Canberra Calls Itself Safest City Yet Queer Men Are Getting Attacked
Monte Bovill for ABC News has reported that while Canberra in the ACT may look politically like the most progressive state or territory in Australia, many LGBTQIA+ people there don’t feel safe. Bovill spoke with Luke, who lasted just minutes at his new sales job, not because the work was hard; he walked out because his colleagues were laughing about using Grindr to hunt and attack gay men.
They were doing more than tossing around slurs, reports Bovill. These guys were bragging about luring gay men to locations specifically to beat them up. For Luke (not his real name), the fear was immediate and physical. He hasn’t felt safe in public since. It tears him apart to know people are sleeping soundly after hurting others just for who they love.
This isn’t paranoia. It follows a string of targeted attacks in Canberra where men were catfished by gangs of teenagers, assaulted, and robbed. ACT Policing identified ten suspects and executed search warrants. The result? Zero charges. The victims were too terrified to see the matter through court.
Joshua Anlezark from Meridian notes that despite Canberra’s inclusive reputation, hate speech is creeping back into daily life. It feels like we are sliding backward.
Equality Australia’s Heather Corkhill blames the online radicalisation of young straight men. She warns that what we see is only a fraction of the violence actually happening. Victims often drop out of the justice process because they don’t trust the system to protect them.
It is a bitter pill to swallow in a city with Australia’s only openly gay leader and the highest “Yes” vote record. We are also losing ground on our physical spaces, with Cube nightclub closing its doors.
But the community finds a way. A new upscale bar, ChiChiz, is opening on Northbourne Avenue this December. Co-owner Travis Moore promises a sanctuary for anyone feeling displaced. Along with the SpringOUT festival this month, it is a necessary reminder. We are still here, and we refuse to hide.
