The Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Youth Line is a toll-free Ontario-wide peer-support phone line for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, 2-spirited, queer and questioning young people. The Youth Line also provides its peer-support service online through messenger and e-mail response. TTY service is available.
Confidential, Free, and Non-Judgmental Peer Support.
Hours of Operation:
Sunday - Friday
4:00pm – 9:30pm
Toll-free:
1-800-268-9688
Instant Messaging:
Add askus@youthline.ca to your friends list.
E-mail:
E-mail us your questions to askus@youthline.ca. If we receive your question outside of our hours of operation we’ll get back to you the next day.
Our Vision
We strive for a time when all youth can express their diverse sexual and gender identities without compromise or fear.
Our Mission
The Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Youth Line exists to provide service for youth, by youth that affirms the experiences and aspirations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, 2-spirited, queer and questioning youth in Ontario. Working within an anti-oppression framework, we provide leadership opportunities, outreach, confidential peer support and referrals by telephone and online.
Our Values
In all aspects of our work and throughout the organization, as we pursue our mission, we live by the values listed below. Together, they provide a picture of who we are and how we want to be:
Caller-centred and Non-judgmental
Youth Line callers know their own experiences best and are able to make choices that are right for them. We offer information to callers to support them in making informed choices. We strive to understand the experiences of queer youth in society and recognize that it often includes oppression based on sexual identity, age, gender, race, ethnicity, class, religion, ability and other factors. We offer support, not advice: affirmation, not judgment.
Respectful and Inclusive
We all have something to contribute. Everyone involved in the Youth Line strives to create a climate within the organization where opportunities exist for meaningful participation, the contributions of all individuals are valued, information is shared and diversity of opinion is valued. We believe in decision-making that is as open and inclusive as possible, leadership that is shared and mutual accountability among volunteers and staff.
Committed to Confidentiality
In all aspects of our work, we are guided by the need to maintain the confidentiality of personal information and we respect the caller’s anonymity.
Embracing Diversity
We strive to create an organization that reflects and embraces the diversity of our communities. This is reflected throughout the organization in our phone line service, our work with other organizations and how we work with each other.
Sex-positive
We support callers in making self-directed, informed choices about sex and sexuality. We affirm peoples right to choose how to define their sexuality, how to express it and with whom.
Building a Learning Community
We believe it is the right and responsibility of each person involved in our organization to contribute to the development of the Youth Line as a community of people learning together. We encourage each other to develop new skills and awareness, we share knowledge with each other and we celebrate our strengths and successes.
Collaborating, Networking and Partnering
We believe the Youth Line is an important part of a larger collection of services for youth and must work, as much as possible, in collaboration with other organizations. We work with others, and share resources, to expand the communities capacity to serve queer youth and to enable us to achieve our mission as efficiently and effectively as possible.
