For Allies

An ally is someone who stands up for and cheers on the people around them. In the LGBTQIA+ community it refers to a cisgender, straight person who wants to help make the world safer for everyone.

Being a good ally means showing support, listening, and boosting queer voices. Take care of people in your life who need support, and encourage your friends and family to also be allies. Learn about important issues, listen to LGBTQIA+ people, and let them speak for themselves. It can also mean volunteering your time, donating to important causes, and making sure to vote for leaders and legislation that protects LGBT people from discrimination.

Allies are essential to the cause of LGBTQIA+ equality. An ally can show support for queer friends, family members, co-workers, peers, classmates, and community members in a myriad of ways.

Practice Pronouns!

A huge thing you can do as an ally is to educate people about how to use people's correct pronouns, gently correct people when they misgender someone, and help educate others.

You may see the Pronouns Zine on the OPA table at events. It's a really helpful tool to help understand pronouns. We purchased a license from the creators to be allowed to print and distribute them. If you see us, feel free to grab one! Otherwise you can purchase one directly from the creators, Stacy Fatemi and Noah Brown.

Zine: Pronouns: What's the Big Deal?

The Pronoun Zine is a simple, easy-to-read booklet that provides the reader with all the tools they need to understand and respect people’s pronouns! Zine by Stacy Fatemi, with illustrations by Noah Brown.
In it, you’ll find… 

Support Gender-Affirming Care Fundraisers
Gender-affirming care can be life saving for transgender, non-binary and gender-expansive people. Donating directly to fundraisers to help people pay for surgery, HRT or a safe place to live makes a huge impact on people’s lives. Even if all you have is $5, that’s going to directly support a person in need.

Click here to see a page of Gender-Affirming Care Fundraisers on GoFundMe.

Donate to LGBTQ+ Orgs

Otsego Pride Alliance
OPA helps to create opportunities and provide resources to the LGBTQIA+ community in Otsego county. Your donations go towards free LGBTQIA+ events, the Kota Flood Memorial Scholarship Fund, as well as projects such as bringing the AIDS Quilt to Otsego County.

Trans Lifeline
Trans Lifeline is a grassroots hotline and microgrants non-profit organization offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis – for the trans community, by the trans community.

The Trevor Project
Providing support and information for LGBTQ young people 24/7, all year round.

Okra Project
The Okra Project is a collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by bringing home cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People wherever we can reach them.

SNAP CO
Solutions not punishment collaborative is a black trans and queer led organization that builds safety within our community, investing in our collective embodied leadership, and building political power.

Trans Housing Coalition (THC)
The Trans Housing Coalition (THC) is a Trans-led and founded organization that began as a photography and grassroots crowdfunding project (The Homeless Black Trans Women Fund) aimed at getting chronically homeless Black Trans women off the streets.

Black Trans Travel Fund
The Black Trans Travel Fund is a grassroots, Black Trans led Collective, providing Black transgender women with financial and material resources needed to remove barriers to self-determining and accessing safer travel options. Donated funds are redistributed directly to Black trans women in need, who can then have the autonomy to purchase private car ride services, purchase gas for their own vehicles, pay family or friends for a ride, or other alternatives of their choosing that best suit their comfort and needs.