The Savvy Ally Quotes

“If you won’t make peace with different points of view, what’s inclusive about your diversity? —Irshad Manji”
― Jeannie Gainsburg, The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate

“Why do people struggle when the person they are trying to identify is a person of color? I believe it is fear. Well-meaning white folks are fearful of not using the correct term (black or person of color or African American?), they are fearful that identifying someone by skin color is disrespectful (unless they’re white), and they are fearful that someone will interpret their words as racist. In my experience, within white communities, at best, there are conversations about a fear of accidentally saying something offensive. At worst, there is a lot of finger pointing and labeling people racist. We are all racist, sexist, homophobic, ageist, classist, ablest, sizest … and we are all fully capable of saying racist, sexist, homophobic, ageist, classist, ablest, body-shaming things. Pointing fingers gets us nowhere. As allies to any marginalized community we need to talk about these biases and focus on the impact of our words and actions, rather than labeling and shaming others. I challenge us all not to shy away from conversations about race and intersectionality, but to bravely embrace them and create spaces for honest discussions without judgment and with the assumption of good intent.”
― Jeannie Gainsburg, The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate

“Crenshaw said: I was struck by this case. It felt to me like injustice squared. So first of all, black women weren’t allowed to work at the plant. Second of all, the court doubled down on this exclusion by making it legally inconsequential. And to boot, there was no name for this problem. And we all know that, where there’s no name for a problem, you can’t see a problem, and when you can’t see a problem, you pretty much can’t solve it.”
― Jeannie Gainsburg, The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate

“For those who are unfamiliar with the word intersectionality, it basically means that we all have many identities that make us who we are and shape our experiences. Our age, race, body size, ability, ethnicity, class, orientation, gender identity, and gender expression are part of who we are, and they are all interconnected. You cannot simply add together the gendered experience of being a woman and the racial experience of being a person of color and come up with the lived experience of a woman of color. The ways that race and gender come together create unique experiences and produce unique societal challenges.”
― Jeannie Gainsburg, The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate

“Myths and stereotypes hold us all back. They are perpetuated by people both outside of and within the LGBTQ+ communities, and they are dangerous things.”
― Jeannie Gainsburg, The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate

“You will do badly. Do it anyway. Do it anyway. Do not let your fear be bigger than your commitment.”
― Jeannie Gainsburg, The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate

“We are curious beings, but assumptions are dangerous. All we typically see or “know” about people is their gender expression. Do not attempt to fill in the rest (i.e., biological sex, gender identity, attraction, and intimate behaviors). As allies, we should focus on what we need to know about a person—often, simply how someone would like to be addressed or referred to—in order to be respectful.”
― Jeannie Gainsburg, The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate

“How Can I Tell If Someone Is Gay? This one is easy. You can’t. All you can see is someone’s gender expression.”
― Jeannie Gainsburg, The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate

“The answer is that living a life where you cannot be your authentic self is a difficult life, and it’s incredibly painful.”
― Jeannie Gainsburg, The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate