Ally Week is a national youth-led effort empowering students to be allies against anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) bullying, harassment and name-calling in K-12 schools, it is also used in some colleges. It was created by Joe Montana and other youth members of the Gay Lesbian & Straight Education Network GLSEN National JumpStart Student Leadership Team. It is done in the same spirit as Day of Silence to educate on anti-LGBT harassment issues. It is usually held in September or October, often coinciding with National Coming Out Day on October 11. October is also LGBT History Month. The event started in October 2005 and has grown since.
The goal of Ally Week is to diminish stereotypes and exclusion while highlighting that peer support for LGBT students is stronger than the students themselves may have thought existed. In a survey of 240 undergraduates regarding what peer support they felt LGBT students had, research found that their personal attitudes were significantly more positive than they thought their friends and fellow students held. Allies are identified as supporters but not necessarily members of a marginalized group.
During Ally Week people are encouraged to sign an ally pledge "taking a stand for a safe and harassment-free school for all students", and that they will not use anti-LGBT language and slurs, they will intervene if possible to stop bullying and harassment and support safer schools efforts. In 2008 the pledge cards were mistakenly used with kindergartners and opponents of gay marriage used this to correlate to the Proposition 8 battle in California, GLSEN stated they would review materials and ensure they were appropriate for all grade levels.
In 2010 the campaign is encouraging awareness of the Safe Schools Improvement Act, similar to the recently signed "Dignity for all Students Act" (New York State) legislation to protect LGBT students from bullying.
Famous quotes containing the words ally and/or week:
“Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? And well you should not. For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is.”
—Leigh Brackett (1915–1978)
“A friend and I flew south with our children. During the week we spent together I took off my shoes, let down my hair, took apart my psyche, cleaned the pieces, and put them together again in much improved condition. I feel like a car that’s just had a tune-up. Only another woman could have acted as the mechanic.”
—Anna Quindlen (20th century)