Five Tips to be a Better LGBTQ+ Ally

Well, it’s been a pretty rough few weeks for the LGBTQ+ community, especially here in Utah. Between some pretty disastrous Supreme Court rulings and some VERY harmful statements made by a strong religious group here in Utah (I’ll let you connect the dots on that one), those you know in the queer community are probably feeling pretty disheartened. So, whether you’re an ally, a person within the LGBTQ+ community, or you just want to lift yourself up, here are five quick things you can do to make sure that you’re validating and supporting those around you who are queer and trans. 

1. Continually validate their identity!

This is super simple. A lot of queer people are often invalidated by the people around them, including by strangers. Make sure you support your LGBTQ+ friends by not assuming anything about them, but instead letting them tell YOU how they identify and then sticking with that as best as you can.

2. Understand and appreciate their anger.

It’s so upsetting to be constantly told that you’re not “right” by society. This understandably makes queer people super angry. It’s really important to respect the hurt they feel about the way that people’s basic rights are denied.

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3. Speak up for LGBTQ+ people in straight spaces — while ensuring their voices aren’t drowned out.

It’s super important to be aware of any privileges you have and to advocate for those who don’t have that privilege. Doing this can be a double-edged sword, however, because you also need to make sure you’re not speaking for a marginalized community and are instead working to amplify their voices.

4. Educate yourself on queer issues — without relying on your LGBTQ+ friends for that information.

This one’s pretty simple, Google exists for a reason. Don’t make your friends work to educate you when it’s what they do for so many other people.

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5. Work to end all forms of oppression!

Queer people are also affected by things like poverty, racism, sexism, and so many more intersecting obstacles because the LGBTQ+ community is so vast. Make sure you’re aware of your biases and then work to eliminate them!

I hope you can use these as a starting point to launch your support for LGBTQ+ people everywhere!

Author’s Note: I use the word queer interchangeably with LGBTQ+ just because it’s easier to type — if you’re not LGBT, you shouldn’t use that word because some people may still perceive it as a slur.

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