Square Enix Pride 2024: Meet the team

The month of June is an opportunity to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and reinforce the importance of an inclusive and supportive culture - both within the games industry and beyond. After all, everyone has the right to feel valued, respected and loved for who they are.

That’s true of the video game industry as much as any other, and here at Square Enix we’re blessed to have a diverse team of different sexualities and gender identities. To celebrate Pride, we asked some of them to share their own personal messages of what Pride means to them, the importance of greater inclusivity and diversity, and what can be done to make the industry - and world as a whole - a more welcoming place.

So, without further ado, let us introduce…

Minjoo (Associate Manager, Sales Operations)

• Pronouns: She/They

Please tell us a little about who you are and how you got your start at Square Enix

My name is Minjoo and I’m an Associate Manager of Sales Operations at Square Enix America! I’m part of the team that manages and executes the production and launch of Square Enix’s physical video games.

Though I’ve been playing video games for as long as I can remember, it was after six years in a different industry that I realized I wanted to pursue a career in games and entertainment and work on projects I’m most passionate about.

Admittedly, I had a lot of fears about uncertainties to overcome, but I haven’t looked back since joining Square Enix in 2022!

Who’s your favorite LGBTQ+ character from a video game or piece of media?

Dion Lesage from FINAL FANTASY XVI. I think he’s a wonderful representation of the kind of queer characters I’d like to see more of in media because he’s multifaceted in a way that makes him remarkably human.

Without revealing any spoilers, he’s a character who isn’t reduced to only one aspect of his identity just for the sake of representation and inclusion. His relationships to other characters and journey throughout the entirety of story makes him a complex character and I think that’s important to see in queer representation.

On top of it all, Dion is also the Dominant of Bahamut so that makes him extra cool.

What are some ways that we can make LGBTQ+ spaces more inclusive and welcoming for all members of the community?

I think it’s incredibly important to learn the concept of intersectionality and remember that no two people share the same journey. The LGBTQIA+ community especially is founded on the idea of inclusion, so we need to embrace our differences and welcome diversity.

When we can recognize that we all come from different circumstances and backgrounds, it becomes much easier to empathize with each other and be more welcoming and understanding of the members of our community.

Do you feel that allyship is important to the LGBTQ+ community? If so, how?

Definitely. Allyship is extremely important to the LGBTQIA+ community.

It shows your empathy for marginalized communities that you may not even necessarily identify with, and it promotes equality in all spaces including the workplace. Allyship shows support and inclusivity of not only queer folks, but all those around you.

If you aren’t sure where to begin with showing your support, starting off with something as small as asking someone for their preferred pronouns is a great first step. However, I also like to encourage and challenge allies to show up in other meaningful and proactive ways such as amplifying LGBTQIA+ voices, asking questions and opting to learn more about our community, or even charity and volunteer work.

If you could give your past self a piece of advice, what would it be?

Everything will work out and all the problems you’re facing now are temporary. Despite everything, you are one of the most resilient people you know, and your efforts will result only in positive outcomes.

Michael Clift (QA Tester, Quality Assurance)

• Pronouns: He/They

Please tell us a little about who you are and how you got your start at Square Enix

I’m Mikey, a non-binary traditional and digital artist!

I love mixed media and pushing the limits with traditional art. Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to work in the gaming industry. I was drawn to Square Enix specifically because of my love for DRAGON QUEST games.

Who’s your favorite LGBTQ+ character from a video game or piece of media?

ANY of the characters from the Hades series, though Zagreus holds a special place in my heart.

The game is such a beautiful representation of the community in both characters and relationships. Including the story of Achilles and Patroclus was an amazing choice and being able to romance characters of other genders really pushed the game to a top favorite for me.

How do you think media representation of the LGBTQ+ community has evolved over the years?

I feel that LGBTQ+ representation in media has really blossomed over the years. It has become such an inviting media platform for creators (and consumers!) to explore themselves with characters, whether it be through movies, TV shows, or video games.

