Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbySeptember 2nd, 2009
That’s the name of an amazing web site I just ran across. I’m From Driftwood is a collection of true stories contributed by ordinary LGBT people from all over the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere around the world, like this one from a fellow Ohioan:
I’m From Georgetown, Ohio
I was not originally from Cincinnati; I was from a small conservative town of about 2,000 people with five stop lights and dial up. This town was called Georgetown, a town rich in Underground Railroad history and Ulysses S. Grant\’s childhood (you know, the guy on the 50 dollar bill). This history shaped a lot of my passions and my sense of morality.Then the day I turned 12 everything changed. That damn bible verse, “Shit, I\’m in trouble this time; I think I\’m going to hell?!?” That day I grew up and childhood was over. I hid everything about me and became “a man”. I lost three years of my life to depression & suicide attempts. One day I got tired of being alone and trying to be someone I couldn\’t be for this god. I came out to my parents at 15. Mistake. They checked me in to the first ex-gay counseling clinic they could find. I sat in my bedroom and did the only thing I could do then… count the days down till I could leave.
You can read the rest there. Don’t worry, Blake turned out just fine and he’s now a student at the University of Cincinnati, my alma mater.
The blog’s title comes from the movie Milk, namely the scene in which Harvey Milk is seen riding on the hood of a car in a Pride parade holding a sign reading “I\’m From Woodmere, N.Y.,” a proud announcement that we come from everywhere and we live everywhere. The blog’s creator, Nathan Manske, comes from Driftwood, Texas, hence the name. He worked on the Chemistry.com advertising campaign as copywriter. That’s the campaign that mocked eHarmony\’s discriminatory policies towards gays and lesbians. Two others also contribute their talents on a regular basis: Rafi Mittlefehldt handles technical issues, and Marquise Lee runs the video blog, where LGBT people in the New York area can contribute their stories in video form.
The project is a great idea. Check it out and contribute your own story. The more, the merrier!
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Leonard Drake
September 2nd, 2009
I went to visit the “I’m from Georgetown, Ohio” website out of great interest, and TWICE my McAfee immediately popped up with a “McAfee successfully removed a Trojan Horse virus” from the site.
I know VERY LITTLE about trojan horses, et cetera. Is there anything to worry about with this particular site. I do not want to go back until others can do research/see if anyone else has similar experiences, or if this particular site is safe. (I also have heard McAfee can be “sketchy” at times, so…)
Suggestions, similar experiences? Help?
Leonard Drake
September 2nd, 2009
Excuse me, the site I went to was the one directly linked from this article, the imfromdriftwood (dotcom). I am not entering the actual code here, just in case.
Leonard Drake
September 3rd, 2009
I have been able to view it now without any problems, and you are right…the stories are simply beautiful. Thank you for sharing this site.
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