Brit Micho (She/Her), Art History (MA), 2023

Eugene, OR on June 2022

Artist Statement:Although it took a second to gather my thoughts, I knew what I wanted to say but the overall experience of telling my story was great as it felt liberating for me.

I want others to understand that queer isn't a bad word, and that it's a word that allows space for growth with your identity, especially for those who feel the need to label themselves as something.

I think it's important for student voices to be heard within an academic institution as it is comforting to know that there are others you can identify with.

Brit Micho:My name is Brit and my pronouns are She/Her.

I am a first year grad student here at U of O.

And the questions is: While discovering

your true identity, what realizations

have you made about your yourself?

And I think the entire discovery of trying to figure

out who I am in my sexuality and gender.

Through that journey, I have come to the realization

that bisexual doesn't quite encompass what I am.

And I've finally decided that queer is more appropriate, not

only because gender doesn't matter for me and who I

am attracted to or who I decide to love.

And I've also found that within that identity, it leaves

space for growth and it leaves space for me to

figure out how I identify with my gender, which has

become a lot more unclear as I get older.

And gender is just a social construct.

It doesn't matter, it doesn't make sense.

And I think learning that I'm queer and owning that fact

really has helped me to come into myself, and it allows

me to grow in a better way, in a way that

allows me to be comfortable with using that word.