Gia Nova

What's your preferred name?

Gia Nova

What are your pronouns?

She/Her

Share with us how you identify and how you came to that understanding of yourself.

I am a queer/gay man who is also a drag queen. I’m pretty quiet out of drag, but I still have that snarky side to me. I was raised in a family of entrepreneurs, so I’ve always had that drive to keep pushing.

Tell us about how your self-expression has helped you grow.

It’s got me through some very dark times and difficult experiences. Coming to terms with who I was after being relentlessly bullied in school shaped who I am.

Where did you grow up? What was a formative experience you had in childhood that led you to where you are today?

I grew up in Everett, WA, and I always wanted to perform on a stage. I was never into sports. I was always into performance art. I was in my middle school and high school choir, but I’ve always loved dancing.

What is a life goal that you are working on or have achieved? How has working toward this goal helped you understand yourself as an individual?

To make people happy with my art. I lost my father three years ago, and exactly a week after he had passed, I was doing a brunch show, and somebody had approached me to ask how much my performances meant to them. It just reminded me of why I do what I do. I think before, I would always use drag as an escape. A way for me to pretend to be someone I’m not. But I have learned over the years that it still is who I am. It’s just a part of me.

Who is someone who inspired you to be your true self? What was their influence on you?

Lady Gaga. Having someone you idolize essentially give you permission to be who you are, unapologetically and proudly, was very instrumental in shaping who I am now.

What's something that you worry about?

First and foremost, I would say the state of the world. We are seeing genocides happen in real time. We are seeing rights stripped away and evil prevailing. But I still have hope that karma will balance everything out. We just need to fight for it.

What gives you hope?

Freedom of expression. Expression is the best tool and form of protest that we have, especially in the times that we are in now. While I think it’s important that we fight for who we are, I also think it’s important that we celebrate who we are.

If you had a message for your younger self, what would you say?

Learn how to accept things as they are, but still don’t be afraid to fight for what’s right. You are going to experience some hardships in life, but they are going to shape you into who you are now, so it’s worth it in the end.

What's a piece of wisdom you've learned that has helped you?

Mistakes are going to happen while you are either at work or performing on the stage. Learn how to roll with the punches. Sometimes mistakes can bring beautiful things. My best friend, Leia, told me a long time ago when I was starting out to focus on what I wanted to accomplish and ignore the noise.

What is something you wish other people would know or understand?

Sometimes I wish people would learn how not to be so judgmental and be open-minded. As a society, people are so quick to judge and discriminate against others because of their own bigotry or biases.