Ally



Straight ally or just ally is a colloquial term that describes a heterosexual person who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, LGBTQ social movements, and challenges homophobia. A straight ally believes that LGBT people suffer discrimination and thus are socially disadvantaged. They aim to use their "privileged" position as straight people in a homophobic society to fight homophobia and heteronormativity.

Most LGBT organizations have straight members involved, others actively encourage straight participation. Gay-straight alliance is a student-run club that brings together LGBT and straight students to create a platform for activism to fight homophobia and transphobia. There are also some groups that only partially include the LGBT, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays is a US based organization that works specifically to bring straight allies into the LGBT rights movement. In 2007, the organization launched a new project, Straight for Equality, to help more straight allies become engaged in the LGBT movement. Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is another organization specifically formed to group allies of this cause.

Prominent examples of strong allies include Elton John's lyricist Bernie Taupin, singers Cher, Dannii Minogue, Cyndi Lauper, Barbra Streisand, and Liza Minnelli, actors Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Aniston, Charlize Theron, Cybil Shepherd, Sara Ramirez, Judith Light, Paul Newman, Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Darren Criss, Pauley Perrette and Stuart Townsend, director Jonathan Miller, comedians Kathy Griffin and Chelsea Handler, comedy writer Seth MacFarlane, musicians and spoken word artists Henry Rollins Jello Biafra and Neil Peart, legal scholar Alan Dershowitz, philosopher Martha Nussbaum, evolutionary scientist Richard Dawkins, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Footballer Philipp Lahm, philosopher Daniel Dennett, United States Democratic Senator Russ Feingold, United States Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich, policy analyst and Florida gubernatorial candidate Michael E. Arth, Robert Lewan president of the Michigan GSA, former Australian Greens Senator Kerry Nettle, civil rights leaders such as Coretta Scott King and Julian Bond, linguist Noam Chomsky, historian Richard Carrier, and mothers Betty DeGeneres and Judy Shepard. David M. Hall has a book, Allies at Work: Creating a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Inclusive Work Environment, that provides concrete steps for allies to create a more LGBT friendly workplace.