Architecture LGBT+

Homophobia is rife in the construction industry; last year the AJ published the shocking results of their survey that 59% of Architects and 83% of LGBT contractors have encountered homophobic comments at work. The same survey revealed that 30% of LGBT architects are not out at work. The LGBT charity Stonewall publishes an annual Equality Index of the 100 most inclusive firms in Britain, this year topped by MI5, and no construction or architecture firm has ever made the list. For years other professional industries have had LGBT networks and done a lot to ensure equality and inclusion such as Inter Law and Inter Banking. Recently other areas of the Construction industry are catching up, Inter Engineering has been running for the last year, Freehold and Offsite (LGBT networking for LGBT people in Construction) are thriving and Arcadis, Arup, Balfour Beatty, Laing O’Rourke, Lendlease and Skanska all had a stall at the careers fair at National Student Pride in February.