4 archi/design LGBTQ+ organizations that you should know, follow, and might as well join

We’ve spotted four LGBTQ+ organizations and initiatives supporting the creative LGBTQ+ community, by giving designers a space to share their visions and connect with each other.

On May 17th we celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

A date that highlights the violence and discrimination experienced by the LGBTQ+ community, and that commemorates the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.  

While the design field is perceived as heading in the right direction when it comes to LGBTQ+ inclusion, it still hasn’t reached its end goal.

According to the 2019 Queer Design Count, 40% of LGBTQ+ designers reported having to point out design decisions that excluded queer people. 

Design is a universal language and needs to be a safe hub for creatives to share ideas and enable talent to emerge.

1) Queer Design Club

On a mission to celebrate and promote LGBTQ+ creatives’ works and design’s role in queer activism throughout history, Queer Design Club is creating a space for queer creators to share their work through different platforms.

They are also building a Designer Directory, a list of queer-identified creators, to connect the community and increase the visibility of their work.

2) Architecture LGBT+

According to the 2017 AJ annual LGBT+ survey, 39% of architects have heard homophobic or transphobic insults in their workplace.

Architecture LGBT+ is building a safe and inclusive environment for the LGBT+ architects, from professionals to students.

It organizes seminars,  networking events, and panel discussions, and collaborates with a variety of speakers, writers, activists, agitators, and performers in the field. 

Interested to know about the works of LGBTQ+ creatives? Head to The intellectual, colorful and multifaceted work of Adam Nathaniel Furman.

3) The Queer Creative

The Queer Creative podcast is giving LGBTQ+ creatives a platform to talk about their work.

Co-hosts Renessa and Jonah engage in conversations with designers about “queer ideas, the creative process, love, struggles, and the hustle”, defining what it means to be a Queer Creative in today’s world.

4) Build Out Alliance

Build Out Alliance is on a mission to create a world where the LGBTQ+ community in the design and construction industry works openly with pride.

It aims at providing access to equal opportunities and a diverse professional network to LGBTQ+ professionals.

How can design support the LGBTQ+ community? Head to Co-working space for a more just and equitable community: The Coven + Blu Dot.

Read also The Pride Flag: a colourful history of a design icon