on the use of the word “Ally”

I’ll never call myself an ally to any of the groups I’m privileged over. Here’s why:

1. It’s for the marginalized to say who is and is not an ally.
2. I get to walk away from issues that don’t affect me. There is always that option, so anything I do regarding them is easier for me than for the marginalized.
3. No matter how much effort I put into an issue, it isn’t enough.The oppression will still exist, and won’t directly affect me.
4. No matter how hard I try, I will still occasionally fuck up.

Here’s why I don’t like it when people call themselves allies axes of marginalization that affect me:

1. If you are an ally, I’ll be able to tell by your actions, not your self applied label.
2. If you call yourself an ally, it’s easy to forget that you need to do the job to earn that.
3. It still doesn’t mean that you understand what I’m going thru, and I can’t forget that.
4. Some people seem to think that being an ally gives them a carte blanche for fuckups. It doesn’t.

So yeah, I really don’t care for the term ally as used by most people. And anyone who thinks that straight allies deserve a flag can go fuck themselves.

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