Ally Responsibilities/Commitment

See Also: Become an Ally! • Ally Agreement Form

An Ally strives to...

• be a friend
• be a listener
• be open-minded
• have his or her own opinions
• be willing to talk
• commit him or herself to personal growth in spite of the discomfort it may sometimes cause
• recognize his or her personal boundaries
• recognize when to refer an individual to additional resources
• confront his or her own prejudices
• join others with a common purpose
• believe that all persons regardless of age, sex, race, gender, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation should be treated with dignity and respect
• engage in the process of developing a culture free of homophobia and heterosexism
• recognize his or her mistakes, but not use them as an excuse for inaction
• be responsible for empowering his or her role in a community, particularly as it relates to responding to homophobia
• recognize the legal powers and privileges that heterosexuals have and which LGBTQ people are denied
• support the Ally program of his or her university or workplace

As important as it is to define what an Ally is in a positive sense, it is also helpful to understand the boundaries of an Ally's role.

An Ally is NOT...

• someone with ready-made answers
• necessarily a counselor, nor is he or she necessarily trained to deal with crisis situations
• expected to proceed with an interaction if levels of comfort or personal safety have been violated