For Allies
1. Use the words lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender. It will make us feel less invisible and it will teach others to say it too.
2. Examine how you became heterosexual - because there is as much or as little 'cause' for that as there is for us.
3. Don't always claim heterosexual rights by making it clear you are straight. Cast doubts in people's minds about your own sexual orientation. Make it clear that it would be no insult to mistake you for a lesbian or a gay man.
4. Don't assume anyone is exclusively heterosexual. Use gender-neutral language when talking about your spouse and when talking about someone else's.
5. Don't 'out' us. We may have told you that we are gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual, but don't assume that we have chosen to share this with others. Just because we're 'out' in one situation, doesn't mean we're 'out' in another. Respect our right to make these decisions and declarations on our own.
6. Let the people you care about know that whomever they chose to love, you will celebrate with them.
7. Actively support us in our struggle to obtain human rights protection for lesbians and gays, bisexuals and transgenders.
