It’s Pride Month, and We’re Discussing LGBTQ+ Allyship
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June 7, 2024
My daughter always comes home from school with stories. But this one was more thought-provoking than most. One of her teachers had asked her high school class to write an essay about whether we should continue to celebrate certain groups during certain months of the year – like Black History in February, women in March, the LGBTQ+ community in June. The teacher’s question was a way of teaching the students about advocacy and persuasive writing. It taught my daughter a lot more. “Shouldn’t we celebrate these groups all year long?” she asked me. Yes. Yes, we should. But if we don’t carve out time to allow people to showcase their community and highlight their contributions, will we remember to celebrate them at all? On the other hand, by giving groups a floor for, say, one month, are we also putting a ceiling on them?
I’m not here to answer these questions in this post. Rather, I’m here, during Pride Month, to share ways that we can demonstrate – in our workplaces – allyship toward, in celebration of, the LGBTQ+ community. Some of my other colleagues will be sharing their thoughts later this month.
So what is allyship? Allyship is about holding ourselves accountable for the support and inclusion of marginalized groups.
How do we become an ally? One way is to show humility. If you don’t understand all there is to understand about the LGBTQ+ community, acknowledge it. It’s ok if you’re not an expert. Be open to correction. Take steps to educate yourself. Learn about LGBTQ+ history and current events. Learn the specific LGBTQ+ terms (e.g., cisgender, transgender, non-binary, genderfluid, asexual) and use them to communicate respectfully and effectively. Work to address your own biases. If you find yourself making assumptions or jumping to conclusions, pause and ask yourself why.
You’ll be deemed an ally when you put good intentions into practice … when you realize that it’s not about what you say, it’s about what you do.
