Being a part of LGBTQ community comes with a lot of learning. Queer people are continuously misunderstood. Stereotypes and hatred can make coming out and being who you truly are difficult. Being an informed ally allows queer people to find comfort in you without even needing to come out. So, what is an ally? An ally is anyone who supports equality for people in the LGBTQ community. LGBTQ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning or queer. What do those words mean? Let me explain. A lesbian is a woman who has physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction to other women. Being gay is someone who has physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction to someone of the same gender. Someone who identifies as bisexual means to be sexually attracted not exclusively to people of one particular gender. The word gay can be used as an umbrella term to describe someone’s sexuality similar to the word queer. Queer, once a derogatory term, is someone who is exclusively not heterosexual. The Q in LGBTQ can stand for both queer and/or questioning. Someone who is transgender has a different gender identity than the gender they thought to be at birth. Gender identity can be extremely fluid. We live in a binary system when it comes to gender identity. Some people identity as non-binary, this is where people do not fit into the binary of being a man or a woman. People who identify as non-binary may use different pronouns. Most commonly used pronouns are they/them when it comes to people who identify as non-binary. Therefore, it is important to ask what people’s pronouns are in a respectful way. It is best to lead by example, by stating your name and preferred pronouns. Queer is used as an umbrella term. Being in the LGBTQ community does not mean you can only identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning, there is also loads of other sexual and gender identities people identify with. Across the country people struggle with feeling accepted not only in their own communities, but even sometimes in their own home. Being an ally can start with you: calling people out, showing your support, listening, and continuing to learn. This can benefit you and your entire society into a more accepting community. Check out these links below for more information: 

https://lgbtq.com/  

https://lgbt.foundation/