Pride by Design is building a community for LGBTQIA+ architects

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[["images-card",{"images":[{"url":"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dpcbzfiye\/image\/upload\/v1687878577\/rvrecwwzg2mfvxmnfing.jpg","id":"6642291"}],"caption":"AIA Georgia\u0027s LGBTQIA+ Alliance\u2019s first pride month celebration. "}]],"markups":[["a",["href","https:\/\/www.pridebydesign.org\/"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.equitybywield.com\/"]],["strong"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/pridexdesign"]],["a",["href","mailto:hello@pridebydesign.org"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Amplifying the visibility of LGBTQIA+ architects is one of the\nkey goals of "],[0,[0],1,"Pride by Design"],[0,[],0,", a\nwebsite and blog founded by Sarah Nelson-Woynicz, AIA. But as she began working\non the initiative in earnest, she quickly realized the need for loftier\nambitions. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"According to their website, Pride by Design \u201cbegan as a\nguest storyteller on the "],[0,[1],1,"AIA DC WIELD\nCommittee, Equity by WIELD website"],[0,[],0,", as an avenue to amplifying and bringing\nvisibility to the stories, experiences, and work of LGBTQIA+ architects,\narchitecture adjacent professionals, and those impacting and creating places\nand spaces in the built environment.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Last year, Nelson-Woynicz committed to writing ten stories\nor blogs through the Equity by WIELD platform but soon recognized a need for an\nexpanded scope. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cI\u2019m really looking to dig into and understand how Pride by\nDesign can move from not just a blog, but into an organization that can provide\nan avenue for community and connection,\u201d she said. \u201cWe also want to be able to\nprovide guidance for firms and other organizations on what they can do as it\nrelates to design and business practices.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"While Pride By Design hasn\u2019t hosted any events on their own yet,\nthey\u2019ve participated in or helped organize a number of LGBTQIA+ design\nprofessional gatherings in Atlanta, Dallas, and Spokane."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The first event organized specifically by Pride by Design is\non the schedule in October for the Pride Parade in Atlanta, Nelson-Woynicz\u2019s\nhometown. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Nelson-Woynicz believes an entity\nthat centers LGBTQIA+ voices like Pride by Design needs to exist \u201cbecause it\ndoesn\u2019t right now on a national scale.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people whose\nvisibility and practice hasn\u2019t been acknowledged,\u201d she said. \u201cHistorically if you\nlook back on how architects and design professionals are represented in history,\nin academia, and in any kind of publications, queer design professional\nvisibility just isn\u2019t there.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"She also hopes to help raise\nawareness to the work of other\u2019s who are creating design best practices for\nthings like gender affirming spaces. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThere\u2019s a growing body of work\nbeing created, but when it really digs down into queer design and designing for\nthe queer community or designing spaces that can be fluid - that just doesn\u0027t\nexist, it\u0027s not there,\u201d said Nelson-Woynicz. "]]],[10,0],[1,"p",[[0,[2],1,"Response and\nAccomplishments "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Nelson-Woynicz says that Pride by Design has received an\n\u201coverwhelmingly incredible response\u201d thus far, and has appreciated the\nopportunity to connect with individuals and firms to understand what they\u2019re\ndoing on a grassroots level. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cIt\u2019s been reassuring and motivating, but at the same time I\nfeel like things aren\u2019t moving fast enough,\u201d she said. \u201cBut talking with folks\nwho are working within their own sphere of influence and want to build a\ncommunity in a broader scale has been rewarding. There really seems to be a\ndesire for this.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Still in its infancy, Pride by Design\u2019s biggest tangible\naccomplishment thus far is the construction and maintenance of their website. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Currently arranged into three pillars, the Pride By Design\nwebsite highlights \u201cvoices,\u201d \u201ccommunity,\u201d and \u201cresources.\u201d The voices section\nfeatures interviews with LGBTQIA+ architects on a variety of subjects including\nnavigating one\u2019s identity in the workplace, the lived experiences of trans,\nnonbinary, gender nonconforming architects, mentorship, and much more. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The community section provides a list of local groups for queer\narchitects to connect and build alliances. The website currently lists local\norganizations in California, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, and\nTexas with more to come. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The resources page provides a \u201cbaseline of resources and\nunderstanding curated and shared largely from a place of personal experience.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"This includes a list of relevant podcasts, publications, and\nvarious other pages that dissect relevant topics such as talking about pronouns\nin the workplace. These resources are designed for architects, but also for\nfirms and businesses to provide \u201ctransformation in workplace, in policy, and in\nplaces and spaces.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Additionally, "],[0,[3],1,"the Pride by Design Instagram\npage"],[0,[],0," is often updated."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[2],1,"Becoming an\narchitect"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Currently a Project Architect with HKS, Inc, Nelson-Woynicz\ndidn\u2019t know architecture was her calling until she was already in school. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cI had a desire for creativity and always enjoyed building\nthings,\u201d she said. \u201cI think the first realization that I knew I wanted to be in\narchitecture was that I walked into different spaces and knew that depending on\nwhere I was, or whatever the space was, that I started to feel differently.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"After a summer internship at a small design build firm, she\nknew unequivocally that this was the path for her. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cI had the opportunity to not only in an office doing design\nrelated things but also to go on to job sites and actually be fabricating. I\ndemo\u2019ed metal studs, installed cabinetry, and worked on site work and grading,\nyou name it. It was amazing to actually be fabricating and creating, while also\nseeing the design side of things,\u201d she said. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"It was also the first time that she went to networking\nevents and met \u201cout, open and visible\u201d queer architects. As Nelson-Woynicz has\nevolved and grown into her career, she finds herself inspired by her peers and\ndescribes her role models and mentors as \u201cthe people I\u2019m surrounded by every\nday.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Nelson-Woynicz is one of eight members on AIA\u2019s Young\nArchitects Forum Advisory Committee, and she calls the other seven members some\nof her biggest advocates and supporters."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThey\u2019re the adjacent role models, the people I\u2019m walking\nthrough the profession with. They\u2019re a sounding board and I couldn\u2019t do so many\nthings without them,\u201d she said. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[2],1,"Big picture"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Ultimately \u201cthe big, aspirational goal\u201d for Pride by Design\nis \u201cmoving the profession to a place where the queer community within\narchitecture aren\u2019t being othered,\u201d said Nelson-Woynicz. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cI hope for a day where I am not the first queer architect\npeople meet. I don\u2019t want to sit there and hold my breath when I say I have a\nwife and wonder what the reception is going to be,\u201d she added. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"She also envisions Pride by Design as an entity with the\nability to advocate for a specific group inside the architecture profession. \u201cWe\nwant to influence clients, building codes, or best practices for how to design\na space and make it as equitable and inclusive as possible.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"To get involved with Pride by Design, email "],[0,[4],1,"hello@pridebydesign.org"],[0,[],0,". "]]]]}