UC Davis students discuss misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community

By GRACIELA TIU — features@theaggie.org

Although the LGBTQIA+ community has been increasingly growing in visibility over the past several years, many queer students at UC Davis say they still encounter frustrating stereotypes — whether about their physical appearance, how they should act or even just portrayals of queerness in different forms of media.
One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, described some common assumptions she experienced due to her identity as a bisexual woman.

“Some common stereotypes I have encountered as a bisexual female include commentary on and sexualization of female and female sexual activities, asking whether I prefer men or women and consistently asking what gender is a better kisser,” the student said.

She explained how she herself has not felt any significant pressure to conform to any stereotypes, in part due to her perspective on her identity.

“I am a female who does not necessarily ‘look’ bisexual, and I have honestly not faced a lot of pressure or negative occurrences in relation to my bisexuality,” the student said. “I think that sexuality is a spectrum, and to me, being bisexual has not really changed or pressured me into becoming a specific person, since I do not view it as something that differentiates me from others.”

The student added how certain representations of the LGBTQIA+ community within varying types of media can also work to promote or defy common stereotypes.

“I think that queer representation in pop culture both reinforces and challenges stereotypes,” the student said. “For example, I believe that celebrities such as Megan Fox and Drew Barrymore challenge stereotypes about bisexual individuals. In contrast, stereotypical and exaggerated portrayals of homosexual men, such as Matthew in ‘Big Mouth,’ reinforce stereotypes and cause others to have an exaggerated view and a sort of ‘character’ that they associate with men who are homosexual.”

Stereotypes about those with LGBTQIA+ identities can also come from within the community itself, as another student, who also wishes to remain anonymous, added.

“In my community, I’ve often been called straight because of how I present myself,” the student said. “Initially, I felt as though I had to change my appearance to match my identity, but after discovering some TikTok creators, I realized that there was nothing wrong with my appearance and the way that I present myself.”

She also mentioned how stereotypes about different queer identities can sometimes revolve around gender expression, particularly the gender binary.

“I think the stereotypes of ‘femme’ and ‘masc’ are very much reinforced, but I also think it’s getting better,” the student said.

Another anonymous student relayed the stereotypes he has dealt with due to his identity as a gay man.

“One stereotype I’ve encountered is that when I hang out with guys, they often think I have a crush on them,” the student said. “Another stereotype is the assumption that being gay means dressing like a girl and liking ‘girl stuff.’ I haven’t been personally targeted, but I’ve heard people say things like this at school. They don’t really know what being gay actually means — they think all gay people love girly things, which isn’t true.”

He also discussed how pressure, from within or outside of the queer community, to perform his identity in a certain way can affect how others perceive him.

“People often assume I must act ‘obviously gay’ to be gay, and if I don’t, then I must not be gay,” the student said. “I’ve experienced people saying, ‘Oh, you’re not gay because you’re not showing it.’”

An additional misconception he mentioned about LGBTQIA+ individuals that feels especially harmful is the oversexualization of queer community.

“When it comes to media representation, I’ve noticed that pride festivals and the queer community are often oversexualized,” the student said. “A lot of people think being gay is just about sex, and that leads to misunderstanding[s]. Yes, at pride, people may dress boldly, but it’s usually to send a message — to express themselves in a society that doesn’t always let them.”

He wishes that more people would look beyond the oversexualization and be able to see the true beauty of the community.

“Sometimes I think the media focuses too much on sexuality instead of the broader message of acceptance and freedom,” the student said. “Being gay is about love, identity and being yourself — not just about sex.”

To him, stereotypes can often promote an unproductive and harmful culture leading to pressure and conformity, rather than freedom and self-expression.

“I believe the LGBTQ+ community is about being able to express yourself freely without judgment,” the student said. “If someone is pressuring others to conform, that’s not in line with what I believe the community should be about.”

Written by: Graciela Tiu — features@theaggie.org

The event, to be held on May 16, follows the Undergraduate Research Conference

By NOAH HARRIS — features@theaggie.org

On Friday, May 16, UC Davis’ Department of Psychology will be hosting their annual Spring Psychology Conference at the Center for Mind and Brain in East Davis. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the conference will be an opportunity for psychology undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctorates to showcase work they have been doing.

Posters will be put out in the hallways of the building’s first floor and there will be three different times for them to be shown. In between, student speeches will be given, followed by an award ceremony at the end of the event.

