How to be a good ally (and why it's important)

What is allyship?

Allyship is an ongoing, active practice of supporting and advocating for marginalised communities, even when you are not directly part of those communities. It requires more than just passive agreement with equality – it needs tangible action. 

Allyship is not and never has been a passive identity; it’s an active and ongoing commitment to supporting, uplifting, and defending people. If you want to consider yourself an ally, ask yourself: how are you showing up? What are you doing? 

Why LGBTQ+ people need allies

LGBTQ+ rights are under attack. It’s such a simple statement which fails to capture the enormity of what we are currently witnessing – perhaps most prominently in the headlines of US news as several executive orders seek to eradicate trans and queer people’s existences – but also here in the UK we have seen a significant rise in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime, anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and an erosion of access to healthcare and protections from discrimination. 

When I started developing my book Outrage: Why The Fight For LGBTQ+ Equality Is Not Yet Won And What We Can Do About It, people would often remark that LGBTQ+ people had everything we needed – some even thought we had preferential treatment. For the first time, people have suddenly stopped saying that to me.

Four practical ways to show up for the LGBTQ+ community

1. Fight against LGBTQ+ erasure

LGBTQ+ people are being systematically removed from their own histories. This year, Google removed Pride Month and LGBTQ+ History Month (as well as other key dates like Holocaust Memorial Day) from their calendar – a literal wiping away of essential dates which have existed non-controversially on the platform for years. Likewise, the recent removal of transgender references from the Stonewall National Monument website is just one example of a larger trend; a movement started by transgender women of colour reduced to being about ‘LGB’ equality which is ahistorical and quite literally rewrites the truth of the matter. Similarly, around the world, essential LGBTQ+ services and resources have been removed or erased either because of government interventions or because digital platforms have removed and censored queer bodies.

‘Educate yourself on LGBTQ+ history and actively share that knowledge with others not just online, but physically too. When you encounter censorship – whether in books, educational materials, or digital spaces – it is essential to call it out and challenge these acts of erasure. ’

To push back against this, it is crucial to educate yourself on LGBTQ+ history and actively share that knowledge with others not just online, but physically too. When you encounter censorship – whether in books, educational materials, or digital spaces – it is essential to call it out and challenge these acts of erasure. 

Supporting LGBTQ+ authors, historians, and media creators by purchasing and promoting their work is another vital way to ensure these voices remain visible. Additionally, misinformation and false narratives about LGBTQ+ people continue to spread, making it essential to confront these inaccuracies in conversations, on social media, and in public discourse.

2. Support LGBTQ+ people through mutual aid

Mutual aid – the sharing of resources and services to help others – has always been a lifeline for marginalised communities, including LGBTQ+ people. Many LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly those who are transgender, disabled, or people of colour, experience systemic barriers to employment, housing, and healthcare. 

One of the most effective ways to help is by directly donating to mutual aid funds, individual fundraisers and grassroots organizations that provide essential resources, such as housing, healthcare, and legal aid. If you have the means, offering practical support like transportation, hot meals, or job networking can significantly impact the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals in need. 

‘It's not rocket science – just basic compassion and working out what you can do and, most importantly, doing something. ’

There’s a joke in the community that we are all passing around the same £10, but it's true. We need allies to start investing in the community tangibly and financially. 

I was recently able to raise a thousand pounds for a queer trans person who needed to escape a hostile living environment, via social media. We got them out. It's not rocket science – just basic compassion and working out what you can do and, most importantly, doing something. 

3. Challenge media bias and publishing inequality

LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately scrutinised in the media, with hostile articles and public debates questioning their very existence. Meanwhile, books and media that frame LGBTQ+ identities as a threat continue to be published and distributed alongside affirming literature. Challenging this bias means actively supporting bookstores and publishers that uplift LGBTQ+ voices by buying their books, ensuring their works reach wider audiences. 

Advocating for better representation in mainstream media by calling out outlets that promote harmful narratives is another essential step in disrupting systemic discrimination. Moreover, being intentional with your purchasing power by prioritising books, films, and media created by LGBTQ+ people sends a strong message about what content deserves to be celebrated and amplified.

4. Show up beyond Pride Month

This year, LGBTQ+ History Month has been so profoundly quiet even in the UK, and many of us fear that by the time Pride month rolls around LGBTQ+ communities will have been silenced even further. Ask your workplaces, community groups and local organisations what they are doing to mark these key occasions and how they are supporting LGBTQ+ people year round. One of the reasons it has been so easy to silence LGBTQ+ voices is that for many of us, we were pigeonholed into two times of the year rather than being integrated throughout. This means that not only are LGBTQ+ people forced to fight for space but also that it’s easier to erase us completely; when we are integrated into the everyday, we are harder to erase, or ignore. 

Being an ally means taking a step back and ensuring LGBTQ+ people are heard. Following and sharing content from LGBTQ+ activists, writers, and organizations is a simple but effective way to amplify their voices. When discussions about LGBTQ+ issues arise, it is important to pass the mic to LGBTQ+ individuals, allowing them to lead the conversation rather than speaking over them. Acknowledging intersectionality, the understanding that race, disability, and class impact LGBTQ+ experiences in distinct ways, ensures a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to allyship. Recognizing these diverse experiences helps create a movement that truly uplifts everyone within the community.

Looking at education, healthcare, sports, religion and much more, Ellen Jones demonstrates exactly how, despite being more visible in mainstream culture than ever before, LGBTQ+ people continue to face prejudice, discrimination and danger. Full of personal accounts alongside practical actions everyone can take to help create a more equal society, this is a book for the LGBTQ+ community, allies and anyone who cares about human rights.