Storytellers videos

Thank you for visiting Rainbopedia’s Storytellers project. These videos about the LGBTQ+ experience were created by people from all over the world. Users everywhere can watch curated videos submitted to the Storytellers project, as well as selections from the StoryCorps, Sip of History, and Book of Queer playlists. More videos will be added soon.

If you would like to watch these videos with subtitles in your own language… when playing a video, click on the “Settings” icon, select “Subtitles/CC,” then click “Auto Translate.” A dropdown menu of languages will be displayed. Select your preferred language.

Then sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Storytellers StoryCorps Sip of History Book of Queer

Rainbopedia invites you to share your LGBTQ+ story.

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Storytellers Trailer

Rainbopedia invites you to share your LGBTQ+ story.
Love and Gratitude in the Cosmic Big Bang Part 1
Love and Gratitude in the Cosmic Big Bang Part 2

This is my story of love and gratitude to the cosmic Big Bang.
Fairy Godfather

A brief tale about the friendship between a gay man and a straight man culminating in a marriage proposal.
My Coming Out Story

Derrick Gordon: Coming out can be a scary process. But I’m here because I want to share with you how it was for me when I came out and how my family dealt with it. I’m all about helping as many people in this world as I can and I hope my story can help whatever you’re going through and know that everything will be ok.
I Have Four Parents

This video is a magical rendition of the story of my very unique four-parent family. Everything I talk about in the video is true, and these are the answers to the questions I most commonly get asked. Basically, I have four parents: two moms and two dads. They're not divorced and I'm not adopted. My dads are gay and my moms are lesbian. The two couples had been friends for many years and then decided to have and co-parent a kid: me! <br /> <br /> To see an extended version of this video, check out Daniel’s YouTube channel https://youtube.com/danielroymagic
Jill Gover (known as "Dr. G") and Gilbert Baker

A memory of Gilbert Baker and me at the 1977 SF Pride Parade
Coming Out to My Japanese Parents

Story of me holding off coming out until my gay wedding. And my father walking me down the aisle giving me away.
Alex Kofi Donkor

Gay man from Ghana and the Director of LGBT+ Rights Ghana
Human Rights Lawyer

In Iraq , any status but heterosexual is forbidden and marriage is culturally mandated. LGBTQ+ Iraqis face persecution and violence from families, government, and militias. The only solution has been to escape and start a new life elsewhere. With so many refugees and borders closing, those options are very restricted. The journey to achieve human rights has begun and will be long and difficult. IraQueer is an LGBTQ+ organization advocating for legal and human rights. Info: https://www.iraqueer.org
Shocking Trip

First time l left Argentina 25 years ago and l found myself in Miami Beach...

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Share your story

We all have stories to tell. Rainbopedia wants you to be a Storyteller by creating a video about any part of the global LGBTQ+ experience. It can be about yourself, someone you know, or a historical person, place, or event. Videos will be shared here and on Rainbopedia’s YouTube channel.

Storytellers How-To video

Share your story with the world. All you need are your memories and your voice.

Suggestions to Help You Tell an LGBTQ+ Story

Tell us about what the LGBTQ+ world is like where you live
Talk about someone who helped you come out
Describe your happiest or most difficult memory
Tell us about someone who had a big influence on you
Talk about what you are most grateful for
Describe what the LGBTQ+ world was like when you were younger
Tell us about obstacles you have overcome
Talk about how your family responded when you came out
Describe how your life has been different from the one you first imagined
Tell us about a historical LGBTQ+ person, place, or event
Assist an elder you know to recount or share their LGBTQ+ story

Content Guidelines

Submissions must follow YouTube’s Content Guidelines, including:

Submissions will be curated and a selection will be featured on this site and Rainbopedia’s YouTube channel
No copyrighted material such as licensed music playing in the background or over the video
No nudity or overt sexual content
No excessively sexual or vulgar speech

Technical Guidelines

Videos can be submitted in any language
Videos must be a minimum of 30 secs and a maximum of 3 minutes
Videos must be no larger than 1GB
Video quality is preferably 720p or 1080p
Preferred aspect ratio is 16:9 to avoid letterboxing
Storytellers prefers the MP4 format but the following are also acceptable: .MOV, .MPEG4, .MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm, HEVC (h265)
Audio-only stories must be converted to still-image video before submitting
Audio-only submissions should include a single still image as your video thumbnail

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Performers and artists talk about Storytellers

Celebrated artists talk about important LGBTQ+ milestones and historic personalities in their own, inimitable way, and how you can make a difference by sharing your unique story.