More Attacks: Fears Melbourne Gay Men Are Not Reporting Violent Homophobia

Warning: This article contains descriptions of homophobia and graphic violence and may be triggering from some readers.

Advocates fear homophobic attacks are going unreported in Melbourne and are warning people may be too ashamed or distrustful of police to make reports.

Thorne Harbour Health has called on victims and anyone aware of unreported attacks against gay men, bisexual men, or other men who have sex with men, to consider approaching police.

Thorne Harbour community engagement manager Caleb Hawke said 35 arrests made by Victoria Police in May, following a spate of “targeted and premeditated” homophobic attacks, only represented the victims who had come forward so far.

“We suspect there’s probably more for people that have decided not to,” said Mr Hawke.

“Whether its physical assault, verbal assault, robbery, whatever the case may be, we’re really encouraging everyone to reach out to the police.”

A 2021 Victorian Pride survey found 40 per cent of respondents believed police were “homophobic” or “transphobic”.

Mr Hawke said anyone not comfortable approaching police could contact Thorne Harbour who could help them seek assistance and file reports.

Victoria Police have reported groups of teenage boys, some as young as 13, using fake dating app profiles to target gay men, who they then assaulted, threatened, kidnapped, falsely imprisoned or robbed.

Perpetrators mostly used Grindr, but Scruff, Snapchat and other apps with location tracking services had also been used to find targets.

Grindr spokesperson Sarah Bauer told Star Observer the app “has cooperated with requests from Australian authorities on this matter and is displaying an in-app safety message to users”.

Mr Hawke praised Victoria Police for its proactive response but said, with similar homophobic attacks now reported in every Australian state, other jurisdictions were falling behind.

He said Victoria Police first approached Thorne Harbour after two instances of tech-facilitated homophobic violence in June 2024.

“Vic Pol has been leading the way with their LGBTQ liaison officer’s program,” said Mr Hawke. “We don’t see that in other states.”

“We would hope those other jurisdictions would follow suit and work with their local LGBTQ organisations to get the word out there about these attacks”.

He said Thorne Harbour was calling for a national response to the attacks to better assist and resource local groups in their response.

Homophobic assaults have become more frequent in recent years following a rise of dangerous online trends, including the so-called “pedohunt” hashtag which falsely equates gay men with paedophilia.

Are tech companies doing enough?

LaTrobe University senior lecturer and digital technology expert Dr Stefan Schutt said tech companies were not doing enough to remove harmful content or ensure user safety.

“They’re being dragged along kicking and screaming to take responsibility for what happens on those platforms,” he said.

Dr Schutt said available evidence showed most young people caught up in such attacks came from vulnerable backgrounds and were themselves often being targeted by online idealogues.

“These are young people coming from traumatic backgrounds looking for people to identify with and then being manipulated into particular world views that give them a sense of belonging.”

“It’s quite cynical behaviour by people out there seeking to exploit.”

Four masked teens who lured a man to parks in Box Hill and Donvale in October 2024, last week fronted court where a judge expressed shock and confusion at the motives of their violence.

CCTV showed the group punched, kicked, stomped on, choked, and threatened a man with death – one of the boys held scissors to his throat – before stealing his phone.

He was left bleeding and unconscious.

The teens all avoided convictions but expressed remorse and wrote apology letters to their victims.

They cannot be identified due to their age but are known to all attend the same secondary school.

Chief instructor of LGBTQIA+ martial arts club Melbourne Dragons, Damian Wilson, says digital threats like catfishing are challenging traditional perceptions of self-defence.

“I advise people to look to meet in a public place first to make sure who you are meeting is who they say they are,” he said.

“Meet in a place you are familiar with so that if there’s a situation where you don’t feel safe, you’re not left in the middle of nowhere with no way of getting home.”

Mr Wilson said attendance at Melbourne Dragons had risen over the past two years but was uncertain whether this was linked to any feeling of unsafety within the community.

He said gay men often avoided self-defence or martial arts training because they equated it with violence and trauma.

“Self-defence is really any action that prevents you from getting harmed,” he said.

Thorne Harbour’s Caleb Hawke said the organisation is working with Equality Australia to try and raise the profile of the attacks.

“There are gay, bisexual, other men who have sex with men who aren’t necessarily as close to the community, who aren’t going out to the same venues, but are still using these platforms, and those are the folks we want to make sure that these safety messages are getting out to,” he said.

In order to better assist the community in navigating and understanding online safety in the wake of this news, Thorne Harbour Health are holding a Grindr Community Forum this weekend.

The forum will cover topics that include, what’s been happening in our communities, the responses of the government police and community organisations as well as providing steps to help people keep themselves safe.

Guest speakers on the panel include LGBTQIA+ commissioner Joe Ball, LGBTIQA+ Community Portfolio Manager at Victoria Police Jeremy Oliver and Prominent Community Member Odus Moore.

The forum will take place at The Laird Hotel, 149 Gipps St, Abbotsford VIC on Sunday June 22 from 1pm – 2:30pm.

Attendees can register online here.

Thorne Harbour Health can be contacted through its website here.

Victoria Police can be contacted through its LGBTQIA+ liaisons program, or via Crimestoppers.

If you feel distressed reading the story, please make sure to reach out to support services.

For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention contact Lifeline online or call 13 11 14

For Australia-wide LGBTQIA+ peer support contact QLife online or call 1800 184 527.