Kicking off a month of fundraising efforts through social and educational events, KPF Pride, the firm’s LGBTQIA+ community group, organized mission-driven celebrations throughout the month of June.
The fifth annual KPF Pride Logo Competition, hosted by the firm’s LGBTQIA+ community group, began with a call to employees to submit designs that would be voted on firm-wide, with the winning design printed on commemorative pins. The competition began as a way to help express the firm’s commitment to inclusivity, fostering a community that encourages all to work openly with pride. Each year, the proceeds from the purchase of the pins goes to a deserving foundation. This year, given ongoing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation taking hold in the US and around the world, in particular aimed at transgender and queer youth, proceeds are going to the Ali Forney Center and the Mosaic Trust.
The 2023 Competition winner Esteban Segovia Rocha, an Architectural Designer in the New York office, said “I am truly happy and proud to be part of this celebration. What the KPF Pride team is doing is amazing. Let’s continue celebrating diversity!”
The New York office held a Pride kick-off Happy Hour on June 1st, complete with festive snacks and beverages. Ali Forney Center representatives Paul Clark, Director of Corporate & Community Relations, and Steve Cruz, Strategic Giving Manager, attended the event to speak about the organization’s mission of protecting young unhoused LGBTQIA+ people, empowering them with the tools they need to live independently.
Throughout the month, the New York office gallery displays colorful 3-D printed models of the firm’s iconic towers, created by members of the KPF Makerspace team and the KPF Pride community. The installation is inspired by the Progress Pride Flag, which updates the Traditional Pride Flag with stripes to represent the Trans community, communities of color, and is a nod to those lost during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s and 1990s. Learn more about the different LGBTQ+ Pride Flags here.
KPF is an annual supporter of the Build Out Alliance, which promotes and advocates for the LGBTQIA+ community within the building design and construction industry. The organization hosts events each Pride month and throughout the year. View the calendar here.
About KPF Pride
Comprised of a cross section of the KPF community, KPF Pride works together to raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues within the firm in ways that inform design thinking. The group meets regularly to discuss topics related to inclusivity in design and organizes educational tours and outings, schedules guest speakers and panel discussions, and hosts charitable social events within the office.