8 Queer People Explain The Best Ways To Support The LGBTQ Community Year-Round

Sometimes, language can be very powerful. If you're cisgender, Marzia, 30, tells Bustle, "always give your pronouns although you are already society-wise perceived correctly; that's exactly what we're tackling on a daily basis."

If you say casually "and I use she/her" or "I use he/him", it normalizes transgender, gender-fluid, and nonbinary people's own requests for the correct pronouns. Add your pronouns to your email signature, social media bios, or Lyft account, and ask people what pronouns they use in your daily life.

"Believe us when we say something is offensive," Sarah, 33, tells Bustle. Not everything is up for debate, even if you always raise your hand to play devil's advocate. GLAAD has an excellent guide to language that's rooted in bias. Further, you can use your privilege to stop this behavior in its tracks. "Call out fellow straight-cis-ally folks who are being offensive or disrespectful, even if you’re sure they 'don’t mean it.'"

I can't believe this is still happening either, but it is. "Stop asking who the man is in our relationship," Annis, 28, tells Bustle. "You would honestly think that this has been mocked so much that people wouldn't do it, but they really still do!" Step in when other people ask this question, too.

Transgender women are women, and allyship means including trans women in your feminism. Anna, 32, tells Bustle, "Don't be a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist)." Use your privilege to elevate the voices of transgender women feminists, and center them in your conversations about feminism.

If you wouldn't talk about fertility or make assumptions about pregnancy with a straight woman, don't do it with queer women either. "Be mindful that the normal rules of Don’t Make Assumptions About Women’s Fertility also apply to queer women, as they may also desperately want children; desperately want children but be unable, medically or financially, to have them; definitely not want children; be passionately indifferent to the issue," Verity, 24, tells Bustle.

This also goes for the invasive questions you'd never ask a straight couple. "Outside of explicitly queer spaces, I’ve never seen a queer woman announce that she’s having a kid without being met by a cacophony of quite intrusive reproductive questions, which wouldn’t have been asked of a straight woman becoming a parent," Verity says.

Just because you have a question or don't understand a political issue about LGBTQ rights doesn't mean the nearest queer person is ready to drop everything and tell you about it. Maybe they are, but it's more respectful to do your research. For instance, Annis says, "Don't ever say that there should be a straight pride. Maybe read something about it before positing that question to a queer person."

Supporting LGBTQ folks in your life goes beyond Pride parties. Anna tells Bustle, "Change your workplaces. Campaign for gender inclusive bathrooms; campaign for more inclusively-worded policies; put pronouns in your email signatures; don't assume your coworkers' pronouns or partners' pronouns (or number of them) please." The Human Rights Campaign and Stonewall have guides to improving the inclusivity of your workplace, if you're looking for resources to help.

This is a big one: check your assumptions at the door. "Don’t make assumptions that all femme women are straight," Sass, 32, tells Bustle. "Don’t make assumptions that queer femme women must be bisexual. (Or that it’s a given when they, in fact, are bisexual.) Or that they must be into certain types of people/certain types of sex."

And when queer people assert their identities, believe them first time. "When I say ‘I’m a lesbian’ please don’t ask ‘Are you sure? You don’t look like a lesbian’ or ‘Are you sure you’re not bi?’," Frances, in her 20s, tells Bustle. "Please be supportive when people come out to you and respect their labels. It takes bravery to come out, and a little support goes a long way."

"I think little things that challenge assumed heteronormativity can be good too," Donherra, 30, tells Bustle. "If you don't know someone well, ask them if they’ve got a partner rather than a boyfriend or girlfriend. It subtly signals that you aren’t assuming they’re straight. That would be a positive one, especially for people who might be more anxious about coming out."

Bisexual people often experience discrimination from both straight and queer communities, and it's important to consciously fight these biases. "There is no privilege in never being seen or respected for who you actually are," Anna says.

At Pride? Pay attention to the space around you and be respectful. "Don't hog spaces in pride marches if they're limited," says Anna, which holds true for virtual events, too. "It ain't your party."

Being an ally is more than just putting on a pin and declaring yourself supportive. It's a series of acts every day to make queer people feel at home, safe, and respected. Openly showing your allyship will also help other cisgender straight people feel OK with declaring their support for the queer community — so wear your love for us with pride.