Heterosexual Allies and Same-Sex Equality

Movements for LGBTQ2S+ rights have long drawn on supporters from outside the communities most affected. In Canada, one example was a Toronto group of heterosexual allies who wanted a part in public debates over marriage, schools and respect. Its chair described the group's work in an interview with a Canadian sexuality magazine.

Roots in the marriage debate

The group traced its beginnings to the period when Canadian courts were recognizing same-sex marriage and public argument over the question ran hot. The chair recalled watching a televised panel on a Christian network where one participant voiced sympathy for traditional marriages that would supposedly lose value. He read that as implying his own marriage was worth less, and he gathered politically active friends to speak for straight people who felt differently. Federal legislation later extended civil marriage to same-sex couples, and the group made a formal launch in Toronto with a website, a mission statement, a steering committee, printed shirts and a banner for the Pride Parade.

School presentations

The main program was a talk for high school students that takes on common myths about homosexuality. Organizers tried to lower stigma by describing sexual orientation as an ordinary variation of human life. They reported warm responses from the schools they visited. In one northern Ontario town, a teacher decided afterward to start a gay-straight alliance, and at another school a principal who had rejected the idea reversed course. Gay-straight alliances are student clubs that offer support and social space for LGBTQ2S+ students and their friends, and their status in Canadian schools, particularly publicly funded Catholic boards, has prompted provincial legislation and public disagreement.

The chair said the group saw high school as the place where allies could make the biggest difference, because students often face harassment where no adult is nearby. Hearing classmates repeat the arguments from the talk, he said, was the most rewarding outcome.

Letters, rallies and parades

A second activity was a continuing letter-writing campaign. Public figures and companies seen as supportive of same-sex rights received thanks, while those who made derogatory remarks received letters of protest. Members also attended rallies, including gatherings around a Catholic school board decision on alliance policy and a vigil for a victim of anti-gay violence. Because the group relied on supporters and fundraising alone, the chair said it could not take on as many causes as it wished.

At Toronto Pride, the group marched under its own banner and invited other straight allies to join. The chair noted that the only unfriendly reaction came from people who briefly mistook the name for that of an opposing group, a confusion that faded once they read the banner.

Allies in the wider movement

Commentators disagree about the role of allies. Some regard organized straight supporters as evidence of broad social acceptance and as a way to reach people who would not listen to LGBTQ2S+ speakers. Others argue that people directly affected hold the leading role in advocacy. Many groups try to combine both approaches, with allies working under the direction of community organizations.