Femi Redwood of Milton, Del., grew up in an environment that was accepting of both her sexuality and her race, despite the fact that she was one of the few minorities in town. This only made her more observant later in life as she encountered less-accepting people and communities.

She tells a story about a gay, white male co-worker when she was still living in Delaware and dating a white woman:

One night we’re in his car. He says that he doesn’t think black and white people should mix; they shouldn’t be in relationships, and they shouldn’t mix. And he’s telling me that he does not think, basically, that I should be with my girlfriend, or that anyone of different races should be together. And [I’m] like, “You’re a gay man! Like, this is the same ridiculousness that people put on you!”

After this incident she moved to Mississippi for college, and there she was surprised to find the same mindset that this gay man had expressed to her before.

This is Femi’s true LGBTQ story:

“I’m from Driftwood,” a collection of “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer stories from all over the world,” appears weekends on LGBTQ Nation. For more true LGBT stories, or to share your own, visit “I’m from Driftwood.”

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