Community Member Spotlight: Iris Wong
Non-Binary in a Binary World
Ty Tang
Iris Wong, a proud Chic Geek mentor, exemplifies courage and diversity in the face of a binary technology industry. We at Chic Geek are proud to have such talented, amazing individuals in our mentorship program, and we would like to share Iris’ story. As an individual early in their career, Iris has been able to share the knowledge they have gained to help encourage diversity in technology through one’s actions.
Iris Wong is currently a front-end developer and designer — a career path that began by taking a risk. Iris’s first experience in tech began at a local startup after graduating from the illustration program at ACAD. While Iris is a self-taught WordPress designer, the rapid growth of this startup soon had employees creating more complex websites that had to be both informative and visually captivating. Luckily this avid illustrator also had an interest in technology (websites such as MySpace and Geocities are credited with sparking Iris’s curiosity). This chance opportunity to become more involved in development allowed Iris to forge a career path in front-end design.
To Iris, “front-end is not as technical as you think it is. You take something you have designed visually into a new language. Front-end is kinda beautiful.”
This new medium for creativity led Iris to move on to a designer/developer role at ZGM. ZGM is a collaborative marketing agency that caters to clients such as the National Music Centre, Nature Conservancy of Canada and Alberta Health Services. It was here that Iris became brave and pushed the traditional views around diversity at the workplace. Iris came out to coworkers, sharing that they identified as gender-queer. There was a period of transition where Iris spent time helping coworkers adopt a vocabulary inclusive of all gender identities.
When asked what it feels like to be referred to as a she or he, “It stings a little, almost like they don’t understand you”.
Iris emphasizes that using genderless vocabulary helps create an environment of inclusion for everyone that does not consider themselves a woman or man. Instead of using “she” or “he,” use alternate pronouns like “they” or “them.” It is important to use these pronouns, as some individuals may not wish to share their gender identity in the workplace.
As a non-binary individual, Iris feels it’s important to give back to the tech community. An opportunity to teach a coding workshop at Black Futures Now in Toronto showed Iris how important inclusion was to shaping the future. ACAD also approached Iris to run a tech skills-based workshop that helps students transition traditional art into front-end design and development. Taking things a step further, Iris recently completed a cycle as a mentor in the Chic Geek mentorship program. In a tech world that is dealing with underlying sexism, however small the impact, Iris always feels it’s important to help encourage diversity.
For Iris, being aware of social issues and acting in a socially responsible way is a great opportunity to give back. When you are younger, you think that these issues don’t affect you, and that you have no power anyway. As Iris has gotten older though, they have become more aware of contributing in small ways to help move the needle forward.
What’s in store for Iris in the future? While continuing to enjoy their work at ZGM, Iris wants to continue creating and pursuing their own passion projects. Having dabbled in indie video game illustration, Iris hopes to get into the technological side of video game development. As well, Iris’s illustrations have developed into a form that would lend itself well to tattooing, so who knows what creative projects they may pursue next!
To view some of Iris’s illustrations, please visit Bestiaire on Tumblr or on Instagram @demonography
Interested in Chic Geek’s mentorship program? Check out how to be a mentor or mentee for the 2018 Mentorship Program!
- For more information, please review the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion Report: Inclusion in the Workplace