In total, 38 different groups will be presenting their work, which will be shown primarily through posters. The event is similar to the Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) that took place at the University Credit Union Center a few weeks ago, where over 1,000 students presented their research. 

The event is hosted by the Psychology Student Association and is an inclusive and cost-free conference — as Lucy Stowe, the president of the Psychology Student Association, explained.

“It’s open for undergrads, [graduate] students and even [post-doctorates] sometimes in the Psychology Department,” Stowe said. “Anybody who has a mentor in the Psychology Department or the Center of Mind and Brain [are] invited to submit work to present.”

For those interested in presenting next year, there are very few barriers in the way.

“We try to be as inclusive as possible,” Stowe said. “One of our main requirements though is to require them to have a faculty mentor, which is important just so that they’re connected to the department in some way.”

Jenna Distefano, the vice president of the Psychology Student Association, described the difference between this event and the URC.

“It’s such a unique opportunity, because people know about the URC, right?” Distefano said. “Everyone knows about the URC, but even people within [psychology] don’t know as much about this spring conference. I think if you are dedicated to research, it’s such a good opportunity to just get feedback or to get practice talking to a psychology audience.”

Stowe mentioned that the conference was welcome to both finished and unfinished research.

“We [accept] presentations of research at all stages, so it can be like a project proposal or like a scoping review or data collection, like preliminary data analysis, final data analysis,” Stowe said.

While the conference primarily caters to those interested in psychology, all are welcome to come and interact with those presenting.

“It’s definitely geared towards a psychology audience,” Stowe said. “That being said, a lot of the presenters that are giving talks like, or they’re all grad students or undergrads, they’re all students presenting. If you’re an undergrad curious about [a presentation], you can go and just talk to other undergrads and they’ll talk to you like an undergrad.”

While the conference is similar to past years, there is one change regarding the speeches segment, which had previously only been given by graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

“The poster session was mainly for undergraduates, the talk sessions [were] like 15 minute[s] [and] were for the graduate students mostly,” Distefano said. This year, we opened up the talk sessions to undergrads because we had a few undergraduates who were interested in giving talks instead of posters.”

Sophie Lance, a recent UC Davis alumna with a Bachelor of Science in psychology who is presenting at the conference, described the atmosphere that one might observe if they attend.

“The first floor of one of the main buildings [at the center for Mind and Brain] is just everyone lined up in the hallways,” Lance said. “You stand next to your poster board and people come around and ask questions and whatnot.”

Lance also spoke about the differences between this conference and the URC from a presenter’s perspective.

“It’s really crowded and hard to hear [at URC],” Lance said. “Even though it’s supposed to be formal, it’s almost informal. But with this one, it’s more intimate. Since it is only psych people, the questions that we would get asked might be a little more advanced about the topic.”

Stowe summed up the benefits of presenting for the event.

“This is a really great initial opportunity to kind of dip your toes in the water and get a sense for what it’s like,” Stowe said. “It’s really a nice friendly environment, and you’ll get a lot of one-on-one time with your peers and with faculty.”

With its taking place just a couple of weeks after the Undergraduate Research Conference, the annual Spring Psychology Conference can go under the radar of many students and staff at UC Davis. However, it can serve as an invaluable experience for those attending and sharing their work at the conference.

Written by: Noah Harris — features@theaggie.org

UC Davis students and alumni discuss the lack of good Mexican and Latino food in Davis

By EVELYN SANCHEZ — features@theaggie.org

Davis has a wide array of cultural food that reflects the diverse population of the city. From sushi to bingsu to birria to prosciutto, both the savory and sweet tooth have options for students and community members alike to gravitate toward.

For the Hispanic community, however, this might be harder than it seems. With so many promising stores and restaurants lining downtown advertising quesadillas and tacos, it would be difficult to say that Davis has a lack of Mexican food. However, Davis does have a lack of good Mexican food, according to some members of the community.

Janet Ramos-Ambriz, a UC Davis alumna with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and Chicana/o studies, has been living in Davis ever since her undergraduate years and offered her thoughts on the food scene.

“Apart from obviously Taqueria Guadalajara — that’s the only decent place,” Ramos-Ambriz said. “North Guads is the way to go.”

