One Girl’s Voice: Being An Ally

I’ve been wanting to write about LGBTQ+ activism for a while. It’s an issue that’s been beating alongside my heart since I could even understand what the word “gay” meant. Even before that.

Being an ally has never been a question for me; it’s meant loving my uncle and loving my mom. It’s meant loving friends and people I’ve never met and will never meet. It’s meant that, without hesitation, I do not and will never choose hatred.

I am an ally, but I don’t think it’s my place to act like I understand what it means to be gay. I don’t understand it. I am not discriminated against because of my sexuality, and haven’t really experienced discrimination other than for my gender. And even that’s been minimal.

Because of this, I find it crucial for me to be an ally. I am straight, thus I am the majority. And as part of the majority, I can help to normalize homosexuality and being trans. Everyone can help.

My mom and I talked yesterday about what it means to be a gay. And some of what she said affected me in a way I didn’t think it would. I won’t ever know what it’s like to be marginalized by society because of who I love. I won’t have to fear being shamed in public simply for holding hands or showing affection. I won’t ever have to hide that part of who I am, the part of me that loves someone so deeply.

I am always my authentic self. Not everyone can be, and that is a major injustice in society.

Realizing that there is a problem anywhere is difficult if you can’t put a face to it. If you don’t know someone who is gay, or you can’t understand it within the context of your own life, then you might have a difficult time advocating for LGBTQ+ lives.

In my experience, this has never been an issue. My uncle came out before I was born, and so the fact that he was gay never played into our relationship. He’s just my uncle, and I’m his niece, and there’s nothing more to it. When I think of my mom, I don’t think of her as “my gay mom.” That fact comes secondary to many of her other characteristics: intelligent, passionate, strong. My uncle and my mom are just people, which makes it hard to rationalize the bigotry people have towards gay people.

People fear what they don’t understand. A lot of people don’t understand homosexuality or what being transgender is, and at this point, that’s kind of ridiculous. Use Google. Use Wikipedia. Chances are, if you’re reading this, you are on your computer or on your phone. You have the power to learn. Giving in to ignorance is the weakest thing you can do.

The world needs to realize that we all deserve equal rights. It is some serious bulls*** that LGBTQ+ people don’t have the same rights that straight, cisgender people do at this point. They are people. They deserve justice and fairness, just as I do.

It’s easy to forget that I’m part of the solution, but simply by being an ally and an advocate, I can help. I can shut down homophobia and transphobia. I can sign petitions and attend rallies and be there for the people that I love. For me, it’s not a choice. It’s a duty, and it’s one that I couldn’t be happier to fulfil.