Individuals and corporations have co-opted the LGBTQ movement to lift themselves up and paint themselves as progressive to gain sympathy and bank on “pink money” or the purchasing power of the LGBTQ community. There is a lot of debate on what good allyship looks like. Shutterstock How Can You Be A Better Straight Ally? This is why it’s so important for the LGBTQ community to have straight allies in positions of power who can use their voice and privilege to help enact change. Part of the problem that LGBTQ people face in fighting discriminatory policies and legislation is the lack of representation in the legal system. Today, transgender athletes are also facing bans from girls’ and women’s sports programs in 10 states. Thus, they are far more likely to experience unemployment, houselessness, mental illness, substance abuse, as well as have insufficient access to gender-affirming healthcare. In the US, transgender and gender non-conforming people, in particular, continue to face significant discrimination in employment, medicine, and housing. In many countries, it is still legal to discriminate against someone on the basis of sex and gender.
However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Today, same-sex marriage is legal in 31 countries. It’s true that significant progress has been made toward achieving equality for LGBTQ people around the world.
