How to Show Support of LGBT Rights Even if You Are Not an Activist
Realistically speaking, LGBT people go through different challenges and disapproval every single day, and some of these can be quite violent to the extent that relationships between the same genders are strictly forbidden to the other end where it is allowed for LGBT couples to have relationships and live together while their marriages are not allowed. The point is that the LGBT community is marginalized and most of the members of this community tend to be discriminated against because of their choice. The basic human right is to live their lives per their own wishes and choosing to live their life with a partner of the same gender is one of them. The LGBT community faces the challenge of not being supported by society while support and understanding are all they want on their journey. For you to have a better understanding and to show some support to your LGBT friends here is how you can show your support even though you are not an activist.
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Be Smart: Use Your Privileges
There is power in diversity and it is up to you to recognize this as your main attribute. It is very demanding to witness discrimination if you are an empath and seeing other people suffer because of this will make you feel a kind of rage. But, instead of being furious, it is much better to be smart about your power and privilege of being part of the other half. This gives you the right of being the one that can change the atmosphere. Truth to be said, if we look at the statistics you will be able to see that majority of LGBT people are going through severe discrimination at their working place and you should in this situation recognize your power of yours and use it to your advantage. You might not influence the entire community but you can serve as a positive example if you support them every day and make them go through some situations with your support. There are a whole bunch of examples like this. For instance, there is a case from one American state where a man got discriminated against by his neighbors for coming out as a gay person, by everyone but one man. He showed his support to his neighbor by hanging LGBT flags all over his garden and home and this way showed his support. If you want to show your support the same way, you can get your LGBT flag at lgbtqflags.com.au and gift it to someone. There are numerous ways in which you can support your LGBT mates and showing them a minimal amount of support will make them feel accepted and loved for who they are. Never underestimate the power you hold.
Be Educated and Ask Smart Questions, Do Your Own Research
It is smart of you to be up to date when it comes to some current LGBT issues so for you to know how to behave and how to support your friends, and what is the best way for you to be there for them. Be cautious, it is not a good approach for you to demand your LGBT friends to relive their trauma, share their deepest privacy such as what are the things that attract them, or show their validation for you to feel relieved. It is fine to ask the questions unless they are too personal, offensive, or burdensome, which will leave them with uncomfortable sensations after your conversation. This is why it is crucial for you to be educated and to find your sources especially when it comes to some important stuff such as how to use gender pronouns.
Be Comfortable When Being Uncomfortable
It is expected for you to make some mistakes when getting to know the LGBT community better and it is completely fine, some effort is still better than no effort. If you get yourself in a bad situation then do not feel bad about it and do not engulf yourself in negative feelings and do not make yourself believe that you are a bad person because of this. Surely, there will be some negative experiences and situations when you will be extremely uncomfortable but do not make it influence your path, be ok with it, and do not let it shake you from the roots.
You need to understand how to react in the situations when LGBT people are brought into uncomfortable positions that will make you think about their position in society and if you have a bare minimum of empathy this will make you react against this type of oppression.
