AIA cancels North Carolina conference over anti-LGBT law

The American Institute of Architects has pulled out of hosting a conference in Wilmington, North Carolina, in a protest against the state's new anti-LGBT law.

The AIA South Atlantic Region chapter announced on Monday that it would cancel the three-day event due to a new law that forces transgender people to use single-sex public bathrooms based on the gender on their birth certificate.

"The American Institute of Architects has a long-standing policy of supporting the promotion of human and civil rights, the universal respect for human dignity, and the unbiased treatment of all persons in employment, civic, and business transactions," said a statement on the AIA South Atlantic's website.

"Further, we support the full integration of rights for the LGBT community into our non-discrimination laws at all levels of government and recognise the right of any individual to self identify their own gender with the belief that everyone has the right to live, work and play in a built environment that is safe and secure, which includes public restrooms."

The law, House Bill 2 (HB2), was passed a month ago by North Carolina governor Pat McCory. It bans cities from establishing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) nondiscrimination rules, and prohibits transgender people from using restrooms consistent with their gender identity in public buildings.

The law has sparked an economic backlash and a growing protest movement. More than 100 corporations have expressed severe concern over HB2 in an open letter to McCrory.

AIA South Atlantic said: "Due to the climate of exclusion created in the state of North Carolina by HB 2, and in light of the recent Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on the provision of equal access to restrooms for all students, we join the growing chorus of citizens and entities and call for the judicious and timely repeal of HB 2 in North Carolina as soon as the General Assembly convenes this week."

AIA South Atlantic represents over 5,100 architects in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The conference, planned for this autumn, was due to be attended by 500 people from surrounding states.

Architecture news: AIA conference cancelled over LGBT law in North Carolina — Last year, New York's MoMA added the Rainbow Flag – the widely recognised symbol for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities – to its design collection

Moving the conference will cost the state almost $1 million (£ 685,000), according to local news source WECT.

"For the area, it's a piece of business that we are losing, so that's never good news, but it's a potential that we could find something to fit in the hole," said John Sneed, vice president of sales and services for the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"It does support our tourism industry here," Sneed said. "The more events we have in, of course, the more people the hotels can employ."

A number of musicians, including Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr and Pearl Jam, have refused to be involved with events in North Carolina since the motion was put into force.

The North Carolina governor has said that reasons for imposing the law include fear that sexual predators would pretend to be transgender to prey on targets.

"House Bill 2, which in a single day became law, was portrayed as protection for the safety of women and children in our public restrooms and schools," said AIA South Atlantic, "when in fact, the concern for safety which everyone shares, should have been a component of a comprehensive, thoughtful work of legislation that took into consideration the rights and needs of everyone."

Calls to repeal the law have resulted in a petition with over 180,000 signatures, but so far the state's legislators have remained steadfast.

Bill Simpson

Hmmm, I wonder if the AIA take that “long-standing” position in all instances of “human and civil rights, the universal respect for human dignity, and the unbiased treatment of all persons in employment, civic, and business transactions…”? Or do they just pick and choose?

http://www.dezeen.com/2014/05/16/aia-wades-in-to-riba-boycott-row-over-israeli-architects/

Lance Brown, president of the American Institute of Architects’ New York chapter, has also stepped into the escalating row, describing RIBA’s move to isolate the Israeli Association of United Architects (IAUI) as “deeply troubling”:

“…it is completely antithetical to the spirit and intent of the UIA to expel a member organisation because of the actions of its local government.” Interesting. I wonder if local government also reflects State Governance?

Bill.
- davvid
  
  Would you prefer that the AIA not protest HB2 for the sake of consistency? Stop being selfish. Not every political gesture will be about your issue.
Leo

I don’t know if AIA just pick and choose, but I am happy they chose this one.
- Concerned Citizen
  
  Then you just don’t understand the issue at all.
  - bepanthen
    
    But you do understand the issue…
  - Leo
    
    You are absolutely right. I still have not figured out why some people are against their position on this matter.
  - J
    
    What’s your understanding of the issue? Are you for the law?
Chris

Bill Simpson is right, it’s easy to take a stand about these dumb Christians but I doubt they would turn down building the next Burj Dubai.
- TFO
  
  Remember that this is the regional division of the AIA. They have limited (or no) ability as a group to take a stand internationally.
  - Chris
    
