It’s nice not being the only big gay architect.
Three years ago, I was approached about contributing to a collection of essays by queer architects. Not something I would have imagined happening when I started my career. Yet there I was, not only writing but also reading essays and learning about other architects’ challenges and triumphs as they navigated what was not always a welcoming profession.
Surprisingly, I was one in a cohort of twenty-four who willingly put pen to paper and agreed to have our stories out in the public realm with our names attached. For so long, I had felt like the only gay architect, and while I had met a few others, the experience was eye-opening. Who knew there were this many queer architects?
Yet as work on Out in Architecture moved forward in 2023, more and more names floated to the surface as potential contributors. We all knew one or two people (or more) who might be ready to make their voices heard. If not in this first volume, then in the second or third or fourth. (And yes, we were having those conversations before the first volume launched.)
What had felt for so long like an isolated existence wasn’t true. Turns out, queer architects were everywhere. We had somehow created a very silent network across the country, even if we didn’t realize it at the time. Had we known prior to contributing to the book, we could have played a few rounds of “Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon” and realized we were all connected in one manner or another. We may not have met, but we likely knew one another’s names.
Now here we are, with essays for Volume 2 in progress and a lot more names. People I haven’t met or heard of but am getting to know through their stories. A student I met two years ago. A few small firm owners. Every age, race, and gender spread across the country.
Somehow queer architects have reached a point where we want our voices to be heard. Maybe as a byproduct of the current political environment. Hate can be a strong motivator when it’s pointed at you. And while the original creators and editors had a list of contacts from volume 1, I am curious how much that grew in the last year.
Yet at the same time, I think queer architects want to contribute to the conversations happening around equity, diversity, and inclusion in the profession. For too long, we found ourselves left out of the discussion at the national level. Being part of the book was and is a great way to lend a voice to that discourse.
Not to mention that there’s something fun about being part of a bigger picture. To at some point turn and say “I did this.” Even though you were scared, or had never written more than a thesis paper, or had never shared your experiences. Contributing means there is a piece of you for future queer architects to reference when they’re having their own challenges.
Plus I love knowing I’m not the only big gay architect. I mean I am The Big Gay Architect. But there’s something comforting to know there are other big gay, lesbian, non-binary, asexual, gender fluid, and queer architects. And that they all have stories to tell.
