Interligne

Interligne is a Canadian LGBTQ+ organization and support service whose work combines confidential help, information, referrals, community education, and public awareness. Operating primarily in French and English, it serves LGBTQ+ people, their relatives and friends, and professionals working in schools, health care, and social services. Its services are intended to respond to questions and situations involving sexual orientation, gender identity, coming out, relationships, discrimination, violence, isolation, and access to appropriate resources. The organization’s roots lie in Quebec’s earlier LGBTQ+ telephone-support movement. Gay Line was established in Montreal in 1976 by activists seeking to provide information and advice to gay and lesbian people. The service formed part of the Gay Social Services Project associated with the Ville Marie Social Services Centre and relied on a combination of volunteers and professional social workers. During the late 1990s, Gay Line broadened its intended community to include bisexual and transgender people. That service continued until 2012. A related Quebec helpline, Gai Écoute, emerged in the early 1980s. In 2017, Gai Écoute became Centre Interligne Inc., and the organization subsequently adopted the Interligne identity. The rebranding reflected an effort to communicate a wider understanding of LGBTQ+ communities than the older name conveyed. Interligne’s stated objective is to make support available to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities and to reduce isolation by ensuring that people can reach a service that listens without judgment. Interligne’s support offer includes telephone and text-message assistance available around the clock, as well as online chat and email support. These channels provide listening, basic information, referrals, and orientation toward community, health, social-service, and crisis resources. The organization also maintains informational material, including frequently asked questions about LGBTQ+ experiences, and develops programs focused on young people and violence prevention or response. Its awareness activities are designed to encourage greater social acceptance and improve understanding of LGBTQ+ realities. Although based in Quebec, Interligne presents itself as serving French-speaking and English-speaking LGBTQ+ communities across Canada. The organization has also reported receiving requests for help from outside Canada. In the 2019–2020 period, it received more than 36,000 requests for assistance from LGBTQ+ community members worldwide, according to the cited reference material. No financial, ownership, or public-market information is identified in the available sources. Interligne is best understood not as a commercial consumer brand but as the public-facing service identity of a nonprofit help and information organization.

Interligne developed from Quebec’s LGBTQ+ telephone-help tradition. In 1976, activists in Montreal founded Gay Line to offer information and counseling to gay and lesbian people. The initiative was connected to the Gay Social Services Project of the Ville Marie Social Services Centre and was operated by volunteers and professional social workers. Its purpose was to give people a confidential place to ask questions, seek emotional support, and obtain guidance toward relevant social resources. During the late 1990s, Gay Line expanded its stated scope to include bisexual and transgender people, reflecting a broader understanding of the communities requiring support. The service remained active until 2012. A comparable Quebec initiative, Gai Écoute, had been formed in the early 1980s and became the principal predecessor associated with the later Interligne identity. In 2017, Gai Écoute became Centre Interligne Inc. The organization later used the shorter public name Interligne as part of a wider identity and positioning effort. Organization representatives explained that the former name no longer fully expressed the diversity of the people served and that the new identity was intended to reach people across sexual orientations and gender identities. The stated goal was to ensure that people did not remain isolated when they needed someone to listen or help them identify appropriate resources. Interligne’s contemporary model combines direct assistance with information and prevention work. Its services include telephone and text-message support operating 24 hours a day, online chat, email assistance, referrals, youth initiatives, violence-related programs, and awareness campaigns. The organization serves both French-speaking and English-speaking LGBTQ+ communities across Canada and also receives requests from outside the country. For 2019–2020, the cited material reports more than 36,000 help requests from LGBTQ+ community members worldwide. Available reference material does not establish a founder for the later Interligne entity, a detailed governance history, financial figures, or a change in legal status. The organization remains active under the Interligne name.

• 2020

  More than 36,000 help requests reported

  [1]Interligne (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  For the 2019–2020 period, Interligne reported receiving more than 36,000 requests for help from LGBTQ+ community members worldwide.

• 2017

  Gai Écoute becomes Centre Interligne Inc.

  [1]Interligne (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  Gai Écoute changes its corporate identity to Centre Interligne Inc., preceding the public-facing Interligne brand.

• 2012

  Gay Line ceases operations

  [1]Interligne (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  The earlier Gay Line service operated until 2012, according to the organization’s historical account.

• 1990

  Gay Line broadens its community scope

  [1]Interligne (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  By the late 1990s, Gay Line had expanded its stated service audience to include bisexual and transgender people.

• 1980

  Origins of the Gai Écoute service

  [1]Interligne (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  The organization’s stated history traces its listening and support work to this period, while a related Quebec helpline called Gai Écoute emerged in the early 1980s.

• 1976

  Gay Line is founded in Montreal

  [1]Interligne (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  Activists establish Gay Line to provide information and counseling for gay and lesbian people, using volunteers and professional social workers.

A confidential, inclusive, bilingual Canadian support and information service for LGBTQ+ people, their loved ones, and frontline professionals. Interligne positions itself around listening, reducing isolation, providing practical referrals, and increasing social acceptance rather than selling commercial products.

• Support and referral service

  Telephone and text-message support

  Interligne provides confidential help, information, and referrals by telephone and text message. The service is described as operating 24 hours a day and is intended for LGBTQ+ people, their loved ones, and professionals seeking guidance about LGBTQ+ issues.

• Digital support service

  Online chat and email support

  People can contact Interligne through online chat and email for listening, information, and referrals. These channels extend the organization’s support model beyond telephone access and help users choose a communication method suited to their circumstances.

• Community program

  Youth programs

  Interligne operates youth-focused programming within its broader mission of support and information. The available reference material identifies these programs but does not provide a detailed list of their individual activities or launch dates.

• Prevention and support program

  Violence programs

  Violence-related programs form part of Interligne’s service portfolio. They sit alongside direct help and referral services and address the organization’s wider role in supporting LGBTQ+ people affected by harmful or unsafe situations.

• Public education

  Awareness and outreach

  Interligne conducts awareness and outreach activities intended to promote broader social acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and improve understanding of LGBTQ+ experiences and issues.

• 2017

  Adoption of the Centre Interligne identityStrategy

  Background

  The organization considered its earlier Gai Écoute name insufficiently representative of the full range of people and identities it served.

  Action taken

  Gai Écoute became Centre Interligne Inc. and subsequently developed the Interligne public identity.

  Aftermath

  The identity emphasized inclusion across sexual orientations and gender identities and supported the organization’s aim of reaching people who might otherwise feel isolated.

  Source

1. 1Interligne (organization)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Interligne official websiteinterligne.co