Researching the LGBTQ Music Educator as Ally

Abstract An ally is an individual belonging to a dominant or majority group who actively seeks to dismantle systems of oppression within both personal and professional spheres by providing support and serving as an advocate in collaboration with, and on behalf of, marginalized populations. Researchers who work with the LGBTQ population, and are not a part of that population, are required to consider their motivations for such research. Not all forms of allyship are helpful—many can be harmful if not approached from an informed place of understanding and positionality. There is a criticality of looking inward before researchers consider the ways in which they will work with a population from which they do not belong. This chapter explores the author’s reflections based on the author’s research as an ally and as ally. There are moments in which the author explores their own misunderstandings of what they thought they knew, versus what they will never be able to know or understand, despite the amount of research completed with the LGBTQ population. The author also explores the many facets of allyship that permeate society, from the helpful to the harmful. Finally, the author considers the implications of the work that many do in gender and queer studies and the impact of the work on music education.