What’s an Ally?

What’s an Ally?

According to Webster’s Dictionary of the American Language (1966), an ally is someone “joined with another for a common purpose.”This definition serves as a starting point to develop a working definition of an ally as this term relates to issues of oppression. We will define an ally as “A person who is a member of the ‘dominant’ or ‘majority’ group who works to end oppression in his or her personal and professional life through support of and as an advocate with and for, the oppressed population.”- Nancy J. Evans and Jamie Washington, “Becoming an Ally,” Beyond Tolerance: Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals on Campus.

An ally is a person who works both to facilitate the development of all students around issues of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression and to improve the experience of LGBTQIA people. Allies can identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, cisgender, intersex, queer, questioning, or heterosexual.

Faculty, administrators, and staff are encouraged to become a part of the Ally program at Brookdale. For more information, contact ally@brookdalecc.edu