LGBT+

Lothian Gay and Lesbian Switchboard (GD61)

The archive of Lothian Gay and Lesbian Switchboard covers thirty years of LGBT+ history in Edinburgh, Scotland and beyond. Although call logs can only be accessed by legitimate researchers under strict conditions, reports, magazines (going back to the first ever issue of Gay Scotland), and publicity material collected by Befrienders tell stories of support, community and activism.

We also hold unrivalled collections that document Edinburgh’s response to HIV from 1983 to the 21^st century, spanning voluntary groups, charities, local authorities, the NHS, and health promotion campaigns. The city’s high HIV transmission rate in the 1980s was mostly due to needle sharing through intravenous drug use, but, by the 1990s, transmission through homosexual sex increased. However, LGBT+ groups were always deeply involved in HIV prevention, treatment and care in Edinburgh, aware of how the virus had affected gay communities on both sides of the Atlantic.

Lothian Gay and Lesbian Switchboard (GD61) collection catalogue.