How To Be An Ally Year Round

Pride month is an essential time of year that celebrates living authentically, openly, and feeling supported. It is a time of year that offers a public display of support to the LGBTQ+ community to foster unity and creates a safe space for individuals to feel alignment with others. While allyship can be a focus of pride, it often can feel washed out by capitalism and larger corporations that may be using pride as a way to market themselves. While this might not be inherently bad (we want pride to be shared and honored) it can be helpful to think of how to be an impactful ally year round since members of the LGBTQ+ community should always have safe spaces at any time of year. We’ve come up with some ideas for how to be in alignment at any given time. 

1. Education 

While going to parades and wearing colors of the rainbow is fun, it is also helpful to be educated on the history of pride and the LGBTQ+ community. We want to be mindful of verbiage and terms that we might need to brush up on as well as the history of rights within the community. It is also important to stay up to date on current information. Mostly, it is important to listen to our loved one’s experiences as their own and treat them as the expert of their own life. This will help provide continued support and deepen our understanding. 

2. Advocacy

While this one might seem obvious, there are always ways to advocate more and to be more impactful. We want to make sure we are speaking out against harmful language and challenging those who might be harmful to others. It is also important to be mindful of challenging our own bias’ and finding ways to change. We can also show support by engaging in LGBTQ+ entertainment and buying from LGBTQ+ businesses when we can. It can also be helpful to advocate for rights by attending a rally, a discussion, or donating to an organization. 

3. Language

We want to also show advocacy by being aware of our own language and how we communicate. While it’s obvious that we want to be inclusive, we also want to make sure we are using correct pronouns and names, avoid assumptions, and use non-stigmitized language. 

4. Continuing to Learn

While developing a basic understanding is important, being open to learning is additionally essential. We want to make sure that we are open to feedback and corrections when we might be wrong. We also want to practice challenging ourselves to continue to understand others and developing ways to support. 

While there are several other ways we can engage in allyship, these are some that maintain importance any time, day, or place. It’s important to remember to be open to supporting others in the ways that they articulate rather than being assumptive as this can create trust and open dialogue. Lastly, it is important to remember to carry on advocacy whenever we can in order to create a continued circle of support. 

The information on this website is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical or psychological condition and is not a substitute for therapy. If you are experiencing an emergency please call/text 988 or go to your nearest emergency room.