The Role of Switchboard Operators
1998
The Switchboard operators were trained not to confirm that callers were gay when they asked operators if they thought they (callers) were. Mike used 'gay' as an inclusive term for men and women as he didn’t like the demarcation implied by the use of 'gay' for men and 'lesbian' for women.
He emphasised that the Switchboard operators’ role was not to confirm or persuade people to particular lifestyles but to allow callers to talk anonymously and confidentially about how they were feeling so that they could arrive at their own conclusions without judging them..
Contributed by: Mike