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PHILIP GOULDING, OF LOTHIAN GAY & LESBIAN SWITCHBOARD, REVEALS HOW LGBT HELPLINES CAME ABOUT AND THE MANY DIFFERENT SERVICES THEY OFFER

WHAT IS SWITCHBOARD ?

The term 'Switchboard' has come to mean telephone helpline in the LGBT world. Switchboards tend to be low profile, staffed by volunteers and usually have charitable status. Apart from London, which operates 24 hours a day, they're mainly the 'twilight' services that people can access after many other support agencies have closed shop for the day. Nowadays, Switchboards have moved on a lot from just being telephone helpline services.

HOW DID IT COME ABOUT ?

In Britain, Switchboards were first established in the 1970s, when they were the main source of support for gay men and women seeking to come to terms with their sexuality, when being homosexual was still criminalized in parts of the UK. This year sees the 30th anniversary of three Switchboards - Lothian, Strathclyde and London - and all three are still going strong in terms of the volume of calls they receive and the other services they provide. Although LGBT equality has come a long way, there's still very much a need for our services out there. For example, nowadays sexual health promotion is a major issue.

WHO AND WHERE ARE THEY ?

In Scotland, different Switchboards currently cover Edinburgh & the Lothians, the Strathclyde area, Grampian and the Dundee and Tayside area. The south is partly covered by the Cumbria and Borders Gay Helpline. Others have come and gone in the past. Recently, Forth Friend wound up after 15 years! The rural areas have more difficulty in sustaining a Switchboard, as volunteers are thinner on the ground. Lothian and Strathclyde Switchboards also have separate Lesbian Lines, staffed by women for women callers while Crosslynx, based in Glasgow, has a helpline service for TV/TS/TG people.

HOW DO THEY OPERATE ?

On a shoe-string, normally! Switchboards depend on their volunteers for just about everything : staffing the phones, publicity, training new volunteers, developing other services for LGBT people, holding fundraising events and so on. Some get a bit of funding from the health boards and local authorities, though at least one council refuses to fund its local Switchboard claiming there are no LGBT people living in the area !! Lothian Switchboard has around 70 supporters (angels) who donate £5 a month.

BUT WHAT TO THEY ACTUALLY DO ?

Confidential support, advice and information on a wide range of issues is the core service. Switchboard volunteers are not professional counsellors but a counselling approach is used, including active and reflective listening, being non-judgemental and the ability to empathise and allow the caller to set the agenda. Some Switchboards belong to professional bodies such as the Telephone Helplines Association and adhere to their strict standards.

Some Switchboards offer other services. These may include Icebreakers; a social group for gay men and women who, for various reasons, lack social networks of gay friends; face to face befriending may be offered on a 2-to-1 basis, for example to introduce a newly out gay person to his/her local scene or to offer them emotional support. Then there are the fundraising events such as the famous ceilidh/balls in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

SO WHAT KIND OF ISSUES DO SWITCHBOARD VOLUNTEERS ENCOUNTER ?

You name it ! Anything from providing information to visitors on where to stay and the local scene to supporting callers through a bereavement. Relationships, sexual health and safer sex advice, coming out, loneliness, harassment, safety, religion and faith, discrimination … the list goes on. You never know what the next phone call is going to bring. Switchboard callers may be of any sexual identity. That includes parents, friends, siblings, sons and daughters of gay people and LGBT-curious people who don't identify as LGBT.

SURELY THERE'S LOTS OF WAYS OF GETTING INFORMATION OR SUPPORT NOWADAYS ?

True. The internet has made a big difference and, thankfully, there are more LGBT support agencies around now. However, imagine you' ve had a bust up with your partner and want to talk to someone anonymously, late at night. Or, you' d had oral sex with a stranger and, well, what are the risks? Or, you' ve been married for years but, deep down, you know you' re gay. Phoning a Switchboard means you' re talking to another gay person who' s there to offer support, in complete confidence, and you can control and end the call. Talking about safer sex, sexual choices and emotional issues is often easier with a stranger. Not to forget; the phone is still the only lifeline for many people.

WHAT ABOUT TRAINING ?

Volunteers are the lifeblood of Switchboards. Helpline training is thorough and designed to ensure that new volunteers have the appropriate skills to support callers. We're not expected to be experts in health, bereavement, legal matters or whatever, but we need to be able to employ our support skills and use the information resources that Switchboards have to good effect. Training involves supervised listening and taking calls, much self-reflection, a lot of group activity, commitment, hard work and fun !

Switchboards may also seek non-counselling volunteers with specific skills such as marketing, fundraising, IT, accounting, legal knowledge etc, to help keep the organisation ticking over.

SO HOW DO I VOLUNTEER ?

Your time is valuable. To find out how much of it would be needed, what qualities they are looking for and what the process is, contact your local Switchboard. Happy volunteering !

SWITCHBOARDS

CROSSLYNX

National Transgender Helpline

Mon 7.30-9.30pm

0141 847 0787

CUMBRIA & BORDERS GAY HELPLINE

Nightly 6-9pm

01768 776244

DIVERSITAY LGBT SWITCHBOARD

Dundee Mon 7-10pm

01382 202620

[email protected]

GRAMPIAN LGB SWITCHBOARD

Aberdeen Wed 7.30-9.30pm

01224 212600

[email protected]

LOTHIAN G&L SWITCHBOARD

Nightly 7.30-10pm

0131 556 4049

[email protected]

LOTHIAN LESBIAN LINE

Mon, Thurs 7.30-10pm

0131 557 0751

[email protected]

STRATHCLYDE G&L SWITCHBOARD

Nightly 7-10pm

0141 847 0447

[email protected]

STRATHCLYDE LESBIAN LINE

Wed 7.30-10pm

0141 847 0547