Hua, Donovan

Interviewer

Megan Molloy

Files

Description

Donovan Hua is a queer, non-binary artist and advocate in Portland Maine. Donovan was born in China and was adopted when they were two years old. They moved to Portland and have lived in the area since. They were raised primarily by a single mother who greatly influenced their relationship with Catholocism and spirituality. Donovan later attended Casco Bay High School where they came to terms with their gender identity and sexual orientation. Hua speaks about their chosen family of friends and the sense of community they offered through their navigation of both their identity and their disability.

Hua discusses their experience volunteering with local organizations such as the Equality Community Center, and the Maine Trans Net community thrift shop, which has allowed them to explore the relationship that fashion has to their self expression and their art.

Please cite as: Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer+ Collection, Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine, University of Southern Maine Libraries. For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

Publication Date

11-17-2023

Publisher

USM Special Collections

City

Portland, Maine

Keywords

Portland, ME, downtown Portland, Asian-american, chosen family, Coming out, Catholocism, spirituality, Equality Community Center, Asian-heritage, cooking, SSI, SSDI, DHHS, Affordable housing, accessible housing, Preble Street, funding, BIPOC, small town, EBT, food stamps, community care, bullying, expeditionary learning, self-advocating, shared experiences, masking disability, Neuro Clastic, Maine TransNet thrift shop, disability justice, fat liberation, true body positivity, disability welfare, Social Security, self-expression through fashion, non-binary, communication through art, autism, Maine Queer Mutual Aid, Queer Exchange Maine, inaccessible resources, Equality Maine, non-profit volunteering, 15 Casco Street, Old Navy, Catherine’s boutique, gender performance, body neutrality, taking up space, sketching, painting, conceptual art, Chinese Hanfu, Korean Hanbok

Disciplines

History of Gender | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | Oral History | Women's Studies

Recommended Citation

Molloy, Megan, "Hua, Donovan" (2023). Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection. 115.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/querying_ohproject/115

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.