Dublin Lesbian Line and Switchboard relaunch vital helpline for women and non-binary folk

[IwantToRetire]

The new “Women’s Night” will run weekly on Tuesday evenings from 6:30pm to 9pm and will offer support to all female, non-binary and female-aligned people in the LGBTQ+ community.

Although DLL and The Switchboard both share their roots in Ireland’s first LGBTQ+ helpline, Tel-A-Friend, which commenced its services in 1974, DLL later went on to establish itself as an independent volunteer collective in 1979, providing a dedicated service for lesbian and bisexual women.

It quickly became a cornerstone of the lesbian community, spawning lesbian lines across the country in Cork, Belfast, Galway, Derry and Sligo.

With over four decades of experience, Dublin Lesbian Line has remained a steadfast pillar of assistance and empowerment not just for Dublin but for the queer community across Ireland.

“During COVID-19 we had some tough decisions to make including a temporary pause of our helpline. “Our helpline has been an integral part of our history and identity, so the decision to pause it left us uncertain about the future. We were unsure when we could gather the necessary resources to resume our vital services.”

She continued, “Recognizing the immense significance of providing a dedicated space for women, non-binary, and female-aligned members of our community to find support, we knew it was essential to find a way forward.

“The unwavering support of The Switchboard made this partnership possible, a remarkable testament to the strength of the queer community, coming together to share resources, insights, and expertise, and to carry forward this invaluable legacy.”

Extracts from https://uk.news.yahoo.com/dublin-lesbian-line-switchboard-relaunch-145352527.html

It goes on to talk about recruiting new volunteers, the implication being that it is too difficult to recruit lesbians volunteers for a true Lesbian Line (althought they were able to do so in the past) so it is positive to include "female aligned and non binary".

But no indication if they had tried to recruit lesbians for a Lesbian Line.

Of course it could just be nothing to do with not enough lesbian volunteers, but just an opportunity to colonise another women only service.

:'(

The fact that it is a service inclusive of trans women is literally on the home page of its website.

Please show me the fuck that you are giving? Lesbians had a lesbian specific service and now they don't. How is this a good thing?

Let's look at this another way. Suppose that there used to be a Dublin Transgender Line. Transgender people who had issues that they wanted to talk through with somebody with similar experiences could call this line and speak with another transgender person. This would be a good thing. The Dublin Transgender Line is now a LGBTQ+ line so a transgender person could find themselves talking with a gay man. Is this still a good thing?

Is this still a good thing?

Yes if you are a Stonewall handmaiden and are happy to be a foot soldier helping to encourage the colonising other people's communities to increase your power base.

But as usual the power hungry only think about themselves, not about all the people, let alone lesbians, you push out into the cold.

I’m not sure why I’d have any particular right to tell trans people running a service for trans people that they should not adapt or change their service as they see fit.

Tell me more about this colonisation. How did it happen? Who was it forced the DLL to be inclusive of trans people?

Since they were ‘colonised’ I presume you can explain what outside forces made them change their approach against their will?

Nice side step. The fact that you needed to side step actually gives your answer.

You asked about colonisation. The usual route to colonisation is external funding from central or local government, NGOs or other charities. This funding invariably comes with strings attached. DLL would have been obliged to widen the service from lesbian only to be able to attract funds.

It’s not a side step at all. I think it’s up to those who run organisations to decide how those organisations are run.

As for claims about funding, presumably you can demonstrate that claim to be true rather than by supposition?

Of course that's what you think. It is merely a coincidence that it means that you can avoid giving an actual response.

I have used 3 search engines to find a copy of DLL's accounts but, despite them being a registered charity, none appear to exist. A great pity all round.

So when you claimed they had been colonised, you had no way of knowing if that was true or not.

Lets put it another way - do you agree that lesbians who run a service should be entitled to decide how that service is run provided it’s lawful etc?

Colonisation / occupation is about outsiders gaining positons of influence over a group they are not naturally part of.

There is endless evidence of trans activist entryism into organisations.

And usually their position of power within an organisation is that for many funders, and social media support, re-inforce their agenda, because behind the TRAs and the MRAs.

ie it is the same old story - women's rights are never a priority.

Would have more respect if each group had been allowed to operated separately ie a genuine Lesbian support line, and a trans non binary support line. The needs are not the same.

For exactly the same reason that women need women only rape crisis line, and DV refuges.

I didn't claim that they had been colonised. I suggested a way that they could be and how many other services have been.

Of course it is up to the lesbians who run a service to decide how it is provided. I simply think that the loss of what was a service for lesbians by lesbians is a great pity. Don't you?

I don’t agree that that is what has been lost.

What outsiders gained control of DLL and when?

Of course you don't. Heaven forfend that women have anything that is just for them.

You keep ignoring that DLL was - and remains - run by women who are not trans. The decision as to how it is run was and is their’s.

I’m not sure why you think you’re better placed than those women to dictate how their service should be run.

Who are these women? I cannot find the name of anybody who runs DLL.

Funny that you don’t seem to know very much about DLL at all, but still seem comfortable to pronounce about their situation.

DLL has 6 members of its board of trustees: 4 women, 1 man and 1transwoman. Not exactly run for women by women is it?

2021 accounts (most recent)

Sources of Income
From central government or local authorities € 8,075
From philantropic organisations € 1,000
From donations € 1,886.23
Total Income € 10,961.23

So 83% of its income is from government or philanthropic organisations. I'd say that the chances of colonisation through funding are through the roof.

Oh, and by the way, all the volunteers and the trustees left in 2017. I do not offer any comment.

@PlanetJanette

Sorry, did I shoot your fox?

Oh so you finally got round to checking out the Charity Regulator did you?

The accounts you provided prove nothing, unless you can show that the sources of funding were made contingent on being trans inclusive a decade or so ago.

Likewise, you’d need to show who made up the DLL when they decided to become trans inclusive to back up claims that it was a decision foisted on women rather than taken by women.

Even now - even with a board with one trans woman - the decision to continue being trans inclusive is one taken by biological women.

So all these claims about the decision being foisted on women by ‘colonisers’ has no basis in fact.

I’m not aware of this and can find nothing about it online - do you have a link?

I find it very hard to believe that any charity lost all volunteers and all trustees and continued to survive, but will look at the context if you can provide it.

I don’t know what this means.

I don't have to show anything. In 1979 a group of lesbians founded a charity to provide support for lesbians. That charity is no longer run by a group of lesbians and the support is now for anybody who is LGBTQ+ and identifies as a woman and you cannot bring yourself to recognise that this is any sort of loss for lesbians.