About 12 of Gay Wellington's members run the local Wellington helpline telephone service, which is available for 2 hours a day, four days a week (Sunday-Wednesday, 7.30pm-9.30pm). We also have 10 people training to be helpliners at the moment.
During 2011 we had 150 calls (compared to 157 in 2010). From June the number of calls increased every month compared to the previous year. We talked to callers for about 40 hours over the 12 months, out of a total of 300 hours when we were available. Sixty six (44%) of the calls were from women.
Most calls were 'counselling' calls or general chats. A small number of callers asked about venues or referrals to different GLBTI groups.
Here are the types of discussion topics during 2011:
Coming out
First time same-sex experiences
Married men with same-sex attraction
Relationship issues and breakups
Transgender discussions
Where to meet other GLBTI people
Callers who are alone and just want a chat
Parents who find out their children are gay
Abusive partners
Oral sex & HIV questions
Immigration issues
Depression
Discrimination at work
We're aiming to link up with OUTLine to take national calls sometime in 2012. If you would like to donate money or time to our local helpline, contact us. And if you know someone who may benefit from a confidential and free chat with an experienced helpliner, suggest that they give us a call on 473`7878. Word of mouth recommendations are always the best!
This is the blog of Gay Wellington, officially known as the Wellington Gay Welfare Group (WGWG).
