This past Friday, Sen. Ed Emery spoke at a meeting where he spent much of his time spreading false information and hateful messaging about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Much of what Sen. Emery said was not just offensive, it was dangerous. 

We know many of you hear these same things at your workplace, in your neighborhoods, or even at your own family dinners. Sometimes we don’t know how to respond to statements like these from our colleagues, and we want you to be prepared. Thanks to Sen. Emery’s comments, we created an Ally’s Guide with these real-life examples of anti-LGBT messages and how you can respond as an ally or an LGBT person yourself.

We all have the power to speak out when we hear anti-LGBT statements made by colleagues, friends, and family. Changing hearts and minds of those around us is an important responsibility we must all share. In honor of LGBT History Month, we hope this guide helps you the next time you hear similar things said about yourself or your friends and family.