Being an Ally

"Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand." -- Unknown

We hope that anyone reading this is able to identify with this quote. It helps me understand how great the need for allies in the GLBT Community is and what being an ally with the members of this Community means.

An ally is a heterosexual person who is working with the community, through support and advocacy, to end oppression and obtain equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. It means believing that everyone, regardless of sexual orientation (or anything else for that matter), deserves all the same rights that heterosexual people have.

In researching about becoming an ally, I came across these statistics on the Western Illinois University, University Committee on Sexual Orientation website.

Why become an ally?

-Because in 1990, these are the statistics found on the WIU campus:

• 29% believed the college would be a better place if only heterosexuals attended

• 55% did not know a gay man casually and few knew any gay men well. 85% of the men and 81% of the women did not know a lesbian casually and only 5% of the men and 6% of the women knew a lesbian well.

• 78% were not very interested in learning more about gay men and lesbians. 85% said they were not willing to attend a program on homosexuality.

• 85% admitted they had made homophobic comments. 30% of the men said they did so often, compared to 7% of the women.

• 83% said it was fairly or somewhat likely that gay men and lesbians would be harassed on campus

If you want to support gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in their efforts to live fuller lives and be proud of who they are, you're ready to be an ally.

Use the links on the Around Houston and Around the Nation section in the sidebar to get connected to the community and start using your voice for others!

You can even get an awesome t-shirt to show your support!