In 2025, Pride isn’t just a celebration, it’s also a call to action.
This year alone, over 600 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in the United States. These bills attack the right to healthcare, to teach queer history, to move through public space safely, and to live openly. They target trans kids, queer families, drag performers, teachers, educators, and community spaces. They are designed to isolate, erase, and intimidate, and they are gaining ground quickly.
Map of Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills Per State by ACLU
At RIOS, standing up for LGBTQ+ rights has always mattered.
Now, with our communities under threat, our pride must be seen, heard, and felt with greater urgency and conviction than ever before.
Here’s something many people don’t realize when they first come to RIOS: the firm is LGBTQ+ owned—not just in spirit, but structurally. 71% of the firm’s leadership identifies as LGBTQ+. That’s rare, both in our industry and beyond. Most people don’t join RIOS because of that fact, but once they arrive, they can immediately envision themselves as a part of our inclusive community. There’s something different in the way people show up and express themselves, in the kinds of ideas that are welcomed, and in the sense of ease and authenticity that defines our culture.
At RIOS, we’re encouraged to be fully ourselves, knowing that there’s room here for subversion and creativity. We can pitch the weird idea, wear the goofy patterned shirt, and design for joy and liberation, not just function.
Being LGBTQ+ owned doesn’t just mean putting up a rainbow in June. It means being proud— every month, on every project, in every conversation. It means designing gender-inclusive spaces, championing diverse teams, mentoring students from underrepresented backgrounds, and naming what’s happening in the world, even when it’s uncomfortable.
As a firm that is home to many out designers, we owe it to our community to follow through. Visibility is not the finish line. We carry a responsibility to fight for LGBTQ+ rights, to champion ideas that others might dismiss as too radical, and to design with care, courage, and purpose.
Pride Celebration at RIOS' Los Angeles Office
RIOS' commitment to Pride is more than words— it's reflected in the work we do.
Our values are embedded in projects like West Hollywood Park, where an AIDS memorial sits alongside queer public art, a civic library, and a public open space that hosts Pride. It’s a given that queer designers at RIOS do not have to fight to be seen; we are seen because we are here.
West Hollywood Park Designed by RIOS
Pride 2024 at West Hollywood Park. Photo provided courtesy of the City of West Hollywood. Photo credit: Jon Viscott
Our pride also shows up in everyday conversations. Every time one of us mentions a same-sex partner in a meeting, we come out all over again. Visibility in the workplace is still a political act, no matter how radically accepting the world becomes. Being out at work invites our coworkers and clients to see the world through different experiences, values, and forms of connection.
Design is not separate from the world—it decides who is welcomed and who is ignored. As queer designers, we bring an understanding of care, complexity, and resistance that this moment demands. We build spaces that say, regardless of your orientation: You are safe here, you are welcome, and you belong.
We are not just proud this June, we’re present, we’re paying attention, and we’re designing with the urgency our LGBTQ+ community deserves. RIOS’ commitment doesn’t end when Pride Month does. We will always stand for LGBTQ+ rights, and we urge our broader community to do the same today, and everyday.
Cowritten by RIOS Studio Director John Pearson and Designer II Hailey Algoe.
