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Our final finalist is ELISA Doe from the Department of Psychology. Alisa's presentation is titled Painting Your Own Rainbow.

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Two years ago, I was sitting in a restaurant with a few colleagues I used to work with when one of my colleagues brought up someone she knew who looked so gay, oblivious to the discomfort that everyone else felt in that moment. She continued to emphasize by saying no, let me show you a photo. He looks so gay. Since coming out, I've learned that there are queer things, queer ways to dress, to move, to speak to exist. I've learned that whether I like it or not, there are things that will make people look at you and say they look so gay. And that's the reality that queer folks live with in a world where being straight is the norm, queerness and queer bodies become the abnormal, the stigma and discrimination that queer people face can lead them to believe in the negative stereotypes about their identities. And as a result, experience a disconnection from their own bodies, a feeling of not being in tune physically with their internal processes. My research looks at how queer activism and community events can help queer people challenge these negative beliefs during activism, queer folks often engage their bodies in physical activities like marching in parades or dancing or chanting all while fighting for a shared cause with others in the community. And I propose that these activities and the physical empowerment that queer people experience can help them to feel good about their bodies. I will conduct a study that surveys queer participants every day through a multi day queer Pride Festival to learn about how participation in different events can affect their beliefs and their experiences with being queer. By understanding how involvement in community events can help queer people connect with their own bodies. We can help them improve their own self acceptance and improve their overall well being. We can help them build pride in their identities, pride in their bodies and pride in who they are. Hopefully one day queer folks won't have to worry about how gay they wanna look when they get dressed or when they walk or when they talk or what it means when someone says that they look so gay. But until that day, maybe they can look at themselves and say, yeah, I look so gay. Thank you.