Are you an "ally"- or an ally?

There's this perception that allyship is easy, when genuine allyship is fraught with making mistakes and taking a genuine, hard look at yourself and asking if you might consciously or unconsciously perpetuate some of the cruelties you may claim to stand against. There's also a perception that it's all fun and games. Allyship sometimes means taking the hatred, vitriol and insanity that comes with standing with minoritised people.

This pride month has been so disappointing- seeing Oxfam pull their video where anti trans people were correctly identified as a vitriolic hate group who bully trans people then offer a mealy "everyone is allowed to exist UwU" statement, watching sports teams and celebrities espouse support for the LGBT+ only to remove it when receiving a fraction of the hate we receive ourselves just for existing, or sharing damaging propaganda which is designed to further demonise us in the eyes of a society that barely grudgingly tolerates us at the best of times.

I feel like we're at the doorway of a descent into a very dark time when people are going to continue to condone escalating rhetoric against us- prove me wrong. Understand what an ally is, what allyship is, face up to whatever dark thoughts you have and deal with & conquer them- and help us to stop the escalating hatred before we pass through the threshold.