Police in the Australian state of Victoria have arrested 35 individuals — primarily males aged 13 to 20 — for allegedly targeting victims using gay dating apps.
According to police, over the past eight months, the alleged perpetrators deployed fake profiles on dating apps to lure gay men to locations where they were then assaulted, robbed, and subjected to homophobic abuse.
In some cases, the attacks were filmed and shared on social media, reports the Star Observer.
“These incidents have occurred in various suburbs across Melbourne, including Manningham, Casey, Hume, Moorabbin, and Knox,” Victoria Police said in a statement.
The alleged perpetrators face multiple charges, including armed robbery, false imprisonment, violent disorder, affray, causing injury, and other assault-related offenses.
Several have already appeared in court. Others are expected to appear in court in the coming weeks.
Those arrested include:
A 16-year-old boy facing charges of intentionally causing injury, recklessly causing injury, and possessing a prohibited weapon without lawful excuse.
A 17-year-old boy facing charges of intentionally causing injury, recklessly causing injury, and possessing a drug of dependence.
Two 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy charged with recklessly causing injury.
A 13-year-old boy, a 14-year-old boy, and a 15-year-old boy arrested for kidnapping and armed robbery. Two of the boys were charged and released on bail, while the third was released pending further investigation.
Seven 17-year-old boys arrested for armed robbery, violent disorder, and false imprisonment. Two of the boys were charged and released on bail, while the remaining five were charged on summons to appear in court on a later date.
Four 19-year-old males from Bayswater, Lyndhurst, and Cranbourne East arrested for armed robbery. Three were charged and released on bail, while the other was released pending further investigation.
Police have collaborated with dating app companies to publish safety information and reporting tools. However, authorities stressed that victims should report incidents directly to police, as app-based reports do not trigger official investigations.
“There is absolutely no place for this type of concerning behavior in our society,” Victoria Police Acting Superintendent Carolyn Deer said in a statement. “It will not be tolerated. Everyone has a right to go about their lives, meet new people, and start a relationship in safety.”
She warned app users to be vigilant by protecting their identities and location and verifying another person’s identity before meeting up with any person they don’t personally know.
Victoria Police are urging anyone with information about the attacks — or possible victims of yet-unreported attacks — to contact police via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-333-000 or by submitting a confidential report through Victoria Police’s online portal.
Attacks against gay and bisexual men using dating apps are a frequent occurrence in various parts of the globe, including the Netherlands, France, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and the United States.
The perpetrators frequently post videos of the assaults to social media platforms like Snapchat and TikTok.
It is unclear exactly why the social media trend has become more common, although some attribute it to suggestions by influencers seeking to convince impressionable youths to carry out the attacks against gay men, whom they see as dangers to minors.
In the United States alone, 11 Illinois teenagers were arrested and charged with felony crimes for allegedly assaulting two men. The males, all 16 or 17, reportedly lured the men to two separate locations in July using a gay dating app.
Similarly, in Maryland, at least 15 Salisbury University students, aged 18 to 21, were charged with hate crimes for allegedly luring a gay man on Grindr to an off-campus apartment where they brutally beat him.
Ten pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and second-degree assault charges and were sentenced to jail time ranging from two days to one year. The remaining five will go to trial and contest the charges against them at a later date.
A former firefighter has been awarded $1.75 million in damages as part of a lawsuit alleging she was retaliated against -- after filing a separate lawsuit alleging she was discriminated against.
Lori Franchina, who identifies as a lesbian, first began working for the Providence, Rhode Island, fire department in 2002. She quickly rose through the ranks, ending up as lieutenant, but claims she was mistreated due to her gender and sexual orientation.
She claims to have been subjected to a host of abusive behaviors at the hands of fellow firefighters.
Examples included being called lewd nicknames, such as "Fran-gina," ignored in life-or-death situations, and even having a bloody glove snapped in her face, splashing another person's brain matter into her eyes, nose, and mouth.
Members of the LGBTQ community gathered in Budapest, Hungary, for a "gray pride" demonstration, mocking the right-wing Hungarian government's law banning Pride marches.
Protesters have staged demonstrations in the capital city for weeks to protest the legislation, which they say goes far beyond opposing homosexuality and infringing on the right of individuals to assemble peacefully.
The ruling Fidesz (Hungarian Civiv Alliance) party, led by autocrat Viktor Orbán, pushed through the law under the guise of "protecting children" from being exposed to demonstrations of LGBTQ identity.
The Human Rights Campaign PAC has endorsed Democrat Abigail Spanberger to be the next governor of Virginia.
The endorsement by the nation's largest LGBTQ advocacy organization comes at a time when some Democrats are urging members of their party to distance themselves from the LGBTQ community.
Spanberger, one of the more conservative members of the Democratic House Caucus during her six years in the U.S. House of Representatives, has been praised by some pundits for her criticism of left-leaning voices within the Democratic Party, especially on issues like public safety, national security, and support for Israel.\
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