Despite not being associated with the downtown branch of Guads, Taqueria Guadalajara has been widely referred to as the “North Guads” by some students and community members. The Mexican restaurant, located at 640 W Covell Blvd., has an overall 4.6-star rating on Google Reviews, where people’s largest complaint is the line being out the door too often.

Natalie Chrisman, a fourth-year human biology major and Chicana/o studies minor, described Davis’ Mexican food scene as subpar.

“I think it’s not so good,” Chrisman said. “I feel like I’ve never wanted to go to the Mexican restaurants in Davis. If I want to go out to eat, [Mexican restaurants] are not at the top of my list. I’m not gonna pick Mexican food here, because most of the time I’ll be disappointed.”

As a Sacramento native, Chrisman would rather travel out of Davis than spend money on what she considers to be low-quality food.

Cris Lima, a fourth-year physics major, is also not a Northern California native, but is relatively satisfied with the food selection offered in Davis.

“I think for a town like Davis, it’s pretty good,” Lima said. “I’m from [Southern California] where there is a much larger Hispanic population, so it’s kind of a no-brainer that the food up here isn’t going to be as good. But you’d be surprised with what you can find here.”

Lima’s favorite Mexican cuisine is also Taqueria Guadalajara, as well as the Westlake Market on Lake Boulevard.

“There is a poor selection of [Mexican] restaurants,” Bryan Lopez, a Davis alum with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and political science, said. “Specifically, the lack of street tacos and street vendors is sad.”

Street vendors have faced multiple struggles in selling their wares and snacks in Davis’ downtown. Despite being protected by the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act, vendors often still face harassment and intimidation by police enforcement, making it harder to bring authentic cuisine to Davis.

While there are many Mexican and Latino restaurants in the Davis area, many students feel as if they are not on par with other dining establishments. Many cite a lack of authenticity as the problem.

With a student population of 25.1% and a city population of 15.2%, Hispanic and Latino students will continue searching for good cultural food.

Money is also an important factor in the equation for many students. Chrisman shared that she carefully weighs the financial value alongside the quality of the food she is purchasing.

“My other problem is that everything in Davis is rather expensive,” Chrisman said. “If I’m going to spend so much on food, then why would I spend it on Mexican food?”

Lopez’s family comes from Guatemala, and searching for Guatemalan food has proven to be even more difficult for him.

“There is none,” Lopez said. “There is absolutely zero Guatemalan food, but there are Guatemalan people. I can’t find Guatemalan food basically anywhere.”

Another hurdle for the Hispanic community is being able to make the food in the first place. Without the resources, the possibilities of feeling at home become even more scarce.

“It is nice that they’re opening a [Guatemalan] grocery store,” Lopez said. “Just because if I want to make my own Guatemalan food, getting the ingredients here is also a nightmare.”

With UC Davis officially declaring itself a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in 2024, the campus community struggles with having their taste buds feel at home. Food is a central element of culture, and despite the lack of Mexican and Latino restaurants claiming to serve authentic cuisine, students at UC Davis will continue their fruitless search for something that tastes like home.

Written by: Evelyn Sanchez  — features@theaggie.org

Students reflect on causes, both short- and long-term effects of low literacy rates 

By ZOEY MORTAZAVI  — features@theaggie.org

As of January 2025, 54% of adult Americans read under a 6th grade level, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). That percentage, over half of the country’s population, is reflective of over 130 million people nationwide. Declining literacy rates can signal a lot of things about a country, including its overall well-being, its democracy levels and a myriad of other elements. UC Davis students shared insights into what these declining rates might be reflective of on a national level, as well as their thoughts on what factors might be primarily contributing.

Vedika Iyer, a second-year civil engineering major, expressed concern that declining literacy rates can not only be reflective of broader societal patterns — they can further exacerbate the problem.

“The literacy rates our country is displaying right now are what the future generations will be capable of, and it’s really concerning,” Iyer said. “So many kids can’t consistently read the news or couldn’t read a book about current events. […] Conservatism does not prioritize public education and access. By not banning books, by funding public programs like NPR and CBS — this is a conservative agenda, and it’s going to severely impact this country’s youth.”

The question of how far this de-prioritization of free and fair access to education and resources will impact the United States’ future is one that can only be answered as time passes. Ongoing efforts by the Donald Trump administration to gradually dissolve the Department of Education would significantly cut back on funding to countless educational and support-based programs for students in addition to deregulating the nation’s schooling system, defunding thousands of need- and merit-based scholarships and loans and generally decreasing improvements to school programs.

