Diversity Thursday: Allyship

What does the term "allyship" mean?

Allyship in German means something like "solidarity" or "partiality". Allies are usually people who enjoy advantages in society due to certain characteristics (e.g. gender or nationality) and act as allies for marginalised people.

It is important to note that allyship is not an identity (being an ally), but an ongoing process (acting as an ally).

"In its basic idea, allyship is not an identity or a performance, but a process, an active action."

Source: FUMA Fachstelle Gender & Diversität NRW

Why is allyship important?

"Solidarity is one of the most important building blocks of a democratic society. It means empathising and standing up for others - even without being affected yourself."

Through allyship, people can utilise their own privileges in an appropriate way and use them for the good of all in a democratic society.

Source: HateAid gGmbH

How do I support less privileged people as an ally?

The golden rules of allyship:

1. Check your privilege.

Privileges are resources and advantages within society that are generally not the result of one's own performance, but are given by birth. It is important for allies to recognise that they have privileges and are therefore in a different starting position. Part of realising their own privilege involves learning about the experiences of less privileged people. This is also important in order to recognise discrimination.

2. Recognise everyday discrimination and react.

"Everyday discrimination is a more subliminal form of being treated differently or being belittled. People learn discriminatory attitudes through their upbringing, media role models or other influences. Many do not realise that their statements discriminate, marginalise and hurt." (HateAid gGmbH). If allies witness discriminatory situations, they can point out that a statement or question was discriminatory/hurtful, for example. Solidarity and empathy are important here.

3. Listen to those affected and believe them.

It is important to actively listen to those affected when they talk about their experiences. Even if it can be difficult for a non-affected person to imagine the situation, affected people should be believed without questioning their experiences.

4. Give those affected enough space.

Above all, allyship means getting involved and becoming active. However, this should be done without taking the space or the stage away from those affected. The role of the ally is a supporting role and does not take up more space than it should.

5. Educate and inform yourself.

People affected by discrimination may find it difficult to answer questions about discrimination and their own experiences to people who are not affected, as these are often associated with pain. It is therefore important for allies to accept that not every person affected will want to report or explain their experiences. It is therefore helpful to educate yourself, for example by actively researching literature, series or films that deal with forms of discrimination.

6. Support people who experience discrimination.

These tips can help you as an ally to actively support those affected and show solidarity with them.

Source: HateAid gGmbH

As an ally, where can I find anti-discrimination counselling centres?

• Contact points for discrimination at the H-BRS
• Overview Anti-discrimination counselling in the region
• Counselling Search NRW (ADA NRW)
•  Counselling Search of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Office 
• Victim Protection Organizations (Ministerium der Justiz NRW)
• Victim Protection Portal (Land NRW)
• LSBTIQ* Counselling NRW

Further information (most in German):

• #Allyship - FUMA Fachstelle Gender & Diversität NRW
• How to become an Ally: Die goldenen Regeln des Allyship – HateAid gGmbH
• 5 Tips For Being An Ally (Franchesca Leigh) - English
• Informieren: Mediathek der Vielfalt
• 5 Dinge, die Du als Ally tun kannst, um queere Menschen zu unterstützen – Campact e.V.
• White Allyship: Keine Selbstbeschreibung, sondern Handeln – Bönkost, Institut für diskriminierungsfreie Bildung
• Solidarität macht stark – GLADT e.V.