Gay and Lesbian Switchboard

This week I got an opportunity to work on the Gay and Lesbian switchboard. This switchboard is a hotline for gay and lesbians with many different services such as depression and suicide prevention, HIV/STD information, and community events and support information. It was my first time actually encountering these issues. I would like to point out that you don't have to be of a different sexual orientation to feel depressed or the urge to commit suicide. Not many of my calls had to do with depression and suicide, as much were more for information requests. I thought this topic was very relevant because last week was suicide prevention week. Personally, it made me feel bad because, no matter what your sexual orientation, you should never feel bad for being alive. Also, another pervasive topic in the LGBT community is consequently HIV or any STDs in general. In the 1980s, HIV was regarded particularly with the LGBT community, but later they found that anybody can get HIV. Working the hotline, actually informed me more probably than the people I was speaking to on the other end. It gave me insight on what other people are thinking around me and what is going on in their lives. Many times during their calls, I had to take a step back and hold my breath because what they were going through is way bigger than anything I have had to go through in my life. Sadly, their decisions involved "Should I carry on with my life?," while mine are more "What should I do with my life?" This got me thinking into the big picture of life and I felt grateful for not having to deal with asking those particular questions. That, I was that well-off, thanks to my parents for their hard work and acceptance, that I was secure with myself in my personal life. The people in the LGBT community, thanks to the non acceptance of the people around them, feel so isolated that they do not wish to carry on with their own lives. It is such a shame that the community around us has returned to it's primitive state. Just like we once discriminated on color, religion, political affiliation, and gender, we are now discriminating against people for their sexual affiliation.

Alright, that's enough on my ranting. Thanks for reading!
Nadine Obeid