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How to be a good ALLY [THREAD]:
1. Being a good ally is about action. You don't SAY you are an ally. You ACT like one. Ally is a verb, not an identity. And your one good act doesn't nullify any future wrong ones. Allyship is a continuous process.
1. Being a good ally is about action. You don't SAY you are an ally. You ACT like one. Ally is a verb, not an identity. And your one good act doesn't nullify any future wrong ones. Allyship is a continuous process.
2. You don't determine how "good" of an ally you are. Marginalised folks do. You also do not "deserve" praise automatically for supporting them and speaking up. That's a basic step for true equity.
3. It's okay to want to be a good ally. If you are appreciated for it, great. Keep doing good work. But don't make it a NEED to be appreciated.
4. An ally isn't perfect. An ally does make mistakes. But how you react when the mistake is pointed out is paramount. The key to being a good ally is to pause, listen, acknowledge, apologize, reflect, and try again.
5. Being a good ally doesn't mean you don't have your own problems, or that you shouldn't talk about them. Having privilege doesn't mean you are not struggling in life. It just means you aren't struggling because of what gives you privilege.
6. Yes being an ally can get messy, it can get confusing. But if you think being an ally is hard, try being the oppressed. An ally can step in and out whenever they want.
But can a trans person ever escape their gender identity? A DBA their caste? A non-heterosexual person their sexuality? A black person their race? Being an ally is a challenge, being the oppressed is exhausting.
7. An ally should NOT be ashamed of their privilege. As said in our privilege thread about cis-het men, it's not a slur. If you have privilege, appreciate it, but don't take them for granted. Use it to help out even more.
8. An ally isn't a perfect ally from birth. You become it over time, through "practice". The definition and requirements of being a good ally will keep changing as time and culture changes. You just have to continue to LISTEN, and NOT SPEAK over anyone else.
