Читать книгу The Savvy Ally - Jeannie Gainsburg - Страница 12

This book is focused on how to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ communities, not why to be an ally. There are many great books, movies, videos, and blogs out there that focus on the realities of living in our world as an LGBTQ+ person, the history of LGBTQ+ discrimination, and why allies are so important. They have been created with the purpose of motivating non-LGBTQ+ individuals to get involved. This book is not one of them. If you picked up this book, it’s my hope that you are already on board with the idea that the world needs to be more LGBTQ+ inclusive and you want to know how you can help.

This book is a collection of the tools and skills that I have discovered over the past fifteen years to be most useful in being an ally to the LGBTQ+ communities. It includes pointers for having respectful and effective conversations, the most common places that allies get tripped up or stuck, and best-practice solutions for creating spaces that are LGBTQ+ inclusive. The book is divided into four main sections dealing with the following topics: (1) becoming knowledgeable allies, (2) building skills for having respectful conversations, (3) taking action to create more LGBTQ+ inclusive spaces, and (4) allying responsibly. My goal in writing this book is to create allies who are more active, who are kind to themselves, and who find ways to make allyship a sustainable part of their everyday life, not a frenzied burst of action followed by exhaustion or disillusionment. This book helps you navigate an often confusing and intimidating world of identities and terms and offers suggestions for creating positive change with your words and actions. It’s not as daunting as it may seem. You’ve got this!