In 2015 the Beijing LGBT Center launched a hotline specifically for transgender issues, and since then they have aided over 1000 callers.
Following this, in August 2018 the National Transgender Hotline was officially launched as a collaborative effort by transgender activists and volunteers from LESGO, the transgender department of the Beijing LGBT Center, the Trans Center (跨儿中心), the Anhui LGBT group (安徽皖爱同志小组) and the Trans Youth Education Center (跨青年教育中心).
The hotline is a free service for the transgender community, providing support, companionship, information and consultation.
The National Transgender Hotline welcomes callers to use their service free for one hour a week. The hotline can be used by transgender individuals, individuals who are questioning their gender identity and friends and family of transgender individuals. The hotline operates through users registering and then being contacted via text message by an operator.
Following are the services that the hotline can and cannot provide, as stated by the organisers.
Services the hotline cannot provide:
- Professional psychological counselling.
- Handling emergencies.
- Transgender identification.
- Medical instructions, e.g. the use of hormone drugs.
- Information about other sexual minority communities.
- Interviews with the media or individuals.
Services the hotline can provide:
- Listening, company, and support to resolve the caller’s struggles in life and relationships; helping the caller find other transgender friends.
- Sharing of knowledge on transgender issues.
- Counselling on how to come out.
- Recommending transgender-friendly professional psychological counselling agencies.
- Recommending emergency aid agencies for transgenders.
- Recommending doctors who can conduct sexual reassignment surgeries, provide instructions on hormone issues for transgenders, and issue transsexuality certifications; recommending hospitals where these doctors work; the sharing of registration and treatment experiences in those hospitals.
- Recommending other agencies that can fulfil other needs of the caller.
To register for use of the hotline you may scan the QR code below.
