• You learn more accurate information about the reality of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning.
• You learn more about how values and beliefs about sexual orientation impact your own and others’ lives.
• You open yourself up to the possibility of closer relationships with a wider range of people.
• You become less locked into gender role expectations and stereotypes.
• You increase your ability to have close relationships with same-sex friends.
• You have opportunities to learn from, teach, and have an impact on a population with whom you might not have otherwise interacted.
• You empower yourself to take an active role in creating a more accepting world by countering prejudice and discrimination with understanding, support and caring.
• You may be a role model for others. Your actions may influence others and help them find the inner resources to speak and act in support of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning.
• You may have opportunities to share with others what you have learned, and have a positive impact on the climate in your school or workplace or on the attitudes of your friends or family. 
• You may be the reason your friend, sister, brother, son, daughter, coworker, mother, father, or someone else you know finally decides that her or his life is worth something and that she or he does not need to depend on chemicals or other substances to get through the day.
• You may make a difference in the lives of young people who hear you confront derogatory language or speak supportively pf people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, or questioning. As a result of your action, they may feel they have a friend to turn to, instead of using alcohol or drugs to numb the pain and loneliness, dropping out of school, or contemplating or attempting suicide. 

• Others may speculate about your own sexual orientation.
• You may be labeled as LGBTQ (by “association”). This may be uncomfortable for you.
• You may become the subject of gossip of rumors.
• You may be criticized or ridiculed by others who do not agree with you or who view the issue as unimportant or unpopular.
• You may experience alienation from friends or colleagues who are not comfortable with the topic of sexual orientation. These people may distance themselves from you in order to avoid conflict or labels.
• Your values, your morality, and your personal character may be questioned by people who believe homosexuality is wrong, sinful, against “family values”, etc.
• You may become the target of overt of subtle discrimination, such as not being appointed to a committee, being excluded from certain activities, or a negative reflection on an evaluation.
• People who are LGBTQ may not accept you as an ally. Some may believe that you are really LGBTQ but are not ready to admit it.
• Due to some past negative experiences with heterosexuals, people who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual may not trust you and may question your motivation. 

Adapted from Beyond Tolerance: Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals on Campus. (1991) N.J. Evans & V.A. Walls Via NIU, SZP Handbook (34)