How Normalizing Diverse Identities Can Inspire Inclusion

“Inclusivity stems from not seeing what makes us different, but from what makes us the same. Keeping that idea at the core should help non-binary people feel happier and safer in all spaces, not just LGBTQ+ spaces.”

Quebei Mitchell, Technical Problem Analyst at CGI, spoke to myGwork about improving methods of support towards the non-binary community. They also give advice to those who wish to expand upon their allyship, as well as relaying their personal experience as a non-binary person in the workplace.

Can you please tell us a bit about yourself and your career?

I am a 34-year-old non-binary trans-femme individual and I have worked for CGI for 9 years. I joined in 2013 as a 1st-line technical analyst, answering help desk calls and fixing a broad range of IT issues. After 2 years I moved to an engineering role within end-user device management, creating solutions that would change thousands of devices at once. Finally, I moved into an investigative analyst role, performing complex problem root cause analysis, and creating solutions for them. I came out as non-binary in 2022, and my company, CGI, have been supportive and helpful in allowing me to just be myself, both working from home and from our offices.

What does allyship to the non-binary community look like to you?

To me, allyship is treating people with respect and dignity, allowing them to have the space to express themselves and to be themselves. This means not judging, having open conversation, and being prepared to explain and listen – something we’re not always good at. I don’t believe every ally needs to be a morality or ethics warrior, often you just want someone to see you as you, and not as what hundreds of years of social conditioning tells us we “should” see.

Specific allyship to the non-binary community to me just means also accepting that people can change their presentation whenever they feel they wish to, and so one day they may be presenting very feminine, the next very masculine, and the day after somewhere else again. It’s not a sign of anything other than the individual being who they want to.

Why is it important to have conversations on non-binary inclusion in the workplace?

True inclusivity comes from normalization. Normalization comes from something being commonplace enough that it no longer sparks comment at being unusual. I know and acknowledge that non-binary individuals make up a very small percentage of the overall population, so waiting for normalization to happen through visual exposure may take a while.