Trans-Inclusivity: Embracing Equality in the Workplace and Beyond
November 13, 2023“Treat trans people in the manner you would treat everyone else. Inclusivity means operating a business that everyone is welcome in,” Quebei Mitchell, Technical Problem Analyst at CGI, spoke to myGwork about how allies can be more trans-inclusive. They also shared their coming out story, and what they would like to see next in the ongoing battle for workplace equality.
Can you please introduce yourself and your role within your organization
Hello, my name is Quebei Mitchell (pronounced Queue_Bee) and my pronouns are They/Them. I am a non-binary trans-femme individual working for CGI as a Technical Problem Analyst. My work requires me to deeply analyse large scale IT issues to determine why they happened and how to proactively prevent them from reoccurring. I also contribute to our company’s LGBTQ+ network and help in writing articles for our quarterly newsletter.
Do you think the T is visible enough in the LGBTQ+ community?
Personally, I am an advocate of normalising and not spotlighting. I know some trans people who are very visible and others who are happy just being a part of something greater. But to shine a light on a person or a group of people can have a very polarising effect, which has both good and bad points. I’ve seen plenty of good representation of the transgender community at PRIDE events that I have been to, so I feel that there is certainly enough visibility, but visibility alone isn’t enough to address the issues the community faces on a daily basis.
Please share your coming our story.
My story started after a cosplay experience at a local comic and games convention. I was invited to attend a second learn-to-play RPG event where I was pretty much immersed in a heavily LGBTQ+ populated space and found myself lacking the vocabulary and knowledge to navigate it safely and comfortably. This spawned a flurry of online research and a quick realisation that I was non-binary. It took about 2 weeks to confirm for myself and after that it was something I just couldn’t keep a secret. So, I told my close friends, my parents, and then the following Monday I came out at work. To say I haven’t faced a challenge would be lying, but I also feel like my journey has been very smooth and I feel so very lucky that’s the case.
What is your advice for allies to be (more) trans inclusive?
If you are already an ally, then well done and thank you! Trans as a term covers such a huge potential of gender identities, and for any given individual their identity can change. So, my best advice on how to be even more inclusive is to allow and accept if a trans person you know changes their presentation. It’s also important to note that I don’t mean unconditionall