Pride Month is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community: the people, its history and the continued fight for equality. It’s also a time for straight allies to go all-out in support of their queer friends. As a queer man myself, I have a few foolproof tips for any allies on various ways to support your queer friends during Pride Month. Take notes, because you are going to make your queer friend’s day with these suggestions!
Remind them that you are an ally every five seconds
You need to differentiate yourself from homophobic and transphobic individuals. The best thing you can do is show your queer friends that you’re different because you’re an ally. I definitely recommend dressing in all rainbow for the entire month of June. It immediately shows support for the LGBTQ+ community and makes it clear that you accept them! Additionally, whenever you hang out with your queer friends, play Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” on a loop to show solidarity.
Send them $5 for Starbucks
Queer people love iced coffee and always come in herds to the nearest coffee shop for their caffeine fix. We usually congregate at Starbucks because they’re everywhere, and half the staff tends to be queer too. However, getting iced coffee every day gets very pricey, and homemade iced coffee doesn’t taste the same. To show your allyship, send every queer person you know $5 so they can get an iced coffee. It’s preferable to use electronic transactions such as Venmo, Apple Pay, PayPal or CashApp. But I think writing an old-fashioned check is campier, dramatic and fun!
Talk over them in discussions of the LGBTQ+ community
There always seems to be discussions about the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, whether on Twitter or the news. One thing queer people hate is talking. It depletes our social battery when we could totally just talk about Taylor Swift or the poetry of Sappho. In order to be a genuine ally, make the conversation about yourself. We’re tired of being on everyone’s lips, and it’s refreshing to have a straight person speak on our behalf.
Watch “Love, Simon” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” to understand the LGBTQ+ experience
It’s very important to understand the everyday life of queer people, especially their struggles with identity and finding a place in the world. The best media that fully captures the LGBTQ+ experience is the 2018 film, “Love, Simon,” and the reality competition series, “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The movie and show represent what every queer person goes through, so you should definitely base your understanding of LGBTQ+ people on these heavily produced media.
In all seriousness, the best thing you can do for your queer friends is to be there for them. If they are struggling with coming to terms with their identity or coming out to their family, listen and offer support. You don’t have to go all out to show that you’re an ally because being a person’s rock is more than enough. It’s also very important to uplift and listen to queer voices because they’re often ignored. However, I wouldn’t mind if my straight friend sent me money for Starbucks; I could really go for a Frappuccino right now.
This is a satirical article written purely for entertainment purposes.
