The Victorian Greens will today move to establish a parliamentary inquiry into the scale and scope of anti-LGBTQIA+ hate crimes in Victoria, citing a disturbing run of reported attacks targeting gay and bi+ men.
Reporting suggests the risk remains widespread, with 58% of LGBTQ+ Victorians experiencing unfair treatment in the past year and 77.7% of trans and gender diverse Victorians reporting unfair treatment based on gender identity.
The proposal follows incidents in which victims were allegedly lured to public locations using fake online dating profiles before being violently attacked.
The Greens want the inquiry, run by Parliament’s Legal and Social Issues Committee, to examine how online hate networks operate and spread — including anti-LGBTQIA+ influencers, organised hate groups, and far-right, misogynistic and homophobic “alpha-male” content.
As well as mapping the online ecosystem, the inquiry would assess whether current prevention and enforcement responses are adequate, and whether enough support is available to victim survivors.
It would also look at practical ways to improve community safety and better protect young people from exposure to extremist and hateful content online.
Victorian Greens equality spokesperson, Aiv Puglielli says no one should have to fear for their safety because of who they love.
“We are seeing gay and bi+ men being lured to public places through fake online dating profiles and violently attacked just for being who they are,” said Puglielli
“As a queer person, it is genuinely terrifying to see this terrifying escalation of violence towards my community happening before our eyes,”
“This doesn’t come out of nowhere.” Puglielli said.
“We know there’s a “manosphere” of anti-queer influences and far-right “alpha-male” networks that are grooming and radicalising young men online, building these hate networks and fuelling this very real hatred and people are being seriously harmed,”
“We can’t look the other way while LGBTQIA+ people are being harassed, threatened, and terrorised,”
“Enough is enough. We need to get to the root of this.” she said.
With men reportedly being lured through fake dating profiles and assaulted, the proposed inquiry will test whether Victoria can move beyond reactive policing and confront the online hate networks and support gaps driving escalation.
Research focused on same-sex attracted and sex/gender diverse young Victorians found many lack confidence reporting prejudice-related crime, with only 12.8% reporting heterosexist abuse and over 61% citing perceived bi/trans/homophobia within Victoria Police as a disincentive to reporting
