Being an ally.

Here are things you can do to be a good ally.

• Stand up for LGBTQ+ rights. Actively advocate for and support your peers.
• Respect identity. The single best thing you can do is respect people for who they are.
• Ask for pronouns, and share your own. This helps create an inclusive, identity respecting environment, for both you and others.
• Educate yourself. Take the time to learn about LGBTQ+ terms and identities without exclusively depending on LGBTQ+ people to teach you.
• Listen actively. Respect people and their identities and stories, and give them the time and space to share them.
• Be easy on yourself. Mistakes happen- what is important is how you learn and grow from them.
• Show up. Be there for your LGBTQ+ peers. Your very presence at a GSA meeting, or in a march, helps more than you know.

Here's things to avoid as you work on being a good ally.

• Be an ally of convenience. Don't just show support for LGBTQ+ people and their rights when it's convenient.
• Be performative. Avoid actions that are more about appearance than genuine support. Don't expect a cookie for respecting human decency.
• Speak over LGBTQ+ voices. Amplify them, not overshadow them.
• Make assumptions. You can't see someone's identity or their story; only they can share it.
• Out people. Never disclose someone's identity without their permission. This can cause harm, physical and emotional.
• Generalize. Recognize that every LGBTQ+ person and their experience is unique.
• Get defensive. Accept your mistakes and learn from them, no ifs, ands, or buts.