3 Ways to be an Ally During Pride Month
Pride is a month to reflect and celebrate the progress made towards 2SLGBTQAII+ equality. While there is much more that needs to be done and 2SLGBTQAII+ equality is far from perfect, the resilience through history and allyship has helped focus the trajectory towards acceptance and celebration. I do not have lived experience or know what many others have faced, though I do my best to personally reflect, check my privilege, educate myself, and consistently show up for the 2SLGBTQAII+ community as best as an ally can.
What is an ally?
It is a non-2SLGBTQAII+ individual who holds a strong dedication to fight for human rights and empowering 2SLGBTQAII+ individuals to reclaim their freedom, rights, and respect in all public spaces. Being an ally requires us to be aware of this and show up for the community everyday. It is not just showing your support by wearing rainbow socks during the pride parade one day of the year.
As an ally, I acknowledge that it can be awkward to know how to support the 2SLGBTQAII+ community so here are three things to consider as a ally during Pride month:
Understand the history and roots of pride
Ever wondered how pride started? June 28th, 1969 in the gay village (Greenwich village) in New York City, the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar and venue. It is said that a shot glass was thrown into a Stonewall Inn mirror and was “heard around the world”.That night, the police threw out 200 people and many were beaten. The outrage caused a massive backlash from the gay community who fought back with protests and riots demanding equal rights from the authorities, one of which was the creator of the Gay Liberation Front, Marsha P Johnson- an African American drag queen, activist, and sex worker. The news of NYC riots spread globally and inspired many other cities, towns, countries to join the protest groups and fight back for several weeks. These riots marked a significant turning point in 2SLGBTQAII+ individuals lives from living in shame, secrecy, towards openness and demanding respect, freedom, and equality. Hence why June is celebrated for pride.
Check your privilege
Many heterosexual people live through the day without double checking basic life activities. For example, they are not concerned for their safety to hold their partners hands on the street or expressing their preferred cisgender. Or remember that when you go into a washroom, some 2SLGBTQAII+ individuals are denied entry because they “don’t look like a man”. Take a moment to reflect the next time you hold your partners hand and recognize many queer couples are unable to do this out of legitimate concern for their safety. And many queer folks HAVE TO alter their appearance to “look like a man” so as to avoid being yelled or harassed at.
Being an ally consistently
Consistency is standing up for 2SLGBTQAII+ rights, BUT It is also about asking questions that are awkward, confusing, or how to be an informed ally in the community. Here is an amazing resource about allyship that I highly recommend readers to check out. In our daily life examples are watching queer movies, using inclusive language, and including dialogue in your workplace (lets say websites and employees) about LGBTQ+ support.
For Pride
As it is June there are many different events happening throughout your city. In Vancouver we have the Queer Art Festival, Drag Queen comedy shows, Queer musicians and other events happening throughout June. To show your support and learn something new, check out a couple of events this month.
Get to know the Queer Classics
Classic older movies I recommend for Pride month can be found here
My favourites:
Paris is Burning (1990)
My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)
Classic 2SLGBTQAII+ books I love
The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde
Zami: A new spelling of my name by Audry Lourde
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Bridging questions
How have you seen the inclusion of gay rights change in your life/society?
What was the moment you knew you were gay like? What would have been the best response?
What do you think is important for an allyship?
