Nyasha is passionate, energetic, and thought-provoking. Her session on ‘Reference Man’ is impactful in encouraging us to challenge the existing norms of engagement and design, and it provides some practical examples of how to improve the spaces we design to be more inclusive and welcoming. She is a thought leader and an inspiration.” – Charles Marshall, Partner, DIALOG
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Pride Talks 2026 – Diamond Schmitt Architects
June 23 @ 12:00 - 13:00 EDT
During Pride Season 2026, Nyasha delivered her Pride Talk for Diamond Schmitt Architects & ERA Architects, focusing on the theme of “Queer Inclusive Cities.” In celebration of Pride Month 2026, and as part of our Diamond Schmitt Architects’s studio-wide learning initiatives, the firm partnered again with Framework Leadership to host a presentation in the Pride Talk Speaker Series – an initiative dedicated to promoting 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion across the architecture, engineering, and design sectors. This year’s session, “Challenging ‘Reference Man’ and Advocating for Queer-Inclusive Cities,” featured guest speaker, Architectural Activist Nyasha Harper-Michon (she/her).
Nyasha’s talk explored how architectural activism can challenge conventional design and industry norms, and how built environment professionals can help advocate for queer-inclusive, sustainable cities. The presentation examined the influence of “Reference Man” in our built environment, the importance of intersectionality and lived experience, and how empathy-driven design processes can help create more resilient and inclusive places where everyone can thrive. Her presentation leveraged global architectural case studies and diverse queer narratives to illustrate how these inclusive frameworks operate in practice around the world.
Past Attendee testimonials:
Nyasha’s offering is profound and timely and at once shines a very bright light on the truth of the matter: that design creatives still have a long way to go to dismantle ‘Reference Man.’ Look around our city after you listen to Nyasha – and you will be staggered by how much The Man’ continues dominate our built environment. – Attendee, KPMB
Incredible presentation on how we, as designers, can design beyond the ‘reference man.’ Nyasha gave many tangible examples of each point of the presentation. Overall, it was a very strong presentation and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in ways to design for all! – Attendee, SMPS