Logs of calls to a national LGBT helpline since 1974 tell a rich history of LGBT+ life in Britain – Switchboard are to make a podcast to ‘bring them back to life’.
SWITCHBOARD’S log books are unique. They breathe, cry and laugh with the humanity of volunteers and all the anonymous callers who have needed help over decades of change.
The podcast will use log book entries to spark memories and reflections on history and change for LGBT+ life, presenting different voices including historians, callers and volunteers, and material from other archives.
The logbook entries and contributor interviews show what’s important to people at different times, including today.
Switchboard need your help.
They need you to share your stories, primarily for the podcast but also to be included in a full oral history of Switchboard that is part of a bigger project in 2020.
To share your story for the podcast, click here:
Here is the rough timeline for the project:
♦ May and June – developing the format
♦ June and July – searching for interviewees and conducting interviews
♦ August to October – production
The podcast producers will include:
Adam Smith – a journalist, writer and podcaster. After nearly four years as a social media editor at The Economist, he left to pursue various projects of his own. As well as writing about LGBT+ issues, Adam makes Karl’s Kaschemme, a podcast about queer desire, and volunteers for Diversity Role Models.
Tash Walker a co-chair of Switchboard, has brought the charity’s log books to light through archiving at Bishopsgate Institute, talks during LGBT History Month and media interviews. She brings many connections to people in LGBT+ charities, including former and current Switchboard volunteers.
Shivani Dave is a broadcast journalist and speaker who after studying physics wanted to do more to amplify the voices of LGBT+ people and highlight the need for inclusivity.
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