What is an Ally?

In the most general sense an ally is "a person who is a member of the dominant or majority group who works to end oppression in his or her personal and professional life through support of, and as an advocate for the oppressed population" (Washington and Evans, "Becoming an Ally").

Allies to racial, religious and ethnic minorities have been remarkably effective in promoting positive change in the dominant culture, and only recently has their instrumental position ben extended to sexual orientation.

The past few years have witnessed the developement of heterosexual ally organizations which have attempted to make the culture of a campus or a workplace more aware and accepting of LGBT individuals.

An ally strives to:
--be a friend
--be a listener
--be open-minded
--have his/her own opinions
--be willing to talk
--commit him/herself to personal growth in spite of the discomfort it may sometimes cause
--recognize his/her personal boundaries
--recognize when to refer to an individual to additional resources
--confront his/her own prejudices
--join others with a common purpose
--believe that all persons, regardless of age, sex, race, gender, religion, ethnicity, disability or sexual orientation should be treated with dignity and respect
--engage in the process of developing a culture free of homophobia and heterosexism
--recognize his/her mistakes, but not use them as an excuse for inaction
--be responsible for empowering his/her role in a community, particulary as it relates to responding to homophobia
--recognize the legal powers and privileges that heterosexuals have and which LGBT people are denied
--support the ally program of his/her university or workplace

An ally is NOT:
--someone with ready-made answers
--necessarily a counselor, or is he/she nessarily trained to deal with crisis situations
--expected to proceed with an interaction if levels of comfort or personal safety have been violated

Resources For Allies