You don’t need to be an activist, have a gay friend, vote a certain way, or even describe yourself as a straight advocate to work toward the fair treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer/questioning people. All you need is the willingness to “come out” as a straight person who is no longer willing to remain silent about homophobia.

Here are 10 simple ways to contribute to the equal treatment of the LGBT community:

1. Become informed about the realities, challenges and issues affecting LGBTQ people’s lives through websites, books, documentaries, and educational materials.
2. Be open about having gay friends, family or acquaintances that you value, respect, and are grateful to have in your life. When you talk about them, don’t omit the fact that they are LGBT.
3. Speak up when you hear derogatory slurs or jokes and don’t use them yourself. 
4. Ask if you are unsure how a LGBT friend, family member or acquaintance would like their significant other to be referred to or introduced, rather than avoiding acknowledgment of the relationship.
5. Help your kids learn about and appreciate all different kinds of families. Be mindful of the day-to-day messages that they are receiving about gay and transgender people.
6. Quit or don’t join organizations that overtly discriminate. Let them know why you are leaving or not joining in the first place.
7. Support gay, lesbian, bisexual, and/or transgender-owned and friendly businesses.

8. Encourage and support company policies and programs that promote a positive work environment for gay employees at your workplace.
9. Write letters to the editor of your newspaper to comment as a straight ally on why you support respectful and equal treatment for LGBT people.
10. Call, write, e-mail, or visit public policy makers and let them know that as a straight person who votes, you support laws that extend equal rights and protections to all people.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 22nd, 2009 at 11:33 am and is filed under Resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.