    Understood. The people who complain about this rarely complain about gays being thrown off buildings in Iraq and Syria. When we get that fixed then I’ll start worrying about first-world bathroom problems.
    - TFO
      
      Wish it could be a both/and rather than an either/or. Perhaps if Dezeen is willing to report on the AIA’s actions in Nawth Cackalacky, then they might be willing to do more equitable reporting for those in Iraq and Syria? Or have they been and my white, hetero-maleness has turned a blind eye yet again?
Concerned Citizen

The AIA only wants dignity for those it selects; to hell with the majority of the world. And in its pitiful attempt at “inclusion” it excludes an entire state. What hypocrites, like all liberals.
- davvid
  
  Don’t you get tired of being wrong all the time?
  - Concerned Citizen
    
    Don’t you get tired of trolling?
    - J
      
      Tell us what you think of the law and this protest.
- Gregory Walker
  
  AIA NC led the request to move the conference out. I can’t speak to the rest of the issues in the world, but there is a very real concern from both parties that a prolonged backlash will hurt the state’s image for a long time.
  
  There’s not a lot of good options to get the legislature’s attention. Finally, see my comment below about the actual law – it’s not just about dignity to a small group – it would prohibit anyone from having their say in court on issues of discrimination.
  
  If you were to fire someone because they were a woman, there’s no way to sue in state court. Fired because you were Christian? No way to sue in state court. To me personally (not speaking for AIA), that’s all about justice and fairness, something that their legislature cannot seem to grasp.
Gregory Walker

As a member of the AIA leadership who was a part of the decision, I’d like to ask you correct a few inaccuracies. First, the conference has not been “canceled”. One news outlet incorrectly made that assumption. Our actual statement is correct in that the conference will be relocated from Wilmington. We will have our announcement as to the location very shortly.

Secondly, we had hoped to have the NC Legislature reconsider the law in light of the response of the voters of that state, as well as organisations like the AIA. If they had repealed the law, we would have stayed in Wilmington.

Lastly, the bathroom choice issue is the least troubling aspect of the law – it’s the ability to outright discriminate against members of the LGBT community with seeming impunity. The law strips out seeking recourse through the state courts for issues of discrimination, instead forcing someone to go through the federal courts (vastly different). Our Code of Ethics, as stated, clearly calls for our organisation to represent the best aspects of openness, diversity, and inclusivity. What made this different is that, frankly, yes we have not always done the best job taking a stand in the past. We’re working to improve.

This was not an easy or lightly taken position by our group (AIA South Atlantic Region, which is composed of AIA Georgia, AIA South Carolina, AIA North Carolina). We did consult with our national organisation but the decision ultimately rests with our group.

We welcome your input, but if Dezeen can clarify those issues above in the article (especially the part about it being cancelled), I would appreciate it.

Best,

Gregory Walker
AIA Georgia Past President 2016
- Concerned Citizen
  
  So you promote “best aspects of openness, diversity, and inclusivity,” by closed-mindedness, singularity and excluding venues? You must be proud of yourselves, thinking you have have your cake and eat it, too.
Naija 007

The AIA proved that it is a hypocrite, just like Nike and other organisations like it. There are countries that execute homosexuals; why cant AIA ask all its members not to do business there? Oh they get thousands of projects from them, just enough to keep their mouth shut.
Colonel Pancake

The AIA should spend less time injecting itself into political pet causes and more time fixing the heaping pile of sh*t that is American contemporary architecture.
gema

I can’t accept that. Do they cancel their buildings in Islamic countries for the same reason? The shame on them. I’ve unfollowed them from my social medias, not nuclear news but my contribution to this political-correctness pest.
J

Good decision and worthy action. I congratulate them on making this stand.
TFO

Reading the thread of comments, the largest gap in understanding is that this was a decision made by a regional division of a national organisation.

These three states, with the combined population of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, are not empowered to make declarations or take international action. The burden to somehow hold them up to a higher ideology is not only unjustified, but also a damn slippery slope.
Laura Ryerson

As most likely the only transgender architect commenting on this article I’d like to say I support the AIA’s decision to cancel their event in North Carolina.

As designers we aim to create spaces that are comfortable and fit the needs of people from all walks of life; I see this bill as a threat to that very ideal. We should not be excluding specific groups of men and women from comfort (and frankly safety) based on their identity, it is simply unethical.