Speaking at a press conference in Paceville, MGRM coordinator Sandro Mangion said: “We have been working on this since 2001. It has taken four years of work to get us to this point. Most of our work is centred on fighting the stereotyping of gay and lesbian people. We need to eradicate it, but it is not an easy task,” he said.
The helpline is manned by volunteers and is available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays by phoning 2143-0006 as from this Monday. All the volunteers have been trained by the Appogg Agency and most are gay or lesbian. The reason for this, as Mr Mangion and social welfare officer Gabriella Calleja explained, is that most people with a homosexual orientation seek out people who are the same as them.
Mr Mangion and Ms Calleja said the helpline will respect confidentiality. However, if there are cases of domestic abuse or threatened suicide, they will try to get the caller’s details to forward them to the relevant authorities.
“We will also refer them for counselling or medical help if the case may warrant it,” said Ms Calleja.
Mr Mangion said the MGRM was going to keep a database of what transpires during each call. “It will not contain names, but it will contain information that may be useful to us in the future,” he said.
Appogg operations manager Yvonne Mallia said Appogg was very happy to have been of technical assistance. “And we were also happy to offer our expertise when it came to training the individuals who will man the lines,” she said.
The MGRM said it realised that many gay people call the 179 number for assistance. Family and Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina also attended the press conference. She said: “I am happy that this is another window of opportunity which has opened for gay and lesbian people in Malta. This was needed. We talk about total inclusion and this is an example of how we can achieve that aim,” said Ms Cristina.
She said there were countries where laws had been changed to give recognition to gay and lesbian people, and although Malta was better than some countries, more needs to be done. “We need more awareness and this is the way to promote it,” she said. Ms Cristina praised the MGRM for becoming a very credible organisation in such a short time.
Her Opposition counterpart, Marie Louise Coleiro, was also in attendance and thanked the MGRM for bridging the political divide by inviting both her and Ms Cristina to the activity.
“There is no division between the political parties about the need for social inclusion. The MGRM has given a voice to a previously silent sector of the population,” she said.
Asked by The Malta Independent how they were going to deal with prank calls, Ms Calleja said: “We will be courteous and if it continues, we will put the phone down. If they persist, we will just leave the phone off the hook for a while.”
Mr Mangion concluded the press conference by announcing that the MGRM was to hold a Gay Pride silent march through Republic Street on 22 July. He said the march was open to anyone who wanted to take part. The slogan is gay rights – human rights.