Allies are people of the dominant or majority group who work to end oppression in their private and professional lives through support of, and as an advocate for the oppressed population. LGBTQ+ Allies are supportive advocates for LGBTQ+ communities through their activism, involvement, or their on-going commitment to speak out against oppression and inequality. While allies can be straight and/or cisgender individuals, LGBTQIA+ identified individuals can also serve as allies to other marginalized LGBTQIA+ communities.
Allies can help LGBTQIA+ people by actively working to end homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, cissexism, and heterosexism, but should also speak out against other forms of oppression, like racism, classism, ableism, and so on.
If you are an ally, then please learn how you can get involved on campus and remember that most of our LGBTQIA+ events on campus are open to everyone!
Allyship Basics
- Speak up when you hear homophobic, bi-phobic, and/or transphobic comments. Do not ignore these comments, as they perpetuate violence against the community.
- As an ally, it is important to recognize the many intersecting identities in the LGBTQ+ community. As an ally, you MUST acknowledge that race, class, and gender (especially whether someone is cisgender or transgender) significantly impacts the experience of an individual. No two individuals have the same experiences because of intersections such as these.
- Because of this, it is important for allies to call out other systems of oppression, such as racism, ableism, classism, and so on.
- Normalize asking for pronouns of everyone you meet. Asking the pronouns of someone as an introduction when meeting them can provide safety to trans individuals who may not feel comfortable/safe saying their preferred pronouns otherwise.
- Don’t know anything about pronouns? Check out our Gender Pronouns page!
- Never out an LGBTQ+ identified person. This is dangerous to their safety & can invalidate their identity. Likewise, be aware of your surroundings when discussing LGBTQ+ topics with an LGBTQ+ identified person. For their safety & comfort, they may prefer not to discuss these topics in public places or among strangers.
- Ask when & where it’s safe to use someone’s name & pronouns (e.g., if a trans person is not out at home, ask them how you should refer to them around their family, etc). Don’t ask trans people what their “real” name is (i.e., the one they were born with). If you know their birth name, do not divulge it to others.
- Do not ask invasive questions regarding sexual habits, genitalia, or surgery status to an LGBTQ+ person. Not only is this offensive, it is also deeply personal, and not something that people necessarily feel comfortable discussing.
Resources
Info and Resources for LGBTQ Teens and Allies from Planned Parenthood
Tips for Allies of Transgender People by GLAAD
Trans Ally Resources a collection of answered questions and other resources by the Transgender Teen Survival Guide blog.