Our intention with the guide is to cover all areas where someone may face discrimination, including gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, and disability. Each page will highlight issues that particular group (or a subsection of it) face, what allies can do to help - both in their everyday lives and if they see someone facing discrimination - and language surrounding the community that allies might not know.
It will include terms for people within the community and the language commonly used to describe certain situations relating to the group (for example, 'coming out' in relation to the LGBTQ+ community). It will also include dog whistles, which are phrases that people hostile to the marginalised group use to conceal their discrimination. These phrases are often used to make it seem like the person has a reasonable argument whilst acting as a signal to others who discriminate against that particular group. We are also keen to highlight some of the organisations that do work with that particular group, especially if the group is led by members of the community itself.
We have already had positive responses from the Ghyston team about the guide, with offers of helping it progress. As the guide develops, we hope that others will be happy to take over managing a page for an area they are particularly knowledgeable about, especially if they are a member of that community. We also hope it will encourage people to seek out answers to questions around terms and issues they might have heard but not understood, while also allowing them to ask questions about things that aren't covered. As language and circumstances constantly change, the guide should grow and change to reflect that.
Becky explains;
“There were two main motivations for me proposing the idea of an 'allies guide'. First, as a member of a marginalised community, there are a lot of things I wished my friends and colleagues knew that can be hard to bring up. Second, as someone who aims to be an ally to marginalised groups I'm not part of, there is still a lot to learn about how to effectively help those communities. I hope that the guide proves a useful resource for everyone at Ghyston and that those who feel comfortable doing so can contribute to it.”
Read our E,D&I policy here
