You don’t need to know everything before you can take action as an ally to people who are trans or nonbinary*—and your work doesn’t stop when you feel like you’ve reached Super-Ally status. Consider incorporating these suggestions to build your ally skills and create a lasting difference.

1. Ask questions. Be respectful, appropriate, and remember that “no” is a complete sentence.
2. Do homework. There are organizations, resources, and tools that you can use to educate yourself and others. Go to straightforequality.org/trans to get started.
3. Vocalize inclusion. Add your personal pronouns to verbal introductions, email signatures, professional bios, name tags, etc.
4. Avoid gendered language. Be mindful of terms, phrases, and colloquialisms that reinforce gender as a binary construct (e.g., ladies and gentlemen, you guys, dude, etc.)
5. Elevate and uplift. Center the voices of trans and nonbinary* people when recognizing events like the Transgender Day of Visibility, Nonbinary Peoples’ Day, and Trans Awareness month.
6. Stop the violence. Support efforts to address anti-trans violence.
7. Become an advocate. Organize or join efforts in your community to protect the rights of trans and nonbinary* people where you live.

*For this document, trans and nonbinary* is intended to encompass anyone whose gender identity or expression is not the same as what they were assigned at birth.