Sara Ryan is not gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. She is not silenced, marginalized or oppressed on the basis of whom she loves.

Sara Ryan is an ally.

"Often it is helpful to have a strong voice of someone who is not a member of a marginalized community, to advocate along with those who are silenced by oppression," said Ryan (sophomore-political science and African and African American studies). "Sadly, sometimes, it needs that outside voice to gain validity."

As an advocate for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, Ryan spends more than 30 hours each week challenging homophobia and heterosexism at Penn State, both as Undergraduate Student Government (USG) director of LGBTA affairs and as multicultural director of Lambda Student Alliance.

Ryan's days start early and end late, with classes, meetings, paperwork and passion falling somewhere in between her 9 a.m. wake-up buzz and 11 p.m. homework kickoff.

"I was taught from a young age that LGBT people, people of color, everyone should be treated equally," Ryan said. "But that isn't always the reality."

While helping blow up balloons and sort T-shirts before last Friday's Pride Week rally, Ryan explained the importance of "safe space" training for Penn State community members: "We need to proactively create safe spaces, [which are] areas and environments where LGBT people feel it's OK to be themselves, and aren't in any physical or emotional harm. It's not just the absence of homophobia. Silence is complicity, and we're trying to combat that."

Ryan spoke of this rebellion against silence at a rally, challenging straight allies to "come out" as advocates and thanking those who have. More than 50 students and community members gathered at noon on the steps of Old Main and listened to Ryan thank the record-breaking 70 campus organizations co-sponsoring Pride Week, which continues until Friday.

"All I can say today is rock on and thank you," Ryan said from the podium, as tears flowed from her eyes. "For members of Penn State's LGBT community, it was getting awfully lonely standing up here, for decades, alone."

USG President Rubina Javeri, who attended Friday's rally, said she is constantly amazed by Ryan's passion, energy and knowledge as an advocate of LGBT issues. Many of Ryan's peers, including Kelly Ross, Allies director, appreciate Ryan's efforts at making Penn State LGBT-friendly as well as opening students' eyes to innumerable social injustices. "After interacting with Sara, you come away with a better understanding of the movement," Ryan's boyfriend Matt Thomas (senior-philosophy and psychology) said. "Sara goes beyond going to programs and speakers and speaking herself."

Ryan, who recently ran for USG vice-president, said she is just as busy now as she was during campaigning if not busier. Because she believes there is "no hierarchy of oppression," Ryan dedicates herself to various realms of activism, including Allies, the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon and Gye' Nyame, a committee within Black Caucus.

Amid answering USG-related e-mails and coordinating her schedule of 10 to 15 meetings each week, Ryan explained that social justice pervades every facet of her life, from the classes she takes to the friends she makes.

"It makes me excited to wake up in the morning," Ryan said.

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