Not a member of the LGBTQ community, but still want to find out how you can show your support? Be an ally. An ally is someone who is not a member of the LGBTQ community, but supports and accepts LGBT people or calls for equal rights and fair treatment of members of this community. Read on for steps you can take to be an ally!

An easy way to show your support for the LGBTQ community and to identify yourself as an ally is to stick a safe space sticker on your locker or notebooks! This will quietly let people know that you identify as an ally and are a safe person to talk to about LGBTQ issues.

You can also wear things that mark you as an ally. It could be as simple as a rainbow bracelet or a button that reads “LGBTQ Ally.” This is also a pretty simple, though powerful, way of identifying yourself as an ally.

While wearing a button or posting a safe space sticker in your locker is a great first step, you can take the next one by being vocal about your support of the LGBTQ community. It’s good that you can walk the walk, but it’s great when you can talk the talk! If you hear people saying things, like “That’s so gay” or “You’re so gay” in the hallway, call them out on it! Tell them why it offends you and why they shouldn’t say things like that. Check out this FAQ for more information.

You can even take it one step further and talk to a teacher you trust (maybe even the gay-straight alliance advisor if your school has one) about how you feel when you hear people make homophobic remarks. Perhaps your teacher can get other teachers on board to start talking to the students about why comments like “that’s so gay” are hurtful. This can expand the network of allies at your school!

Sometimes people are allies of the LGBTQ community, but they find it hard to speak up because they are afraid to say the wrong thing. The best way to avoid feeling scared is to educate yourself. Find out about the issues that LGBTQ people face in your community. Learn what language is or isn’t acceptable, so the next time someone uses the word “tranny,” you can educate them on why that word is offensive. (Just because the cast members on the Jersey Shore use it does not mean that it’s right.) For more information and education, check out our LGBTQ FAQs.

You can also do some research and find out about your school district’s bullying, harassment or discrimination policy. Get to know what it says and the kinds of protection it offers all students, especially LGBTQ students. Students who identify as LGBTQ are more likely to face harassment based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

Don’t have a gay-straight alliance at your school? Start one! Find an advisor and some interested students and do your research. You can find all the information you need through the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).

Remember how you looked into your school district’s harassment policy? Take what you learned and use it to advocate for a safer place for everyone to learn! About 30 percent of surveyed LGBTQ students had missed a day of school in the past month because they felt unsafe, according to GLSEN’s National School Climate Survey. That’s a lot of educational opportunities to be missing out on. Get teachers and your school administration involved in a conversation about how your school can change this. Maybe at the next in-service training there can be a speaker on LGBTQ issues and how to create an inclusive and accepting school community.

These are just some of our ideas. Do you have more? Have you done something different to show your support of the LGBTQ community? We want to hear about it. Go to the Forums and share your comments.