The LGBTQ+ community does not get enough coverage from the education system. LBGTQ+ issues have been seen secondary to others for a great amount of time; a supplement to the basics rather than an integral part of them. A vast majority of students do not feel the need to study queer culture, especially when they are not a member of the culture themselves. In terms of educating straight allies and peers a serious reform is called for. Now more than ever, people are asking about the LGBTQ+ community, and most importantly they’re wondering, “How can I be an ally, and why should I be?"
An ally is a non LGBTQ+ person who demonstrates support and activism for the community.
There are several ways to approach allyship, but there are several main pillars acknowledged that remain especially important.
The best way to start is with LGBTQ+ students in our own schools. As the GLSEN safe space kit cites, “It is important for allies to demonstrate that LGBT people are not alone as they work to improve school climate, and to take a stand in places where it might not be safe for LGBT people to be out or visible.” The most accurate way to hear queer voices is to ask them directly about their experiences. The Newsroom conducted an interview with an anonymous sophomore student at Bella Vista
What is your experience as a queer student in high school? “People are pretty accepting of it, all around a pretty good environment. In school no one tends to notice me so no one cares. Acceptance of gender needs more work though. There’s still a lot of harassment towards people who aren’t just gay or lesbian.”
What is your experience with the education system regarding queer culture? “It sucks, they don’t do a good enough job, there’s a bunch of stuff they leave out, especially in history class.”
What was your experience like coming out? “With my parents I was fighting with them. They ignored me. But with my friends they already knew, it wasn’t an issue.”
Are you a member of the GSA? “No, (not in GSA), interacting with people can be difficult, so I never really tried.”
Talking to your queer peers is paramount. This is just one sample from many LGBTQ+ experiences. If you want to be more involved, talk to your friends about their experience with the queer community.
One of the biggest steps in becoming an ally is learning to use the right dialogue. For reference, here’s an index of terms to remember when talking about LGBTQ+ issues, and how to use them.
It is important to remember here that gender identities and sexual orientations are self identifications, and it is not your job to find the “right label” a person should use, regardless of their basic definitions.
Sexual Orientation - The inner feelings of who a person is attracted to.
Gender Identity- How a person identifies in terms of gender. Note that this is different from biological sex, gender identity can be different than what a person is born as or has the physical characteristics of.
Gender Expression - How a person expresses their gender. Remember, this does not have to fall into gender roles. A person who identifies as male doesn’t have to dress in a traditional masculine way, and people should not make them feel guilty if they do otherwise.
Gay - A person who is attracted to members of the same sex. This term is often used by people with other gender identities or sexual orientations as sort of a catch-all, but as all other terms, it is a self identifier.
Lesbian - A female person who is attracted to other female people.
Bisexual - A person who is attracted to both male and female people, as well as non binary identities.
Pansexual - A person who is attracted to be people regardless of gender. This differs from bisexuality in that their attraction has nothing to do with the person’s sex or gender.
Nonbinary - Any person who doesn’t fall into the binary categories of male or female. It is an umbrella term for many other identities.
Queer- An umbrella term for any person belonging to the LGBTQ+ community. This is a reclaimed term, as it also has been and still is used as a derogatory slur. Be careful when and how you are using this if you are not LGBTQ+.
Asexual - A person who is not attracted to anyone sexually. They may still have romantic relationships or engage in sexual behaviors, but they have no pull to do so.
Aromantic - A person who is not attracted to anyone romantically. They may have sexual relationships, but they do not seek romantic relationships of any kind.
There are a plethora of terms to be learned, and it is most important that even if you don’t understand everything, you are supportive. Even if you don't understand or even agree with a term, it is basic human kindness to respect it.
The final pillar of allyship is confronting your own and others' biases. Ask yourself these questions:
How would you react if a close friend or family member came out to you?
Can you name more than three important LGBTQ+ historical figures?
How would you feel if others perceived you as LGBTQ+? Why do you feel this way?
Have you ever been to a pride march or rally? Why is this?
If you’re making a joke about an LGBT person, is it at their expense? Are they okay with that?
Have you seen anti-LGBTQ+ harassment at BV? What can you do to prevent it?
This is only the first step, but for those who have taken it, they have made strides and become slightly more educated than they previously were.
It is impossible to sum up the entirety of queer culture in one article, but hopefully this is a spark to start one’s own personal journey.
Allyship is work. Constant, everyday work. It doesn’t stop at education, or a rally, or a month. Allyship is being there for your fellow humans. As Harvey Milk stated, “Burst down those closet doors and stand up once and for all, to fight.”
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