Belonging Begins with Everyday Actions

Belonging isn’t created through a single policy or programme. It is built through everyday interactions—the way we greet one another, the language we use, and the respect we show in even the smallest moments. For nonbinary people, one of those moments is the use of pronouns.

It may seem like a small detail, but using someone’s correct pronouns is a simple way of saying, “I see you. I respect you. You belong here.”

International Nonbinary Day offers us an opportunity to reflect on how we create workplaces where everyone feels valued. It isn’t about expecting perfection or having all the answers. It’s about being open to learning and recognising that inclusion is something we all help build.

As a nonbinary person, I’ve learned that conversations about pronouns often begin with curiosity. Many people simply haven’t had the opportunity to think about gender beyond the traditional binary. That’s okay. What matters isn’t getting everything right the first time—it is being willing to listen, learn and try again.

Like many nonbinary people, I have found myself explaining my identity, answering questions and occasionally correcting the pronouns people use for me. While those conversations can sometimes be tiring, they have also shown me how powerful genuine curiosity and allyship can be. Some of the moments that have meant the most were not when someone got it right immediately, but when they made the effort to get it right over time. That is what allyship looks like.

It might be introducing yourself with your own pronouns if you feel comfortable doing so. It might be respectfully correcting a colleague’s mistake before moving on. It might be checking whether workplace systems and forms recognise more than two gender options. Or it might simply be asking, rather than assuming, how someone would like to be addressed.

None of these actions are complicated. Yet together they help create an environment where people spend less energy explaining who they are and more energy contributing their skills, ideas and talents.

International Nonbinary Day is also a reminder that inclusion is never finished. Every organisation, every team and every individual has opportunities to keep learning. That is true whether your organisation is just beginning its inclusion journey or has been doing this work for many years.

The goal is not perfection. We all make mistakes. The goal is progress.

When we approach one another with openness, humility and respect, we create workplaces where everyone can bring their whole selves to work—not because they have to explain who they are, but because they know they will be welcomed for who they are. That is what belonging looks like. And sometimes, it starts with something as simple as a pronoun.

On behalf of the Trans+@Workplace Pride Community,
Kailin Simonoff Oenomel – They/Them

International Non-Binary People’s Day is observed annually on July 14th. It is celebrated globally to raise awareness for the challenges faced by non-binary individuals and to celebrate the diversity of gender nonconforming folk.