What are some concrete ways in which you can be an ally to LGBTQ+ people, bearing
in mind that being an ally often means engaging your own privilege? Please give at
least three examples and discuss why you think they are important and how they might
be successful. At least one example should demonstrate some aspect of intersectional
awareness.
I aspire to be an ally for the LGBTQ community for many reasons. Although I may not
experience the hardships that they experience on a daily basis, I see how going through micro
aggressions everyday can by detrimental to one’s mental health and self-positivity. I am a huge
advocate for accepting yourself in your own skin and hope that for everyone no matter their
identity.
I have never been friends with someone that has struggled with their identity but if I
were to be faced with that situations, my first mission as an ally would be to make sure they are
comfortable in everyday life. Certain situations in life may be more challenging for the LGBTQ
community. For example, some buildings do not have gender neutral bathrooms. For someone
struggling with their identity, this can be an uncomfortable situation. By aspiring to be an ally, I
would use my privilege to approach people in power in that building. By going myself, I know I
wouldn’t feel unconfutable about asking these questions but someone struggling with their
identity might be. By helping them find an appropriate place to use the bathroom, I can
eliminate some of the micro aggressions that they experience from day to day.
If I was ever faced with a situation in which I was unsure of a person’s pronouns. I would
want to handle it as sensitively and appropriately as possible. Asking someone’s pronouns may
be a sensitive topic for some people. If you ask what someone pronouns are, they may be
uneducated of the importance of this and become offended. For others this may be a sigh of
relief. People in the LGBTQ community can be misgendered