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Are You A True Ally To the LGBT Community? This Scale Can Help You Find Out

New research led by Jacqueline Chen of the University of Utah helps separate the true LGBT+ allies from the posers.

Mark Travers, Ph.D.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D.

June 4, 2023

Mark Travers, Ph.D., is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, responsible for new client intake and placement. Mark received his B.A. in psychology, magna cum laude, from Cornell University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. His academic research has been published in leading psychology journals and has been featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker, among other popular publications. He is a regular contributor for Forbes and Psychology Today, where he writes about psycho-educational topics such as happiness, relationships, personality, and life meaning. Click here to schedule an initial consultation with Mark or another member of the Awake Therapy team. Or, you can drop him a note here.

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A new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology attempts to quantify a thorny issue: what it means to be a true ally to the LGBT community.

The researchers, led by Jacqueline Chen of the University of Utah, designed an 11-question scale to measure different facets of the LGBT experience — facets that LGBT-affiliated individuals view as important when judging people's understanding and support of their cause.

Do you view yourself as an LGBT ally? Take this test to find out. Please follow all of the steps to receive your results.

References: Chen, J. M., Joel, S., & Castro Lingl, D. (2023). Antecedents and consequences of LGBT individuals’ perceptions of straight allyship. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Step 1: Rate the following statements based on how much you agree with them on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree.

1. You want equal rights for everyone

2. You care that people are treated fairly

3. You are non-judgmental of others

4. You are accepting of others

5. You speak out against anti-LGBT discrimination

6. You fight for the equality of LGBT+ people

7. You vocally support the LGBT+ community

8. You seek out opportunities to learn about LGBT+ issues

9. You listen more than you speak in discussions of LGBT issues

10. You keep the focus off of yourself in discussions of LGBT issues

11. You avoid focusing group conversations about LGBT issues on your own opinions and experiences

0 of 0 questions answered

Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores with people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.