Research: How to Be a Better Ally to the LGBTQ+ Community

Some straight, cisgender people think of themselves as allies to the LGBTQ+ community, maybe even going so far as to self-designate as such through signage in their workspace or on their personal effects. But do LGBTQ+ individuals actually perceive them to be allies? To answer this question, the authors completed a four-year project to investigate how LGBTQ+ individuals determine whether someone is an ally. They conducted six studies, including thousands of LGBTQ+-identified participants across the U.S., to understand the causes and effects of allyship. Based on their findings, they present three ways to be a good ally to your LGBTQ+ colleagues — and not just perform allyship.