How To Be A Better All Community and Correc
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eing an ally to the LGBTQ+ community is doing more than just accepting people for being LGTBQ+.
A true ally is always open to learning and uses the information they gather to advocate for the community. It is important for allies to learn the history of LGBTQ+ issues and the significance of those issues. Allies should get their information directly from LGTBQ+ members or sources, not just allies. This is important because people who are just allies and not LGTBQ+ haven’t experienced what it is personally like to be an LGTBQ+ person. Most importantly, allies must ensure that everyone in the LGBTQ+ community is advocated for. Allies need to make sure that they are also advocating for LGBTQ+ members with disabilities and members who are POC. In 2018, Stonewall revealed that 51% of POC LGTBQ+ members reported experiencing racism in the LGTBQ+ community. Experiencing racism in the LGTBQ+ community can cause isolation, mental health issues and loneliness. New research has proven that LGTBQ+ people are more likely to have a disability. There is an estimation that 3-5 million LGTBQ+ people have disabilities. If someone wants to be an ally, they need to support everyone in the LGTBQ+ community. Familiarizing yourself with pronoun usage and new terminology is a huge part of allyship.Take the small step of including your pronouns on your social media bios
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and in the workplace. Using pronouns can help people who use they/them pronouns or have transitioned their pronouns feel less alienated. A person who identifies as a woman uses pronouns she/her, a person who identifies as a man uses pronouns he/him and someone who is nonbinary, genderqueer, or gender fluid usually goes by they/them. Unfortunately, members of the LGBTQ+ community are still victims of homophobia. It is important to call people out for using homophobic slurs or participating in homophobic behaviors. These people can sometimes be family members which can make it more difficult, but it shouldn’t stop you from educating them. If you are struggling to stand up for someone in the LGBTQ+ community, it may be helpful to provide data about how homophobia has caused damage to LGBTQ+ mental health. According to Mental Health America, 39% of the LGBTQ+ community has reported having mental illness within the past year. LGBTQ+ youth are twice as likely to feel suicidal and over four times as likely to attempt suicide compared to heterosexual youth. Forty-eight percent of transgender adults have considered suicide in the past year compared to four percent of the overal U.S. population.
Words And Phrases That Are
