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Faculty of Graduate Studies

Elisa Do

  • BSc (51³Ô¹Ï, 2011)

Notice of the Final Oral Examination for the Degree of Master of Science

Topic

Queer Embodiment at Pride: The Power of Grounding Body and Mind for Healing

Department of Psychology

Date & location

  • Tuesday, July 22, 2025

  • 1:00 P.M.

  • Cornett Building

  • Room A228

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

  • Dr. Danu Stinson, Department of Psychology, 51³Ô¹Ï (Supervisor)

  • Dr. Nigel Mantou Lou, Department of Psychology, UVic (Member) 

External Examiner

  • Dr. Audrey Yap, Department of Philosophy, 51³Ô¹Ï 

Chair of Oral Examination

  • Dr. Jean Buckler, School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, UVic

     

Abstract

Queer people and their bodies are subjected to stigma every day, and the ongoing trauma of stigmatization can lead queer people to dissociate themselves from their physical body. Known as traumatic disembodiment, this process can negatively affect people’s wellbeing. Community events, such as the annual Pride festival hosted across the world, have shown many positive effects on people’s sense of belonging, validation of their queer identity, and experience of joyful activities. This thesis looked at how participation in the 2024 51³Ô¹Ï and Vancouver Pride festival may impact people’s connection with their bodies. 75 written responses were collected, and using a Reflexive Thematic Analysis, three themes were identified: 1) Participating in Pride Makes Queer People Feel Grounded, which how participants connected to their body through groundedness, 2) Beautiful, Embodied, Queer Joy, captures the way in which joy is experienced in a unique way amongst the queer community and the resilience that embodiment of this joy represents, and 3) The Pernicious Persistence of Body Stigma, which illustrates how despite the positive effects of participating in the festival, body stigma still persists within the queer community and within individuals themselves. Results showed that participating in Pride can help queer people build greater embodiment and heal from internalized stigma. Pride offers a space where queer people can feel grounded and safe to reconnect with their bodies, celebrating their existence in the presence of queer joy.

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