“We call a lot of this work diversity and inclusion, but if we’re not creating equity, what is the diversity and inclusion working toward?”
Starting conversations is the first step to spreading knowledge, and that’s what this Gender Inclusivity Interview is all about. This episode, we talk all things gender inclusivity and advocacy with special guest, Jess Abbattista. Jess is our Podcast Director and Branding and Marketing Strategist here at The Musician’s Guide, and is currently pursuing a degree in trumpet and an MBA in marketing and HR at Vanderbilt University.
As a nonbinary person, Jess sheds some light on their gender experience and journey, as well as touching upon how gender manifests for them in life, in music, and in business. As an advocate, Jess also shares some ways to support marginalized genders and deconstructs the gender binary our society has (unfortunately) become so accustomed to.
“You can’t look at someone and know their gender. There’s no way. People represent gender identity in so many different ways… You can’t say anything to dispute other people’s personal journeys. They are whatever they are because they know themselves better than you do.”
Here are a few resources we talk about in this interview: them.us, https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/gender-identity
“You can’t deem yourself an ally. You have to be deemed an ally by someone of that marginalization. You can say you advocate for people, but if people of that marginalization don’t tell you that you’re advocating for them, how are you going to tell them that you are?”
