Creating an inclusive & equitable public service

In the pursuit of an inclusive and equitable public service there is value in discomfort.

Giancarlo Cerquozzi (he/him), a Senior Policy Analyst for the Office of Disability Issues and a member of the ESDC Employee Pride Network, shares his unique experiences as a professional working on matters related to inclusion in the federal public service.

" Growing up in an immigrant household deeply affected my personhood, and my journey with queerness. My parents immigrated to Canada, from Italy, in 1970. With them, they brought deep cultural traditions which included the Italian language being spoken almost exclusively at home, alongside the Catholic assumption that I was inherently heterosexual and destined to be a father with kids. During my childhood and adolescence, there were moments of intense negotiation and struggle – negotiation around who I could be and where these versions of me could exist; negotiation with the language we spoke at home, and the languages I spoke at school and with my friends, and how each had different terms and concepts to describe inaccurately or partially who I was; and negotiation around how to fulfil the ‘obligations’ associated to my cultural duality, faith, and queerness.?

These acts of negotiation have motivated who I am today – I spent my time at postsecondary school exploring linguistic attempts to understand (read: categorize and classify) expressions of queerness; I have dedicated my professional self to furthering Gender-based Analysis Plus and queer inclusion; and I have stopped towing the line, and have decided the best version of me is the unapologetically authentic Giancarlo, who can exist everywhere, all the time.?

"Disruption may feel uncomfortable for some, but I urge those folks to walk into the discomfort. There is value in discomfort."

The journey towards living authentically can be difficult, but as long as racism, classism, and discrimination related to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression exists, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community will keep our voices loud and proud. In moments of grief or exhaustion, it is important for me to step away from what I am doing, to practice some self-care and to connect with my chosen family. I communicate my needs and experiences with grief/exhaustion in hopes that I can learn from my queer community and find strength and reassurance in our common experiences in advocating for and working towards unwavering, full, and intersectional queer inclusion.?

When working on matters related to inclusion, you are often seen as a disruptor or troublemaker. I embrace those identities wholeheartedly ― the only way to create meaningful and equitable systemic change is to disrupt the status quo. This disruption may feel uncomfortable for some, but I urge those folks to walk into the discomfort. There is value in discomfort, and there is value in the change that we (as a public service) are currently pursuing in the aim of creating an inclusive and equitable public service, and Canada. Simply put – equality and inclusion benefits everyone."

Thank you, Giancarlo, for sharing your experiences with us and thank you to the ESDC Employee Pride Network for your help in coordinating this post. Happy Pride Season!?