As time goes on, and more people are exposed to the diversity of our community, it feels as though there is now a blanket of acceptance laid out over us. There’s still room for improvement and plenty of time for further progress, but even baby steps are in the right direction to proper representation.

What can be done to make LGBTQ+ spaces more inclusive and welcoming for all members of the community?

I think it’s important to remember that there are still those of us that do not feel safe enough to come out to everyone around them.

We need to be there for our loved ones who are seeking a safe space to be themselves, supporting and caring for those who aren’t as outwardly spoken as other members who have had time to sit and truly learn comfort in their own skin and identity.

We should only ever have open arms for our baby gays and theys and help them navigate through such a large community.

If you could give your past self a piece of advice, what would it be?

It’s okay to not know who you are at first. You have your whole life to figure out what feels right to you.

There’s no point in making yourself uncomfortable with this label or that label when it no longer speaks to your identity. I am not the person I was ten years ago, and I will not be the person I am ten years from now. And that is okay! People are constantly changing, and so too will their identity.

Chill out and enjoy the ride that is learning to love yourself!

Izzy Jagan (PR Manager)

• Pronouns: She/Her

Please tell us a little about who you are and how did you get your start at Square Enix?

I’m Izzy! I’m a Global PR Manager for Life is Strange on the Square Enix External Studios team - and I also cover PR for PowerWash Simulator and other Square Enix Collective titles!

I got started in games PR fresh and unawares out of uni. I’ve worked at several PR agencies until I landed here in what I consider to be my dream role!

What are some of your personal goals that you would like to achieve this year?

I’ve always had a strong belief that you can make an impact in even the smallest ways, so my goal is to exemplify myself as someone who says that someone who looks like me can succeed in this industry. I didn’t have many POC or queer role models to look up to at the beginning of my career!

Who’s your favorite LGBTQ+ character from a video game or piece of media?

I’m going to be extremely biased and predictable and say Alex from Life is Strange: True Colors. She’s one of the first WOC queer characters I know of in video games, and I was so honored to have played a part in the game that allowed her to exist!

How do you think media representation of the LGBTQ+ community has evolved over the years?

We’ve come far for sure but there’s always still further to go - for example, positive representation of trans/nonbinary people is still hard to come by.

It can be exhausting feeling like as queer people, we carry the weight of fighting for our own representation, but I think it definitely helps to see how far we’ve come from where we were even 5 or 10 years ago!

What does Pride mean to you?

Pride means lifting others up, not just focusing on your own liberation. It is about using the tools that we may have that others do not, in order to fight against the systemic and institutionalized oppression that impacts us all.

What can be done to make LGBTQ+ spaces more inclusive and welcoming for all members of the community?

Small things, like making sure that all staff in those spaces are correctly trained in inclusivity and sensitivity towards all identities. Also listening to a wide range of LGBTQ+ people at all stages of creating those spaces, not just including a token voice in the room.

What can be done to better support and uplift LGBTQ+ individuals who may face additional challenges?

We can share our empathy and internalize the fact that just because we do not necessarily understand someone else’s struggle, that it does not make that struggle less valid or less important. We can listen, and really hear.

Can you share a personal story about a time when you felt empowered or supported by the LGBTQ+ community?

I am thankful for always having a tight network within the games industry. I did get the opportunity to accept an LGBTQ+ focused award for Life is Strange: True Colors on stage a few years ago, which was a humbling experience. To see the impact of something I had a small part in was just extremely fulfilling - and being able to express that to a room full of my peers was such an invaluable experience.

If you could give your past self a piece of advice, what would it be?

Stop apologizing! I think it’s hard to internalize as a queer woman of colour that I am allowed to take up space sometimes, but I’m where I am for a reason - because my voice matters and is valuable to those around me.

Do you feel that allyship is important to the LGBTQ+ community? If so, how?

