Coming out at work - Jamal Ouazzani
Coming out at work
Coming out Inclusion LGBTQIA+ Best practices Work environment Awareness raising
Jamal Ouazzani
Following an international career in advertising, Jamal Ouazzani is now a consultant and speaker on diversity and inclusion issues, with an intersectional approach. He is the voice of the Jins podcast, the first podcast on sexualities, gender, love and the body in Arab and/or Muslim contexts. Jamal is also a filmmaker and screenwriter.
Coming out is often discussed in terms of individual courage and embraced pride. Yet, many LGBTQIA+ people are unwilling—or unable—to reveal their orientation or gender identity in the workplace. Why? Because coming out is not a moral obligation, but a contextual, sometimes risky, and always intimate choice.
In a workplace where the norm is still largely heterocentric and cisnormative, is it necessary to reveal oneself to be recognized, respected, and supported? What if we instead opened up a professional space where everyone can choose their way of existing—visible, discreet, or multiple—without having to "check a box"?
Through a socio-anthropological and intersectional approach, this conference invites us to deconstruct the mythology of coming out as a uniquely liberating act. It places LGBTQIA+ experiences within their cultural, religious, racial, and social diversity, showing that inclusion is not just about making minorities visible: it is about making systems of oppression visible—and transforming them.
The main objectives of the conference are:
Understanding the cultural, political and personal issues of coming out
Create a climate where no one has to justify themselves to be respected
Moving beyond transparency requirements: rethinking inclusion through trust and choice
Explore the concepts of closet, curtain, chosen opacity and emotional security
Thinking about coming out for allies: getting out of your comfort zone to better support
This conference will focus on the following areas:
Coming out, coming through, coming home: rethinking queer trajectories
Visibility without protection = danger: identifying the real levers of inclusion
Intersectionality and Coming Out: What Living Your Orientation Means When You Are Also Racialized, Religious, or Insecure
Allies: Breaking the silence, not to speak in place of, but to carry with
Creating an inclusive climate without requiring confession: towards management based on respect and nuance
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