Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 184
•
Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-5381-3940-0 • Hardback • March 2020 • $32.00 • (£25.00)
978-1-5381-3677-5 • Paperback • March 2020 • $16.00 • (£11.95)
978-1-5381-3678-2 • eBook • March 2020 • $15.00 • (£11.95)
Jeannie Gainsburg is an educational trainer and consultant in the field of LGBTQ+ inclusion and effective allyship. Formerly the Education Director at the Out Alliance in Rochester, N.Y., she has personally facilitated or cofacilitated more than five hundred trainings and workshops in more than twenty different states at corporations, colleges, government agencies, K-12 schools, hospitals, faith communities, and more. Gainsburg has a BA in psychology from Brown University and an MA in social work and social research from Bryn Mawr College. She was under the impression that a citation was the result of driving too fast until January of 2019, when she received one from the New York State Assembly for Distinguished Educational & Human Rights Services for her work in promoting LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion. The Savvy Ally is her first book. Visit her website and download free ally goodies at: www.savvyallyaction.com.
Prologue
1 Getting Started
PART I: BECOMING KNOWLEDGEABLE ALLIES
2 The Glossary Is at the Back
3 Coming Out as LGBTQ+
4 Orientations, Identities, Behaviors—Oh My!
PART II: BUILDING SKILLS FOR HAVING RESPECTFUL CONVERSATIONS
5 LGBTQ+ Etiquette
6 Gaydar and Other Problematic Assumptions
7 Good Talk: The Art of Useful Conversations
8 Common Bloopers
PART III: TAKING ACTION TO CREATE MORE INCLUSIVE SPACES
9 Straight Pride Parades and Special Snowflakes:
Addressing Common Questions
10 Duct Tape Patch-up Jobs and Big Fixes: Two Paths to Travel toward More Inclusive Spaces
11 Taking It to the Streets
PART IV: ALLYING RESPONSIBLY
12 Ally Backlash
13 Sustainability
Glossary
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author
This is it. You found it—the very best guide on how not to make mistakes with LGBTQ+ employees, customers, students, congregants, patients, and family members. If you want to be an effective ally for LGBTQ+ people, buy and read The Savvy Ally. I very enthusiastically endorse this book.
— Brian McNaught, named by The New York Times “The Godfather of Gay Diversity Training”
I was really hesitant to read a book written about the LGBTQ+ community by someone who does not identify as LGBTQ+. I read the first few pages with skepticism, ready to poke holes in the book. And... I have never been so happy to be proven wrong! Jeannie's book is filled with great information for anyone who wants to understand what it means to be an advocate for LGBTQ+ people and how to act as an ally. It's also educational for those within the community - I found myself saying "huh! I didn't know that!" multiple times as I was reading. I loved the book so much that we offered the book as a virtual book club at work during pride month this June. My colleagues had rich and meaningful discussion and we would highly recommend it!
— Cara Pelletier, senior director of Diversity, Equity & Belonging, Ultimate Kronos Group
This is a beautiful book. A necessary book. An unputdownable book. Please read this book.
— Alison Smith, Lambda Literary Award Winner and author of Name All the Animals
If you want to support LGBTQ+ people but no one has ever taught you how, this is the book for you. Written in an accessible and entertaining style, The Savvy Ally is filled with useful scenarios, tips, and examples to help you transition from well-intentioned bystander to effective and informed advocate.
— Robyn Ochs, named by Teen Vogue as one of “9 Bisexual Women Who are Making History”
This book is long overdue and I loved reading it! It is a call to action in a positive, optimistic and engaging way - a masterful blend of information, personal stories, humor and serious content. This is much more than just an informative book. It is designed to build skills that can be translated into ongoing, meaningful action. If you want to be an effective LBGTQ+ ally, buy this book. It won’t just sit on your shelf. You’ll use it every day!
— Mike Streeter, executive director, Workforce Diversity Network
The Savvy Ally provides a successful foray into the confusing and ever-changing world of being an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. The thoughtful definitions, the various analogies, and the personal examples used to clarify issues are always helpful and often brilliant. Clearly, Gainsburg’s many years of “operating in solidarity with” the LGBTQ+ community have provided her with the necessary insight to create such a useful tool. I am grateful for such a perceptive and kindhearted book!
— Matthew Burns, Dean of Students, University of Rochester
The Savvy Ally is a read for everyone. It is one of the best tutorials I’ve read that offers key insights into LGBTQ communities while offering practical guidance and action-oriented tips that will help allies become more culturally competent, respectful and impactful in their interactions, both personally and in business.
— Joseph L. Searles, Corporate Diversity Relations Director, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
I love the compassionate sentiment that is weaved through this book that being an ally doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, it means being able to acknowledge when a mistake is made and then trying your best to be better. If you truly want to be an ally, The Savvy Ally will lead the way through real life examples, questions that make you go hmm. . . and ‘what if’ scenarios. Thank you Jeannie Gainsburg for supporting my ally journey!
— Kimberly Braithwaite, Senior Human Resource Manager, Barilla America Inc. and one of Diversity Journal’s 2019 “Women Worth Watching”
Our Active Ally workshops on campus are full of folks who genuinely want to be great allies but lack the information and more importantly the confidence to step proudly into that role. The Savvy Ally is a book I will recommend again and again for its thoughtful approach to gaining knowledge, skill and confidence. It's a much needed tool in our box!
— Kelly Clark, director of the Q Center, Binghamton University
If you have LGBTQ+ friends, family, colleagues, service users, or are simply keen to be more knowledgeable about the subject of gender equity, The Savvy Ally is the best reference guide you are ever likely to read. Jeannie Gainsburg is a skilled and professional ally, as well as a tremendous author.
— Matt McAvoy, senior editor, MJV Literary Author Services
Dec. 14, 2020
Adrianne Behning, Founder of Nursing Uncensored, talks with Jeannie Gainsburg, author of The Savvy Ally, about creating LGBTQ+ inclusive health services and facilities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsWy_WwVUYI&list=PLulnXCQalQfYNeF3tdU7RFCF27x6qAklT&index=6&t=8s&ab_channel=NursingUncensored
2/9/20 - The Rainbow Roc podcast featured author Jeannie Gainsburg in an hour-long episode about her book and its subject. Link: https://www.mixcloud.com/michael-lill2/rainbow-roc-02092020-hour-1-rainbow-interviews-jeannie-gainsburg-about-her-book-the-savvy-ally/
Oct. 6, 2020
Change Catalyst Founder & CEO, Melinda Briana Epler, talks with Jeannie Gainsburg, author of The Savvy Ally, about responsible and respectful LGBTQ+ allyship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIaLqSUC5gE&list=PLulnXCQalQfYNeF3tdU7RFCF27x6qAklT&index=2&t=1304s&ab_channel=ChangeCatalyst
Oct. 18, 2020
Soulfront Founder, Scott Riddell, talks with Jeannie Gainsburg about her personal ally journey, her new book The Savvy Ally, and best-practices for creating LGBTQ+ inclusive workplaces and schools.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DPukyi4ufs&list=PLulnXCQalQfYNeF3tdU7RFCF27x6qAklT&index=1&t=133s&ab_channel=SoulfrontwithScottRiddell
Oct. 28, 2020
Reilly Hirst, of Writers & Books literary center, facilitates this Savvy Ally book reading and interview with Jeannie Gainsburg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chd-7cl9ZUw&list=PLulnXCQalQfYNeF3tdU7RFCF27x6qAklT&index=3&ab_channel=Writers%26Books