We, The Architecture Lobby, stand with victims of sexual harassment and assault in school and in the workplace. We decry in no uncertain terms the use of positions of power to perpetuate abominable conduct. We ask all members of the architectural community to join us, and the many victims of harassment, in calling for fundamental change of our culture.
The issue of harassment in the workplace is not limited to any gender, employment status, or age. It has its roots in the relationship between workers and their bosses, as well as teachers and their students, in the power differential created by that relationship that allows harassment and abuse to go unchecked. For too long we have allowed the architecture profession to structurally elevate men through the devaluation of women and other precarious workers, relegating them to crucial though unrecognized and often unpaid labor. The license to abuse–actively or passively sanctioned by the profession–is founded on this structural devaluation.
The structural, systemic conditions of abuse are enabled by the complicity of supervisors, co-workers and the profession at large. To end the silence, we call for a solidarity network of firms who will not discriminate against people who have reported sexual harassment and experienced workplace retaliation, and invite firms to reach out to us to demonstrate this solidarity. We invite our colleagues to work with us to think clearly and carefully about how to support all marginalized architectural workers during this moment of reckoning. We call on firms to enforce good labor practices and to swiftly and effectively discipline those who abuse their power.
The Architecture Lobby has no position on the veracity of any accusations, but rather a firm stance against harassment and abuses of power. We seek to support those who are bravely speaking up, and those firms which respect and value their workers of all genders.