Throughout the years, the LGBTQ community has made progress in making itself visible as a collection of individuals looking to live out their lives in a safe and accepting environment. They have made their claims as to why they deserve to be treated equally to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts, but unfortunately, it takes the voice of people outside of the community to be taken seriously. Allies play a significant role by bringing importance to issues on the treatment of marginalized groups. However, those who become allies have their own prices to pay in society. Depending on the cause, it can lead from loss of friendships to violent threats. It can be a frustrating feeling to see the problems on how society treats marginalized groups through stereotypes and its acceptance to normalize them.
On a grand scale, allies provide support, ensuring that LGBTQ individuals are worthy of overall respect and acceptance. On a minor scale, allies serve as emotional support for people struggling with accepting themselves. Allies can make LGBTQ individuals feel safer among people who criticize them. In a situation where someone may insult or degrade a queer person, allies help by defending them and reassuring that their identities are still valid, regardless of what the offensive person says. It's true that the LGBTQ community can protect one another, but at times people will only listen to reason when statements come from people within their own community. The LGBTQ community can rely on allies to educate others about their identities and correct stereotypical ideas, which can include viewing bisexual and transgender people as being confused or in a phase. Below is a comic strip by the It Gets Better Project that portrays the role of LGBT allies:
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It is through ally support in conjunction with members of the LGBTQ community, that awareness has been raised that queer people deserve basic human rights and legislation in place to protect them. It's a shame that some still believe that queer people are not equivalent to those who are straight. However, we can at least appreciate the ongoing success of their acceptance so that one day the LGBT community can be liberated from fear, discrimination, and death.