Absolutely. There are certain societal tools that privilege gives you, and it is necessary and vital to use those tools in order to help others who may be disempowered in that regard. It is a measure of a society how we uplift and support those who may have less than us.

Jamie Londonio (QA Contract Tester)

• Pronouns: They/Them

Please tell us a little about who you are and how you got your start at Square Enix

Hello! I’m Jamie, a non-binary Filipino. My pronouns are they/them. My childhood love for reading, writing, and video games led me here.

Who’s your favorite LGBTQ+ character from a video game or piece of media?

One of my favorite queer characters from a video game is Michel Bollinger from “The House of Fata Morgana”. Although he goes through many hardships in game, he has learned to accept himself as a trans man with the help of his romantic partner. Michel being true to himself really resonated with me on a personal level.

Also, special shoutouts to all the vampires from Interview with the Vampire and What We Do in the Shadows. And Frankie Stein from Monster High. And Testament from Guilty Gear, Marina from Fear and Hunger…

How do you think media representation of the LGBTQ+ community has evolved over the years?

It’s very refreshing to see more queer characters and people more widely accepted and respected in modern media. I see them and go “Oh, someone I can relate to and root for!”.

I think that it’s also neat to see the younger generation given a more positive influence as well. I’ve seen many younger people be more comfortable with themselves in how they express themselves.

What does Pride mean to you?

Pride to me means that you should be proud of your uniqueness, differing from what is the typical “norm”. You really are the only one who knows you best - so be yourself, loud and proud!

What can be done to make LGBTQ+ spaces more inclusive and welcoming for all members of the community?

Treat everyone like a friend, but respect everyone’s boundaries. Not everyone will be okay with certain things, even if it seems harmless. Let the person tell their own story, do not speak it for them.

If you could give your past self a piece of advice, what would it be?

You can be anything you want, really. In the end, what truly matters is that you feel happy. Also, black lipstick is the key to what’s missing in your makeup.

Chris Samillano (Assistant Manager, Sales Administration)

• Pronouns: He/Him

Please tell us a little about who you are and how you got your start at Square Enix

Heya! My name is Chris Samillano, he/him pronouns, and I identify as trans and pansexual.

I’m an avid fan of horror, video games, tabletop RPGs (let’s go Dimension 20!), and art, and since I was young it was always a dream of mine to work in the game industry. I used to work at a GameStop store, where a former employee of Square Enix once visited and let me know about a job opportunity.

While I didn’t think much would come out of it at the time, I applied and added him as a reference - and now I’ve been working here for close to six years!

What are some of your personal goals that you would like to achieve this year?

To be honest, I’d like to try being braver about my identity. While I’m pretty out and proud in the online spaces I frequent, it’s always been a little daunting to come out to friends and family.

Not that there is a “timeline” to ever come out, but there is a sense of freedom and comfort to doing so that I am hoping to achieve, this year and however much time it takes.

Who’s your favorite LGBTQ+ character from a video game or piece of media?

My favorite queer characters from games are Kaine from Nier (original and Replicant) and Kim Kitsuragi from Disco Elysium.

Kaine because she is canonically intersex, which is representation you hardly see ever in media, and Kim because while he’s proud of his identity as a gay man, that doesn’t define his character or his role in the story.

How do you think media representation of the LGBTQ+ community has evolved over the years?

It’s certainly grown over the years, especially in the film, TV, and streaming space, though it could definitely see some improvement in the games and animation space.

That being said, it has had a humongous impact on the community as a whole. For young and old generations, seeing representation of different intersectional LGBTQ+ characters in media leads to more self-reflection, acceptance, and allyship.

I have personally spoken to older friends who have confessed to question things about their personal identity after watching shows like Our Flag Means Death.

What does Pride mean to you?

Pride, for me and for others I’m sure, is all-year round. Whether you’re fully out, or closeted, or somewhere in between, Pride has always been a community safe haven to explore identities and sexualities without fear.

