Call the Rainbow Ring!

Confidential LGB and Trans Community Info and Help in the South West peninsula

We are nine independent LGB/T community helplines in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, who have got together to share a website so people can find out more easily what kind of LGB/T community help is available.

To see what kind of help we can offer, click on the menu tabs above.

Or to see what coverage the Helplines provide in your local area, click here.

If you want to know more about how the Rainbow Ring Helplines came together, or if you would like to help develop and extend this resource, please contact us at info (at) rainbow-ring.info.

Information and help

Contact the Helplines if you want to know about:

what's happening in the peninsula
where the local scene is
new events and projects
and much more.

We provide help and information for:

lesbian gay and bisexual people ("LGB people") and our families
transgendered transvestite and cross-dressing people ("Trans people") and our families
people who are Questioning or discovering their sexual orientation or their gender identity
people who have Family members or Friends who are LGB or Trans

..and for anyone who is affected by homophobic / transphobic prejudice, for example:

school bullying
harassment, attacks, abuse, or other crimes
discrimination (e.g. at work, at school, or in shops, hotels, the health service, local government, the police, or anywhere else).

Fighting our corner

Three of the groups in the Rainbow Ring Network can also provide community advocacy to help people fight their corner against prejudice, harassment, discrimination, etc.

All of the groups in the Rainbow Ring are

committed to confidentiality
independent
based in the South West peninsula (Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset)
run by local lesbian gay bisexual and/or trans people and groups, and
committed to a high professional standard of service.

We set up the Rainbow Ring network because we want to work together to make sure LGB/T people across the peninsula can get access to high-quality confidential community help --- specially people who are experiencing homophobic or transphobic harassment or crimes and don't know where to go to report what's happening, and how to get help.

We hope this site will be useful to you.

Please give us your feedback! Contact us at: info (at) rainbow-ring.info

General LGB/T help

Three community Helplines, and one e-mail Help service, provide general help on lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans issues. Their Helplines are staffed by people who are themselves LGB/T.

Two of these also provide professional community advocacy, for people who would like a bit of help in fighting their corner against crime, discrimination, prejudice etc.

Somerset

Somerset Gay Health

Also provides community advocacy within Somerset. (Free!)

Helpline normally staffed: office hours, Monday - Friday

Helpline number: 01823 327078

E-mail: info (at) somersetgayhealth.com. Website: www.somersetgayhealth.com.

Registered charity 1019099

Dorset

Dorset Lesbian and Gay Helpline

Helpline normally open: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, 7:30 - 9:30

Helpline number: 01202 318822

E-mail: info (at) dorsetgayhelpline.org. Website www.dorsetgayhelpline.org.

Registered charity 1043192

Devon and Cornwall

Intercom Trust

Also provides community advocacy within Devon and Cornwall. (Free!)

Helpline normally staffed: office hours, Monday - Friday

Helpline number: 0845 6020 818 (low-cost / local-rate from landlines)

Email: helpline (at) intercomtrust.org.uk. Website www.intercomtrust.org.uk.

Registered charity 1072772

Cornwall Switchboard

E-mail only: gayinfocornwall (at) aol.com

Women's Helpline

There is only one dedicated Women's Helpline in the Peninsula.

Women's Helpline for Cornwall

Cornwall Lesbian Line

Covers Cornwall, and also Plymouth and further afield.

Helpline normally staffed: Thursday evenings from 8:30 to 10:30.

Helpline number: 01736 754225

Write to: CLL, P.O. Box 41, Penzance, Cornwall TR18 2XY

E-mail: outbackcornwall (at) yahoo.co.uk. Associated website: www.outback.org.uk

At other times the General LGB/T Helplines may be able to help --- they do have women on their teams.

Trans Helplines

There are two Trans Helplines in the Peninsula.

Beaumont Society South West

Covers Cornwall, Devon (and also Somerset at present).

Mainly focused on male-to-Female Transgender & Transsexual; Cross-Dressing; and Transvestite issues

Helpline normally answered: daytimes / evenings when available

Helpline number: 01398 371142 or 07724 879570

E-mail: Nicky (at) nacks.freeserve.co.uk.

Web page: www.beaumontsociety.org.uk/profiles/NickyStevens.html

Beaumont Society main web page: www.beaumontsociety.org.uk

Western Boys

Covers the whole peninsula (also the entire South West Government Region and South Wales)

Organisation run by and for FTM (female-to-Male) Trans people

Helpline normally answered: daytimes / evenings when available

Helpline number: 07811 814302

E-mail: info (at) westernboys.org. Website: www.westernboys.org

Registered charity number: (in process of registration)

Same-Sex Domestic Abuse and Violence

Broken Rainbow Cornwall is at present the only dedicated same-sex domestic abuse and violence Helpline in the Peninsula.

Outside Cornwall, the General LGB/T Helplines may also be able to help, particularly in their specialist areas (helping people with problems around phobic crime and harassment), and they do have women on their teams.

