Shannon's Story

Joined by Shannon Hickton, IT Support Analyst for P3 Charity’s Digital Services Team, we talk about why inclusion is so important for the workplace and whether LGBTQ+ History Month still resonates as strongly as it used to. 

Shannon started her career with P3 in 2021 on the Kickstart programme (a UK government initiative aimed at providing funding to employers to create new job roles for young people aged 16 to 24 who are at risk of long-term unemployment), taking on a role as an apprentice with P3’s IT team.  

Shannon is now celebrating her five-year milestone with P3 and is reflecting on when she first started: “P3 is a workplace where you get a sense of fulfilment. Even though I don’t work with people in need, I help Support Workers to do their job and that’s valuable to me. I’m lucky that P3 employs people with good values and knows skills can be learnt. They took a chance on me and now I have loads of skills to take with me whatever I do.”  

Both at work and home, Shannon champions advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. She says, “As a lesbian, feeling welcome in a space – whether that’s through friendships, family dynamics or work – is essential in order to fully be yourself. As P3 was my first time going into a proper job, I was worried to talk about it when I first started. I was a bit nervous mentioning it, and then I did and everyone was like ‘oh, cool.’”  

As a ‘Masc Lesbian’ – meaning a lesbian who identifies as female but expresses herself in a more masculine or androgynous manner – Shannon highlights how often gender identity and sexuality are combined, which can sometimes complicate her interactions with others.  

“I’ve definitely been misgendered before because of it. To be honest, I find it hilarious, especially when people tell me I don’t belong in the women’s bathroom – I am a woman! It really highlights, though, what transpeople go through on a daily basis.  

“Everybody makes assumptions, but that’s just how the world is. Until you clarify with people what your identity is, it’s just one of those things. In some cases, especially with the older generation, it’s my view that we can’t take it personally when they get things wrong, as that’s how they’ve been brought up.” 

She adds, “If people don’t have that prior knowledge, how can we be upset with them? Especially when it’s not always clear or when people don’t know who you are.”  

Shannon continues, “I still feel for people of course, but it’s about acceptance. For me, it’s how people respond after they know your identity. It’s really important that we talk to people about who we are rather than just shutting down because they don’t recognise us on sight – it’s about having that conversation. If you make people angry or embarrassed, they won’t want to have conversations or be willing to understand more in the future. 

“But it works both ways”, she says. “If I’m prepared to be patient with people who don’t understand the [LGBTQ+] community, then people should be patient with us – especially families. It’s so cruel when families cut people off simply because of who they are.”  

Shannon recalls that as she’s got older, she’s become more confident in herself and being open about her identity. She says, “I’m the kind of person who doesn’t tolerate disrespectful behaviour. When I was younger, it was a different story; I was worried how people would treat me. But now, if people judge me for it, I’m like, ‘Okay, bye.’ 

Shannon uses the analogy of an island: “You have an island, only some people are able to access that island. If bad people come, it’ll become ruined with pollution and other people’s mess.” 

She talks about the deeply personal experience of coming to terms with your own identity. For this reason, Shannon doesn’t like to get too bogged down with labels. She says, “I’m a lesbian, and that’s that.”  

In Shannon’s view, focusing on labels complicates being able to identify and process feelings. She says, “In school, I was so eager to pinpoint how I was feeling that I thought I’m Bi and that’s that. But no, it wasn’t until college that I realised I like girls, and from there I thought, I’m just going to like who I like rather than focusing on telling the world who I find attractive.”  

Shannon is keen to emphasise the importance of understanding and how this comes across at P3: “I’ve never felt unsafe or uncomfortable in this role because of my identity. As a workplace, we really are celebrated as ourselves.” 

Shannon reflects on the way we address LGBTQ+ issues, by standing up for what is right, we can learn from the past and help young LGBTQ+ people feel safe and accepted. As for celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month, Shannon says, “It’s a good idea, but I’ve never celebrated it. We should all learn from the past and address the present issues, regardless of whether you’re gay or not. We’re human beings, all of us – it should be present always, not just in February (History Month) or June (Pride Month). 

“Rather than talking about themes year on year, I would rather we address other issues like adoption or how people view gay families.”  

We end our conversation with Shannon sharing advice with her younger self and other young LGBTQ+ people who may be feeling confused. She says, “Just focus on yourself, keep your good friends close and don’t let people who don’t understand you have the privilege of being in your life.”  

LGBTQ+ history is living history. Thanks to people like Shannon who are sharing their stories, we can celebrate LGBTQ+ voices whilst challenging discrimination and creating spaces where everyone can belong.