A panel called “I Love Gay People” discussed the value of allyship within the LGBTQ community yesterday morning.
Members of the panel, held at the Hinckley Institute of Politics, included students and staff who were asked questions regarding the definition of an ally and the effect of allies on the community.
Allison Boyer, a student speaking on the panel and a senior in environmental and sustainability studies, prefers the word “advocate” over “ally.” She said sometimes so-called “allies” will actually cause more harm than good.
Boyer said songs, such as “Same Love” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, that are meant to support equality can actually cause damage within the community and exclude certain parts of it.
“Macklemore is not my theme song; Lady Gaga is not my queen,” Boyer said.
Gita Rani Mehrotra, a professor in the College of Social Work, said sometimes “allies” will only become engaged in the work in order to feel better about themselves. She said the responsibility of real allies is to participate with other allies, not just the group they are fighting for.
Brianne Blanchard, executive secretary of the LGBT Resource Center, said the word “ally” needs to become a verb instead of its current status as a noun or title.
“When someone says they’re an ally, it instantly makes me cynical or suspicious,” Blanchard said.
Blanchard said allies need to take more time to listen than to talk. People are sometimes “too nervous” to speak out, Blanchard said, and that does harm.
Boyer said sometimes “stepping down” in order to allow others to speak out is also important.
“Let people get a voice who do not usually have one,” Boyer said.
Bryan Hotchkins, a postdoctoral research associate, said it is good to first respond to a situation with vulnerability. First process what was heard, then reach a space where “you can be confrontational.”
Ali Sadler, a junior in political science, said although it was a good panel, this is not “fun work.”
“I’m reflecting, that’s how I should be feeling,” Sadler said.
Ken Wright, an undeclared senior, said he saw the panel in passing and joined because he wanted to educate himself more on the subject. Wright, who said he identifies as gay, feels he is not as much a part of the community as he feels he should be. Wright described the panel as being “highly intellectual.”
“Rhetoric is extremely powerful,” Wright said.
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