PFLAG GAINESVILLE
HOW TO BE AN ALLY
ALLIES ARE
People who:
Are willing to learn: You don’t have to know it all, just be ready to learn more.
Work through their barriers: There are lots of reasons we don’t ally when we can; figure out yours and work through it.
Are active, all the time: This isn’t about a label or a sticker. It’s about what you do every single day.
There are many people out there who fall into the “I have a gay (or lesbian, or bi, or trans) friend and I want to be supportive” category, but may not know what “be supportive” means - or, for that matter, if their support is even wanted.
PFLAG Gainesville says: Yes, your support is wanted and very much needed. We can help you learn more about what your LGBTQ+ friends are facing, work through any of the challenges you may face to being an ally, and find ways to demonstrate your support, no matter where you are on your ally journey.
The ally journey means trying to think about LGBTQ+ people and how you can understand the role that you play in their lives. For some of us, the journey may mean thinking about this topic beyond what we hear in the media, church, or the community at large and considering how it impacts our day-to-day interactions. For others, it may mean a little soul-searching. And there are those for whom it may mean building on an existing place of acceptance to take the dialogue further (or get it started).
Most people can easily name causes that they care about, and then tell you why a cause makes them feel it is “their” issue. An environmentalist might say that they feel a responsibility as someone living on the planet to ensure that future generations inherit a healthy environment. Someone who works to end hunger can point to the fact that they have the means and feel a responsibility to help end the pain and suffering that people endure when they go hungry. But when it comes to being supportive of LGBTQ+ people, things often look different.