OutLine Aotearoa is a community-led rainbow organisation founded in 1975. From our roots as a phone support service for gay men, we have grown into a nationwide rainbow mental health organisation providing specialist support for rainbow, takatāpui (Māori rainbow) and MVPFAFF+ (Pacific rainbow) communities.
We currently provide a free peer support service in the form of an 0800 phoneline and a web chat service, which operate daily between 6pm and 9pm. These are run by rainbow volunteers who undertake an initial training programme, as well as ongoing coaching and supervision. We currently have close to 50 trained volunteers throughout Aotearoa.
OutLine also operates a Transgender Peer Support Service for trans and non-binary people who live within the Auckland region. This is delivered through one-on-one sessions, as well as groups facilitated by peers.
More recently, we have launched a Conversion Practices Survivor Network for people with lived experience of harmful and illegal conversion practices, which aim to change a person’s sexuality, gender, or sex characteristics.
For the last decade, OutLine has also provided a rainbow-specialist counselling service through contracted professional counsellors. This service is currently on pause while we work to bring our counselling service in-house, in order to provide support that better meets the needs of our diverse rainbow communities.
OutLine is an organisation led, run and operated by rainbow people, for rainbow people. This is vital for ensuring that our rainbow communities receive support that understands, values and holds space for their experiences as rainbow people. Alongside our support programmes, OutLine is active in our rainbow communities through advocacy, events, consulting on key projects and initiatives, and participation in several collectives working towards achieving positive outcomes for our rainbow communities.
