the pressure from his father to lose weight and be classically good looking. For both, the preoccupation with body image took a dangerous toll on their physical well-being. In this episode, Phil and Alex discuss Raven’s and Richard’s stories, their own experiences dealing with body image, and the factors in and out of the queer community that contribute to how we see ourselves.

    Sex & Sexuality featuring Noah Michelson

    Sex & Sexuality featuring Noah Michelson
    Some people discover their sexuality later in life and some are aware of it from a very young age. Noah Michelson knew he was queer from some of his earliest memories. First he was sexually attracted to Mr. Rogers, then Jesus, and ultimately “was in love with the garbage man.” After doing a saucy dance for the sultry sanitation worker, Noah was asked if he was “a little queer or something.” Though he didn’t know what it meant, he knew that it was magnificent and something he wanted to be. In this episode, Phil and Alex welcome Noah to the show where the three discuss owning one’s sexuality, combating the sex-negative culture we live in, and the ways in which Noah is pushing the conversation farther along, both as a journalist for HuffPost and through his podcast, D is for Desire.

    Confronting the Racial & Gender Divide in the LGBTQ+ Community

    Confronting the Racial & Gender Divide in the LGBTQ+ Community
    When Stephen started going out to gay bars, he was immediately made to feel like a Black visitor in a predominantly white gay world. When Femi was socializing in queer spaces during and after college, she was struck by how it was segregated by race in the south and by gender in the north. In this episode, Phil and Alex listen to Stephen and Femi’s story and discuss the race, racism and gender in the LGBTQ social scene, the need for safe spaces, and what it truly means to be an ally to the Black community.

    Transitioning Later In Life: Interview and stories by Pearl Bennett!

    Transitioning Later In Life: Interview and stories by Pearl Bennett!
    Pearl Bennett transitioned later in life. While she was preparing to head back to NYC from Fire Island, she was going through her regular routine of taking off her women’s clothing to present as a man. “But Pearl came out of me,” Pearl explains, “and said ‘I’m not taking them off.’” That’s when her life changed forever, allowing her to live a fuller, more authentic life as a woman. In this episode, Phil and Alex talk to Pearl about her transition journey, her family, and what she’s up to today.

    Coming Out

    Coming Out
    When Robyn heard homophobic comments as a child, she had no idea how her grandmother would react when she eventually came out as trans as an adult. Similarly, Courtney wasn’t sure if he would be accepted for being gay after his father made a disparaging offhand remark about two men kissing in a music video. Would they be accepted? Or would their fears be proven true? In this episode, Phil and Alex discuss Robyn and Courtney’s coming out stories, share their own coming out stories, and the importance of allies speaking up when they hear homophobic or transphobic remarks.

    HIV/AIDS & Healthcare Discrimination

    HIV/AIDS & Healthcare Discrimination
    Before his transition, Teo was repeatedly dismissed by healthcare professionals when he realized he’d contracted HIV from an ex-girlfriend. Doug, meanwhile, was kicked out of a hospital room by a doctor because he wasn’t related by blood to his boyfriend, who was living with HIV at the time. Different people, different walks of live, but both shared a similar experience: culturally incompetent healthcare. In this episode, Phil and Alex explore the discrimination in healthcare and the evolving conversation around HIV/AIDS and prevention.

    Race, Aging and Activism: Interview and stories by Don Bell!

    Race, Aging and Activism: Interview and stories by Don Bell!
    When Don Bell came of age as a gay man in college, the United States was engaged in a disastrous war in Vietnam. Were it discovered that he was gay, he would’ve surely been kicked out of school and drafted into the military, a dangerous outcome at a time when Black servicemembers were disproportionately serving - and dying - overseas. We had a chance to hear these and other stories when we filmed Don back in 2017. In this episode Phil and Alex catch up with Don about his parents, the history of Chicago’s famous gay district, the parallels is our country’s social justice movements, and what his own future holds.
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