Allyship can be understood and practiced differently from person to person. Allyship can be a continual process of reflection and educating oneself about the history and/or needs of a community --generally, a community with which you don’t identify-- by learning from those within that community and taking personal responsibility for that education as well. Allyship can also involve working with members of a community to contribute to a more inclusive and supportive climate.
As an ally, you can leverage your particular economic, social, and/or cultural privileges and resources to be an active bystander (or upstander), a resource, and/or an advocate in times of need. BGLTQ community members can be allies to others within the BGLTQ community as well. One can be allied with BGLTQ communities of color, the trans community, the BGLTQ undocumented community, the BGLTQ refugee community and/or the BGLTQ Muslim community. Of course, these communities are not mutually exclusive.
If you’re interested in what allyship to the BGLTQ community might mean for you and/or your group, we invite you to consider reaching out to us for a conversation at bgltq@fas.harvard.edu.