Interview of Gia Love

Gia Love reflects on her life in the kiki ball scene, an underground queer and trans dance community in New York City. In kiki, particularly the House of Juicy, Gia found deep friendships and a supportive family that she was not able to find in her family of origin. Gia excelled as a kiki performer, winning many balls in the category of Realness. Gia also describes how becoming involved with competitive debate helped her get out of special education classes, and her violent rebelliousness as a child developed as a defense against bullying.

Date of Interview:

April 11, 2019

Location of Interview:

Midtown Manhattan Branch, New York Public Library

Place of birth:

Harlem, NY

Pronouns:

she/her/hers

Interviewed by

Michelle Esther O'Brien