Attention All Allies!

There is a more to being an ally then saying you are… an ally stands with us and by us. It is great that your are an ally, but when you hear mean, do you speak up? Daniel Radcliffe had this to say at a Trevor Project's Sharing Space series of roundtable discussions.

Daniel Radcliffe explains his 'weird little problems' with the word 'ally' in panel with trans youth
"Anytime you hear somebody self-refer to themself as an ally, I'm always like, 'I'm suspicious of you,'" the actor and LGBTQ advocate said.
Entertainment Weekly
By Lauren Huff
March 31, 2023

Daniel Radcliffe has long been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights — but he's still hesitant to call himself an ally.

[...]

"I said this to you all earlier, about my weird little problems with the word 'ally,' just because anytime you hear somebody self-refer to themself as an ally, I'm always like, 'I'm suspicious of you,'" Radcliffe admits. "But there is an original meaning to that word, and there [are] some people who embody that very powerfully."

Mateo-Luis, one of the six panelists joining Radcliffe, notes, "Sometimes it takes for someone to really step into what we would consider allyship, for someone to understand what it's like to live in your shoes. Because a lot of times we don't live in anyone else's shoes and we only think about what it's like in ours."

[…]

Radcliffe has been a longtime supporter of the Trevor Project, whose mission is to end suicide among LGBTQ young people. With Sharing Space, the organization says it is seeking to "provide a much-needed platform for young trans and nonbinary voices to share about their personal journeys and explore what genuine allyship looks like among curious, open-minded adults and allies."

It is great that you are an ally, but it is not a 9 to 5 job. Daniel Radcliffe know that.

*****

Transgender women are women and transgender men are men.' It is time allies stand up| Pastor
The Columbus Dispatch
By Ben Huelskamp Guest columnist
March 31, 2023

During a time of unprecedented attacks against the transgender community and with today's celebration of Trans Day of Visibility, cisgender allies must step up and use our privilege to speak out and act up.

Cisgender people — those of us whose sex assigned at birth is congruent with our gender identity — often have the option to remain silent when we see legislation targeting our trans siblings or when we hear about the murder of another trans person, particularly another trans person of color.

There are even people— often referred to as trans exclusionary radical feminists or TERFs — who argue that trans women are really just men.

Let’s be clear, transgender women are women and transgender men are men. Hard stop.

[…]

In fact, with the larger attacks on the queer community, it might be easier to not be involved and stay silent. But our trans siblings need us now more than ever. They need us to disrupt transphobia. They need us to challenge trans the exclusionary radical feminists arguments.

They need us to amplify their voices. They need us to listen and follow their lead as they act in their own best interests.

We need you to “amplify our voices,” Hillary Clinton was right “it takes a village” to silence the misanthropes and forced them back in the swamp and into silence.

How to be an allies for trans Ohioans?

• So, you’re a cisgender person and you want to speak up and act out with the transgender community? Where can you start?
• First, speak out whether in public, at demonstrations, or on social media. Let people know that you support your trans siblings.
• Share content from trans creators and trans rights organizations. Check out TransOhio, the ACLU of Ohio’s Trans Spotlight, the March for Queer and Trans Youth Autonomy, and the “This is Trans” Project currently on display at Studio West 117 in Cleveland (among many other trans rights organizations and projects).
• Support trans-owned small businesses and transgender creators (my photo in this piece was taken by the trans-owned Mx. Gay Photography).
• Whatever you do, remember as the community with privilege, cisgender people must follow the lead of and prioritize the agency of transgender people to act in their own best interests.

*****

Opinion: If you say you’re a trans ally, this is what you have to do
CNN
By Allison Hope
March 31, 2023

It’s not enough to love our trans family and friends behind closed doors.

“Telling me you love me in private is not enough. Anything less is a detriment to my survival. Your silence is just another nail,” said J.D. Melendez, a friend who is transgender, on social media recently.

[…]

If you say you are an ally, then you can’t merely be a bystander. You must speak up. There has never been a more critical time to be vocal in support of trans rights and against the attacks on the minds and hearts and bodies of our trans friends and family. Allies must combat disinformation when they see or hear it — on social media, around dinner tables or at water cooler conversations at work. Those who purport to care about trans people or about freedom of expression must contact legislators who are peddling these draconian anti-trans bills and tell them to stop. Allies need to validate trans lives to their parents and children and create dialogue that makes space for gender expansiveness and beats back at the policing of gender.

Being an ally isn’t passive (But we welcome you if you can be an active supporter.).

For those who aim to restrict trans rights, it’s easier to stand up at a school board meeting and condemn an invisible person who you don’t share a dinner table with — or a classroom or a playground. It’s easier to legislate against people you have never met. So long as trans people remain hypothetical, it will be harder to help people understand their humanity and their critical need for safety and equal access to basic civic life.

It is not easy being an ally, you get shit thrown at you just like us. It takes courage! Because those who hold animosity against us don’t want you to speak out, you become a… “Trannie lover.” 

Trans people and drag queens aren’t the problem. And blustery politicians who would rather throw their most vulnerable constituents under the bus than get to work are most definitely not part of the solution. As allies, people who aren’t trans can help — and remember, our trans friends and family are listening.

Remember only you can prevent hate.