Celebrating International Non-Binary People’s Day at DNEG
Last week, our global teams came together to commemorate International Non-Binary People’s Day on July 14th. We were honoured to be joined by Diversity Equity Inclusion Expert Amil Reddy, for an interactive session titled: It Starts With U: Uncovering and Understanding Unconscious Bias.
From left to right: Lorie Corcuera (Head of HR, North America West), Boyan (Bobby) Georgiev (Unreal TD, DNEG Animation),
Amil Reddy, CPPI (Diversity Equity Inclusion Expert) & Kat Seale (Animator, DNEG Animation)
During the talk, our teams learned about Amil’s journey as a trans person of colour, about the power of diversity, unconscious bias and privilege. The event also included a workshop on pronouns and inclusive language.
Discussing the importance of pronouns, Amil said, “[Pronouns are] a really low barrier way to action your allyship for anyone who might be non-binary, anyone who might be questioning their gender identity and anyone who loves or likes a non-binary person. They elevate inclusion for folks who don’t necessarily use what would be considered to be the ‘average pronoun.’” Amil continued, “So adding pronouns to your email signature, your Zoom name, introducing yourself with your pronouns at meetings, etc are really great ways to do that.”
Amil also discussed the importance of supporting queer, trans and two- spirit colleagues in the workplace, and some ways to do so:
- Use pronouns
- Watch your assumptions
- Use a trauma informed approach and lead with empathy. Recognize that not everyone is going to view things in the same ways as you.
- Use gender neutral language / anatomy. Think about what gender neutral language looks like even when it comes to anatomy and how we describe things
- Practice & respect self determination. Recognize that every single human has the right to self determination, meaning everyone is allowed to tell you how they want to be treated, addressed, supported, recognized and acknowledged.
- Policies, facilities, & processes. Ensure your policies & facilities are gender neutral
Amil Reddy (they/them) is a non-binary Trans Asian Pacific Islander, a Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional (CCIP), a Diversity Equity Inclusion Expert, and a Culture and Leadership Advisor. Their workshop is an introduction to unconscious bias, power and privilege, focusing on the systemic inequities that exist in our society and inviting participants to analyze their own power and privilege, reflect, and leave with ways to broaden their perspectives.
The session was moderated by our own Kat Seale (they/them). Kat is an Animator based out of our London studio currently working on Nimona for Netflix. They are also an active member of our employee resource group Proud.
A huge thank you to Amil for leading us through such a thoughtful and insightful discussion!
Click here to find out more about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at DNEG, and here to learn more about DNEG’s Proud Group. And if you are interested in joining our team and building your career at DNEG, check out our open positions.