There are so many ways to be an ally: there are political and social and youth organizations that need money or supplies or time, or artists who need support, or school diversity and conflict resolution programs that teach people better skills to cope with differences that frighten or dismay them.

But really it all starts in one’s own heart. If all you do is walk through the world with your open heart, then chances to help will come to you. Open the door for a guy wearing a dress and high heels, and if she tells you her name is Sally, call her Sally. That small everyday act of recognizing someone the way they recognize themselves and according them full humanity — wow, that’s a gift we can all give each other no matter who or where we are. And it’s a gift that ripples. When people see you do it, sometimes they go off and think and start to do it too.

I don’t mean this to sound like some woo lecture from the All-Wise Me. It’s just that I’m not a joiner or much of a volunteer. So for me, being an ally is intensely personal. It’s about engaging and listening and learning. And by asking what people need rather than assuming they need the same things as me.

Which you have just done; and what I know of you is that you are this kind of person. Which brings us back to the beginning: just by being yourself, just by leaving this comment, just by asking, you just helped. Thank you.

Kindest,

David