Formation | April 1975 |
---|---|
Founded at | Brighton |
Type | NGO |
Registration no. | 1088133 |
Legal status | Charitable organization |
Services | Helpline, Inclusion Project, Dementia Café, Trans Survivors Switchboard, Disability Project, Rainbow Cafe |
Volunteers | 30 |
Website | switchboard |
Formerly called | Brighton Gay and Lesbian Switchboard |
Switchboard, formerly Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard, is a British listening service or hotline, for the LGBT communities based in Brighton. It service was launched, with just one telephone, in April 1975 at the Open Cafe, a centre for alternative politics, at 7 Victoria Road. [1] It was started by four men and two women and was initially known as The Lavender Line. [2]
It receives over 5,000 calls a year [2] and its website handles 80,000 visitors per year.
Brighton is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the city of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located 47 miles (76 km) south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. The ancient settlement of "Brighthelmstone" was documented in the Domesday Book (1086). The town's importance grew in the Middle Ages as the Old Town developed, but it languished in the early modern period, affected by foreign attacks, storms, a suffering economy and a declining population. Brighton began to attract more visitors following improved road transport to London and becoming a boarding point for boats travelling to France. The town also developed in popularity as a health resort for sea bathing as a purported cure for illnesses.
The term switchboard, when used by itself, may refer to:
The Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) was a membership organisation in the United Kingdom with a stated aim from 1969 to promote legal and social equality for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals in England and Wales. Active throughout the 1970s – and becoming a mass-membership organisation during this time – CHE's membership declined in the 1980s.
Brighton and Hove Pride is an annual LGBT pride event held in the city of Brighton and Hove, England, organised by Brighton Pride, a community interest company (CIC) which promotes equality and diversity, and advances education to eliminate discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBTQ) community.
The LGBTQ community of Brighton and Hove is one of the largest in the United Kingdom. Brighton, a seaside resort on the south coast of England, has been described in some media as a "gay capital" of the UK, with records pertaining to LGBTQ history dating back to the early 19th century.
Switchboard is the second-oldest LGBT+ telephone helpline in the United Kingdom, launched the day after Edinburgh Befrienders.
"London Friend is the UK’s oldest LGBT charity dedicated to the health and mental well-being of the LGBT community in and around London and the South East."
Oxford Friend was an Oxford-based LGBTQ+ charity that offered emotional support and counseling to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in Oxford and Oxfordshire. The original volunteers were affiliated with the local branch of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE). Listening services were provided through telephone, email, Facebook, and instant messaging. The charity also offered training on LGBTQ+ issues for educational institutions and other organizations in and around Oxfordshire. Oxford Friend raised funds through a grant from Oxford City Council, donations, and external training packages.
Allsorts Youth Project is an LGBT youth charity in East Sussex. Founded in 1999 by Jess Wood and James Newton, the project aims to meet the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans* and unsure youth in Brighton and Hove and the wider East Sussex area.
The Gay & Lesbian Switchboard of New York is considered the "oldest operating GLBT hotline in the world". Initial planning began with 1971 meetings to establish the Gay Switchboard, led by eight individuals from Gay Activists Alliance, Beyond, and the recently dissolved Gay Liberation Front. The program launched with its first call on 13 January 1972 received at the Liberation House Gay Collective, and grew to field 400 calls per week in the 1970s.
The object was to provide information of interest to Gay people in an unbiased, non-judgmental manner while allowing volunteers the option of expressing their own point of view, and to counsel people to the best of their ability. It was decided that the organization would remain independent.
The LGBT community in London is one of the largest within Europe. LGBT culture of London, England, is centred on Old Compton Street in Soho. There are also LGBT pubs and restaurants across London in Haggerston, Dalston and Vauxhall.
Lisa Power MBE is a British sexual health and LGBT rights campaigner. She was a volunteer for Lesbian & Gay Switchboard and Secretary General of the International Lesbian and Gay Association. She co-founded the Pink Paper and Stonewall, later becoming Policy Director at the Terrence Higgins Trust. She was the first openly LGBT person to speak at the United Nations and continues to work and volunteer as an LGBT+ and sexual health activist in Wales with groups such as Fast Track Cymru and Pride Cymru.
The Marlborough Pub and Theatre is a historic venue, situated at 4 Princes Street, Brighton. It has been associated, since the 1970s, with the LGBT community. The Marlborough's small theatre presents drama, cabaret and music throughout the year, including during the Brighton Fringe Festival, LGBT History Month and Brighton Pride Arts Festival. The pub reopened in 2021 as 'The Actors'.
LGBT Foundation is a national charity based in Manchester with a wide portfolio of services. With a history dating back to 1975, it campaigns for a fair and equal society where all lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBTQ) people are able to reach their full potential. They support over 40,000 people directly every year, and a further 600,000 online. They provide direct services and resources to more LGBT people than any other charity of its kind in the UK.
This is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community in Manchester.
Revenge is an LGBT nightclub in Brighton, England. The venue was the first sizable dedicated gay club to open in the city, which is now known for its gay community and is recognised as the "unofficial gay capital of the UK".
Mel Sanson is an English singer-songwriter most notable for performing lead vocals and guitar with rock band Kenelis and Murder Ballad duet "White Lillies" with Fairuza Balk.
The Lothian Gay and Lesbian Switchboard (LGLS) opened on 2 March 1974, and was the United Kingdom's first gay helpline and Scotland's first gay charity. Initially called the Edinburgh Befriending Service, it was established one day prior to the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard, known as Switchboard (UK).
The United Kingdom has a number of gay villages. Bigger cities and metropolitan areas are most popular as they are deemed to be more tolerant and tend to have "a history of progressive local government policy towards supporting and financing LGBTQ-friendly initiatives." There is also a noted circular pattern of migration, whereby once areas have established a reputation as somewhere LGBT people live, more LGBT people are drawn there. LGBT-inclusive areas of UK towns and cities tend to be defined by "a distinct geographic focal point, a unique culture, a cluster of commercial spaces" and sometimes a concentration of residences. It is thought that LGBT-inclusive areas help towns and cities in the UK to prosper economically, but some believe the building of such areas creates an isolating effect on some LGBT people who want to blend in.