Being an ally: How can we support the LGBTQ+ community?

Growing up with queer people in my life meant that, from the age of about seven, I thought I was some sort of pioneer for social justice every time I so much as saw a gay couple in the street and didn’t scream slurs at them, or turn my nose up at them for acting "unnaturally." They might not want to admit it, but a lot of privileged individuals like myself would say similar things – that they aren’t the ones actively oppressing anyone, because they’re just casual observers. However, simply allowing queer people to exist does not (shock horror!) make you some sort of Marsha P. Johnson. Actually learning who Marsha P. Johnson is, and why she is significant in queer history, could be a starting point.

Being an ally to any sort of marginalised community is about much more than posting aesthetic infographics to your Instagram story. The first thing is understanding that you possess a privilege that other people do not. From then on, allyship, for me, comes down to just one word: listening. Straight people, cisgendered people, white people, and able-bodied people are given the loudest megaphones in our society. So, one of the simplest things these people can do is to genuinely listen.

Watching a few episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race or listening to Elton John does not make you the world’s greatest ally, but it can be a start. Paying attention to queer culture can help avoid ignorance, which is often the root cause of hatred such as homophobia. It seems like a small step, but absorbing media with accurate and relevant LGBTQ+ representation is very important in understanding allyship, as the majority of homophobic comments come from people who “don’t understand it." One of my favourite examples of this is Netflix’s Heartstopper, a love story set in the UK about two boys in secondary school – spoiler alert, it’s actually a happy story about gay people, nobody even dies, so trigger warning if you can’t handle that.

Learning about LGBTQ+ history, listening to the queer people in your life, and following queer and trans activists are all small ways towards being a helpful ally. We are all constantly learning about social justice, so nobody should be held to any sort of golden moral standard. My advice, if you wish to take it, is simply this: listen and learn.