New Year, New Advocate

Elected officials and policy makers need to hear the voices of all who support LGBTQIA+ equality and inclusion. Members of the queer and trans community appreciate your support!

If you are looking for ways to advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, Seattle Pride has you covered.

Before you jump into lobbying your legislators or organizing a protest, it's important to make sure you are taking leadership from those who are the most impacted by the issues you care about. Not sure how to do that? Read on!

Remember to...

1. Recognize your privilege
Everyone carries with them certain levels of privilege, and having privilege does not mean that you are immune to life’s hardships... but it does mean having an unearned benefit or advantage one receives in society by nature of your identity. Examples of types of identity that can afford an individual privilege include: race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, country of origin, language, and/or ability. By recognizing your privilege, you are better equipped to listen and take leadership from those who are the most impacted.

2. Educate yourself
One of the first things to do when attempting to be a better ally is to educate oneself. It can be daunting to know what to do or how to behave, but thankfully the internet has a plethora of information to get you started! One of the best places to start when first learning about the LGBTQIA+ community is with basic LGBTQIA+ terminology. Check out the Seattle Pride Pinterest board ("Seattle Pride Educates") for some great who's who / what's what terminology and more!

3. Acknowledge the reality
While it is still dangerous for all in the LGBTQIA+ community to live authentically to some degree, we need to acknowledge that Black trans women are the most targeted and hurt by hate crimes. Make sure you take some time to research what has been going on around the country so you can truly understand the breadth and depth of anti-LGBTQIA+ crimes... specifically against our most marginalized and targeted communities.

Are you ready to jump in?
Great!

Here are just a few ways you can make a real difference!

• E-mail or call the White House and your U.S. Senators and Representatives when federal issues emerge. For a list of legislation that can help - or severely harm - the LGBTQIA+ community, check out the ACLU website (updated weekly).
  
• E-mail or call the governor and members of your state legislature to support state-level nondiscrimination legislation, such as marriage equality and other LGBTQIA+ civil rights measures. You can find a list of LGBTQIA+-related bills in Washington state on the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) website.
  
• Become involved in state and local coalitions addressing LGBTQIA+ policy issues. Currently, the GSBA is serving as a convening body of multiple LGBTQIA+ organizations throughout Washington.
  
• Contact Equal Rights Washington (ERW). ERW is Washington's statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) advocacy and community outreach organization. ERW's mission is to ensure and promote dignity, safety, and equality for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Washingtonians.
  
  
• Join Seattle Pride's Advocacy Alert list! When something happens that threatens our LGBTQIA+ community, it's important that we respond quickly and in full force; that's why we created our Advocacy Alerts. When you sign up, you'll receive emails from Seattle Pride about recent developments, legislative bills that could use your advocacy, and ways to get vocal on social media.

There you have it! There are always more ways to advocate, but this is a great jumping-off point for 2022! Thank you for caring about our LGBTQIA+ community.