LGBTQ community needs extensive support from society to achieve the goal of equality. Apart from the understanding about physical, psychological and behavioral the community needs support for legal and social lights at national, state and local levels. It is fact that most of the people are unaware of the physiological and psychological aspects involved in LGBTQ personality and accordingly builds assumption validating the prevalent notions. The challenge is in making people aware of issues and challenges that the community faces and how a little bit of support could help in making everyone feel great.
Your support can be a big boost in the struggle to get a unique identity and rights required for survival. So, help the community in mobilizing resources for the long-drawn battle for survival. You are proactive in your support and want to make the difference. Here are some of the simple things you can do to support the LGBTQ community:
Eat with LGBTQ
Make your friend from LGBTQ community part of the most fundamental need i.e. hunger. This food bond is everlasting in making a huge difference in terms of acceptance. The networking that happens on dining table remains etched in the psyche for a longer period of time. It is not just food, but slowly you start accepting dressing, behavior, personality traits and most importantly you learn how to break social barriers.
Pray with LGBTQ Friend
After food, religion is the biggest leveler as all religion talks fundamentally about the equality and non-existence of division in the eyes of God. People start accepting LGBTQs also the creation of the same God, and this acceptance eliminates several prevalent social biases and prejudices. What is your religious practice invite friends from LGBTQ community and make them part of the celebration? This small effort will take them to the next level of struggle i.e. survival.
Work with LGBTQ
You are eating, praying with your LGBTQ friends and this is commendable. Now take a step forward and let your friend be part of the workforce. Since you are already a part of an organization, you can influence the decision-making process in favor of the community. Create an environment where people from the community could be welcomed and allowed to participate in making the difference. Your effort in making your organization suitable for LGBTQ people will be the greatest support in the mission of survival.
Donation & Fuel
It is not just about an individual. You are doing great in supporting your friend, but the larger cause is the upliftment of millions of people from the community who struggle hard to mobiles resources. There are several active organizations working in specific areas like legal rights, political rights, social rights, and these struggles requires funds to take forward. Every dollar you contribute goes in making life better. In this world money matters most, and when you share your money for LGBTQ causes this makes the support special in terms of acceptance. It is not just about you contributing from your savings, you can actively participate in fundraising events organized by the community and make your own pitch.
Practical Support
You are there to support emotionally, financially and the community appreciates your effort. We are a little selfish when we get a supporter and naturally expect more from you. We want your visible support in events like parade, fundraising or music fests so that our acceptance level increase by your presence. Invite LGBTQ friends in your events so that we could make out presence felt and impress your community to be more receptive. It is like asking too much but there is no option either. Being a person in power you can act as a change agent and, help the community build its own bridge to minimize the gap and eliminate barriers. If you are heading an organization your employment policy change could be a game-changer, your informative discourse to highlight challenges and opportunities could help in a big way.
LGBTQ Infra
The community appreciates the priority given to our differently-abled brother and sisters as far as public amenities are concerned. We are equal when it comes to discrimination and neglect. But being a part of the LGBTQ community, transgender also needs some specific treatment as there is no room in between men and women when it comes to restrooms. Awareness about an issue is a very low level, and it needs to be highlighted time and again until the dimension of equality is achieved. Being an active support agent you can play your role by making your organizational infra suitable for the transgender community.
Gender Stereotypes
You are either a man or woman and you are expected to behave accordingly. This is the biggest barrier when it comes to realization of LGBTQ rights. One can achieve political, social and economic liberation by struggle, but when it comes to mental liberation, it will always come from the opposite end, meaning you. Your support in breaking these gender stereotypes will make this struggle a true success. Social conditioning is perfectly valid for human civilization to evolve through sexual identity, and the community is not against that basic instinct, but in ideal set up the community expects the society to be a little receptive to the fact that LGBTQs are also born out of the same evolutionary passion.
Awareness is the key here and all resources should be mobilized in the direction to make people aware of physical, psychological and behavioral aspects of the LGBTQ community. Once that basic level of understanding is there, all issues related to living, survival or betterment could be addressed in the right manner. Symbolism in linguistic parlance matters a lot and your support for rainbow will make it effective in terms of passing the message of unity in diversity as you will be medium to carry the message inside. We all are one and we all equal rights, it is as simple as that!