Many studies have found that the COVID-19 pandemic deprived many children of crucial years of schooling in person, likely stunting some growth significantly. This is well reflected in numbers; The NCES conducted a study that showed that among 13-year-olds across the U.S., reading and mathematics scores have dropped to the lowest levels seen in decades — similarly to scores from the 1970s.

There has undoubtedly been a massive educational expansion since that time, but much else has changed. Studies including that of the NCES are indicating that factors like mental health play a larger role in today’s world, with online platforms increasing cyberbullying and other external factors that impact general students’ performances.

Social media, short-form content consumption and digestible forms of entertainment and media have also likely exacerbated the decline of literacy rates across the board. Recent studies have reported that short-form content addiction and academic procrastination are inextricably linked — thus marking a connection between students’ inability to consume long-form content as effectively.

Elementary education is another important factor in trends surrounding declining literacy rates. A classically utilized teaching style among elementary educators is what is known as the “whole language” strategy. This method focuses strongly on the meaning of words and recognition; It commonly utilized books like the popular “Dick and Jane” series, which used word repetition as a tool for teaching.

Debates starting as early as the 1950s known as the “reading wars” resulted in the widespread implementation of learning through phonics, which follows a more bottom-up approach and focuses on letter and sound groupings over whole words.

Contemporary statistics have led to the newest approach, known largely as the “Science of Reading.” This approach combines elements of both strategies, implementing scientific research to fuel reading education based on what has empirically been proven to work. Without an overarching branch keeping a standard or method for teaching in mind, it is possible that further regressions or inconsistencies in these teaching methods will follow suit.

Many priorities in the United States are undergoing a tangible shift, as students like Iyer are discussing. Under the Trump administration, a resurgence in conservatism and more traditional values have emphasized privatized schooling and a re-implementation of older methods and traditions, including a currently in-progress Texas bill attempting to display the 10 Commandments in public classrooms throughout the state.

Without delving into the more secular side of this pending legislation, some American elementary school districts still utilize elements of whole language instruction over phonics instruction, sometimes not providing funding to phonics-based reading programs after earlier grades. Whole language instruction offers challenges where students are expected to be able to guess based on context clues, whereas phonic-based learning provides more of a basis into understanding patterns and nuances within the language being taught.

Many educators believe that a balanced approach is the key for students to truly learn to be good and well-rounded readers — but there is still much to explore in terms of their effectiveness.

In an overall sense, there has been an observed stagnation in students’ literacy improvements, according to recent studies. These conflicting methods may see even less resolve with educational funding being cut. Across the board, elementary teaching methods have seen a decline in their improvement, with scholars particularly noting that there has not yet been a rebound from COVID-19’s impacts on youth education.

Cooper Cook, a fourth-year mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering double major, said that this decline in improvement was most likely unavoidable.

“Regardless of the improvement in our elementary-level teaching styles, a decline in the improvement was inevitable, because we can only do so much to increase literacy rates across the entire United States,” Cook said.

Beyond just how student literacy is being handled inside the classroom and on a national level, students are weighing in on the implications of a country that is observing a decline in literacy rates. These patterns can often signal societal shifts, not just in terms of economic or social disparities but also in terms of democracy levels.

Clover Sutton, a second-year international agricultural development major, commented on declining literacy rates being a common sign that fascism is on the rise.

“Declining literacy rates are a sign that fascism is on the rise because the more we become complicit and unable to question those in power, the more likely [those powers] are to get away with more atrocities,” Sutton said.

Sutton continued by describing how fast-form content through social media platforms has contributed to these shifts.

“We live in a society where content is constantly being pumped out,” Sutton said. “Everything’s a trend. There are so many fast things. No one can read a book anymore, and it’s because we depend on such short-lived trends and we’re constantly scrolling. We don’t read anything longer than two paragraphs — [‘too long; didn’t read’] (TL;DR) and all of that — read it!”

Regardless of the countless contributors to this systemic issue, students at UC Davis have noticed patterns both leading to the rise and spread of illiteracy in the United States. This general decline can be attributed to many factors and could lead to a number of outcomes. As these UC Davis students have expressed, it seems that the time is now to stay civically engaged and continue to read — not only within the classroom, but in our everyday lives.

Written by: Zoey Mortazavi — features@theaggie.org