Broken Rainbow Cornwall

Covers: Cornwall

Can also provide community advocacy in same-sex domestic abuse cases in Cornwall.

Helpline normally open: Weekdays 10 am - 5 pm (closed 1:30 - 2:30); stays open Wednesdays till 9 pm.

Helpline number: 0800 5875 247

E-mail: brcornwall (at) hotmail.com. Website: www.lgbt-dv-brc.com

Registered charity 1106588

Crime, Harassment and Bullying

There's a lot of phobic crime (homophobic and/or transphobic crime) in the South West peninsula, and most of it doesn't get reported.

The Helplines are committed to providing help for people who are experiencing phobic harassment or bullying and other phobic crimes, such as abuse, threats or assault.

Why don't LGB/T people report phobic behaviour?

One reason is that we don't know where to report it. Well, that's exactly where the Rainbow Ring helplines can be useful. Call one of us, and find out how easy it is to report phobic incidents and maybe get something done about them!

Another reason is we don't seem to feel that anything can be done.

Well, things have changed. There are far more legal protections available for LGB/T people than there were eight years ago, and all sorts of ways for us to fight our corner without compromising our privacy or independence.

Many of us have grown up accepting that this is just part of normal life for us.

It was, for years --- but as we said above, things have changed. The Rainbow Ring helplines say NO, this should NOT be seen as an inevitable part of our normal lives, and YES, this sort of thing should be reported!

We warmly encourage everyone who is experiencing phobic abuse, threats, harassment or assaults, or other crimes of prejudice, to get in touch with one of the Rainbow Ring helplines and let us know what's going on. We may be able to help --- you might be surprised to find how much practical help is available, sometimes it's possible just to stop the harassment in its tracks and bring it to an end.

We cover discrimination as well as crime

We also provide help against discrimination, for instance in the workplace, or in shops, hotels, the health service, the police, local government, or other public services. Active and passive discrimination in the provision of goods and services is now unlawful, and must be challenged and brought to an end! If you come across it, please get in touch and find out how youo can get it stopped, or get redress for what's happened to you! Again, there's a lot that that LGB/T people can do nowadays to get access to justice without compromising our privacy or our independence.

More information

One of the Rainbow Ring partners has a lot of relevant information on their website --- here are some links you may find useful.

What to do if you have experienced phobic crime or similar incidents.

New protection from being Outed in the media if you give evidence about a phobic crime in Court.

How to contact your local police if you want to, in Cornwall and Devon, Dorset, or Somerset.

How does the UK's Criminal Justice System work?

What exactly do people mean when we talk about "phobic crimes" and "phobic incidents"?

Parents and Families

The FFLAG Helplines (Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gay Men) are run by supportive Parents who have LGB offspring. They offer a unique service for parents and for young people who are thinking of coming Out.

Cornwall FFLAG

Helpline normally anwered: daytimes / evenings when available

Helpline number: 0845 652 0325 (low-cost: local-rate from landlines)

E-mail: fflagcornwall (at) googlemail.com.

FFLAG central helpline: 0845 652 0311

FFLAG central website: www.fflag.org.uk

Registered charity number 1079918.

Young People

All the Helplines listed on this site are committed to being confidential, friendly, positive, non-judgemental and safe spaces where young people can feel confident and can talk about the issues and ask questions.

Youth Groups

There are LGB/T/Q Youth Groups in Plymouth, Barnstaple, Exeter, Taunton, Weymouth, Sherborne and Bournemouth. In the medium future we hope to see new groups starting up (for instance in Cornwall, Newton Abbot and/or West Devon). The General LGB/T Helplines (see the second tab at the top of ths page) can give you the contact details for your nearest LGB/T/Q Youth Group.

Question --- what does LGB/T/Q mean? It means these groups are inclusive. They welcome young people who identify as lesbian, or gay, or bisexual, or queer, and young people who identify as transgendered or third sex, and young people who are uncertain or questioning or exploring their identity around these issues.

Coming Out

If you would like information, help or support about coming Out do call any of the Helplines listed on this site. We will all do our very best to be helpful.

School and other kinds of Bullying

If you are being bullied or harassed because you are (or other people think you are) lesbian or gay or bisexual or transgendered, do please tell someone and ask what could be done to stop it happening.

If you are in immediate danger of harm, phone 999.

If you want to just talk, and find out what can be done without putting you at risk of being Outed, the local Helplines with most experience helping young people deal with bullying and harassment are:

Somerset Gay Health if you are in Somerset (the phones are answered in the daytime, Monday-Friday);

Dorset Lesbian and Gay Helpline if you are in Dorset, or find it easiest to make a call in the evenings (the phones are answered on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings between 7:30 and 9:30);

Intercom if you are in Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon or Torbay (the phones are answered in the daytime, Monday-Friday).

But if you need help and none of thes three is available just call any of the Rainbow Ring helplines: we all treat young people with respect and promise we will do our very best to help.