Davey Powell shares his journey as a queer traveller, navigating the complexities of growing up in fairgrounds while knowing he was gay from a young age. Through therapy, sobriety, and quilting, he's found a way to unite his traveller heritage with his queer identity to become the authentic person he was always meant to be.
• Growing up between two worlds - never "traveller enough" for the traveller community and too "traveller" for the outside world
• Experiencing violence and fear on the fairgrounds, forcing him to develop a tough exterior that conflicted with his sensitive nature
• Hiding his gay identity from age 8-9 until university, when he finally came out
• Facing rejection from his parents, culminating in his father saying "I've hated you since you were 15"
• Battling severe depression and suicidal thoughts while trying to find his place in the world
• Finding healing through therapy, sobriety, and quilting, which started during a difficult period in Canada
• Creating vibrant quilts that incorporate fairground aesthetics to unite his traveller heritage with his queer identity
• Learning to speak to his inner child and angry teenager to heal from past trauma
• Proudly embracing both his showman/traveller background and his gay identity after years of feeling they couldn't coexist
• Using traditional fairground fonts and sign-painting techniques to reclaim positive aspects of his heritage
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