Innovation Summer 2026

As a junior engineer at the time, isolated in geography and hierarchy, she did not feel able or obligated to educate him. “I felt backed into a corner,” she said. “That person didn’t even really realize that that situation was happening as it was.” With more experience, Mackay said her response today would be different, though still measured. “I wouldn’t have been like, ‘Hey, I’m gay, don’t say that,’” she said. Instead, she would focus on the language itself. “I probably would have had a little bit more confidence to be like, ‘Hey, just so you know, you shouldn’t say that word anymore. A lot of people take offense to that word.” The burden of managing another person’s learning, she added, is not something she believes she and professionals who are queer should be expected to carry. “That weight of having to manage his emotions and his learning about this, I didn’t necessarily want to bear and I didn’t really think I needed to do so,” Mackay said. Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s Professional Practice Guidelines – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion , suggest registrants be mindful not to burden equity deserving people, such as those who are queer (an umbrella term to include diverse identities), to be the source of their education and to respect the dignity and privacy of their co-workers. In a supportive environment with the right approach, conversations may be more approachable. Dori Kingston (she/her), EIT, an automation engineer with Dometic Marine Canada who is transgender, said that she is an open book to her colleagues if they come to her with curiosity. “I’m happy to have conversations with people when the intent is positive and supportive,” she said. “If you’re asking ‘What do you think of trans women being able to compete with women in sports?’ I don’t really want to have that conversation because the framing of that question is going to turn into an argument. “But if you’re asking ‘Do you think that there are advantages to being a trans person in sport?’ or ‘I’m not really familiar with what transition entails and I don’t really understand how that would contribute to sports?’ then it would be a conversation I’d be a lot more willing to have.” Culture matters more than courage During a panel discussion at this year’s EngiQueers conference – which supports Canadian engineering students who are queer – Kingston was asked by an engineering student how engineers who are queer can show up authentically at work while remaining professional. “I just let my work speak for itself,” Kingston said. “I just show up. I don’t really put too much thought into it.

Lorry Mackay, EIT

Dori Kingston, EIT

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Summer 2026 Innovation