What can be done to make LGBTQ+ spaces more inclusive and welcoming for all members of the community?

I think we should lift up intersectional groups more and give them a voice, as it gives us all a chance to explore how these groups struggle and thrive in similar and different ways to others under the LGBTQ+ umbrella.

For example, we should lift up people of different races who identify as LGBTQ+, such as BIPOC queers who often feel pressures from people of their own racial community for identifying as queer. Or transfolk expressing certain sexualities, such as transmasc identifying as gay, transfemmes identifying as lesbian, even nonbinary folk identifying as a certain sexuality is not often spoken about in positive and welcoming lights.

We should change that.

What can be done to better support and uplift LGBTQ+ individuals who may face additional challenges?

I think one of the topics that often doesn’t get addressed is the idea that coming out is the end-all-be-all ideal of the LGBTQ+ community. There are a lot of narratives in media that regards coming out as a sign that you’ve “made it” as a proper member of the community. But it’s not that black and white.

Some people never come out to their family, or they do not come out professionally even though they are fully out in their personal lives. For some, it may not even be possible to come out because it’s considered illegal in the country they live in.

I think inviting narratives that being closeted is also valid is really important, and we need to make spaces (particularly online, where there’s some degree of anonymity) for that too.

If you could give your past self a piece of advice, what would it be?

Question yourself more. Don’t feel like you need to tamp down feelings that you think might be wrong. But when you do, forgive yourself.

We have been brought up in a society and climate that has trained us to believe we are a minority, or that we are abnormal, and it takes time to unlearn that.

Anthony Deldycke-Bossaert (Online QA Tester - French)

• Pronouns: He/Him

Please tell us a little about who you are and how did you get your start at Square Enix?

I’m Anthony, a French Online QA Tester at Square Enix for almost 4 years. I’ve been exposed to FINAL FANTASY as long as I can remember (with my first PS1 game being FINAL FANTASY IX).

I moved to London a few years back, during one of the lockdowns semi reopening and before another one and managed to get this position as soon as I arrived here. It was a definite highlight of an otherwise very uncertain time.

How do you think media representation of the LGBTQ+ community has evolved over the years?

Queer characters have appeared more frequently in media representations throughout the years. Celebrities come out as queers (be it sexual orientation or gender fluidity) and other media forms are very more likely to include queer representations.

Though there also appears to have been a fair amount of backlash on social media with resurgences of hate speech, I mostly hope the main impact has been/is for future generations to feel safer in the discovery of their identities, knowing that being queer is entirely valid and nothing to be ashamed of.

What can be done to better support and uplift LGBTQ+ individuals who may face additional challenges?

Communication is key in every situation. And communication does not have to involve active conversation on both sides. Sometimes being an active listener can be enough to help someone facing challenges and it is only through paying attention to what they are saying that we can provide them with support.

This active listener role also comes with a responsibility of being able to admit your shortcomings and refer them to professional or charities that would be able to better help them.

If you could give your past self a piece of advice, what would it be?

Avoid rushing blindly as much as I did. Impulse decisions can have worse consequences than yet another frog tattoo or an ocarina that you will never learn how to play and taking some distance to weigh pros and cons can always be helpful (as well as seeking opinions from trusted close ones.)

I’m not saying to avoid them entirely, just to know when to not blindly follow your guts on a whim (and let’s face it both frog and ocarina shall never be regretted!).

Do you feel that allyship is important to the LGBTQ+ community? If so, how?

I am more concerned as to why allyship wouldn't be important to the community (at all?) If anything, LGBTQ+ people are still a minority in most cases and not always accepted. Though a lot of us have managed to surround ourselves with support groups that are also queer, the truth is that you still have people being discriminated against very severely for their sexuality or their gender.

Allyship appears more important than ever, helping in allowing people to safely discover and navigate their identities while being supported in safe environments.

Many thanks to Minjoo, Michael, Izzy, Jamie, Chris, and Anthony for their insights.

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