‘People walk out tall': Melbourne's gay scene defies hate

Sydney Morning Herald

3 days ago

'These things were almost in our past,' he said. '[But] I think over time we've seen this escalate, where people start to feel a confidence [that they can] shut down these events. And it just builds and builds and builds. And I think there's too much confidence in this far-right activity at the moment.'
Ball was part of a forum recently held at The Laird alongside Victoria Police to talk to members of the community about how to stay safe on the back of more than 35 arrests since October for assault, robbery, false imprisonment and even extortion in a new form of homophobic violence in which perpetrators use apps such as TikTok to post and boast about their crimes.
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Last month three 20-year-old men pleaded guilty to charges including kidnapping, armed robbery and assault-related offences at the County Court of Victoria, claiming their actions were a case of 'mistaken vigilantism' against men they suspected to be sex offenders.
The court heard disturbing details of the trio's crimes including how they lured men into parks or quiet streets after connecting with them on dating sites including Grindr and Scruff, using fake profiles, before brutally assaulting and robbing them.
In one incident, a victim aged in his 50s was falsely told that he was meeting a 15-year-old boy after first matching with one of the men who used a fake profile of a 22-year-old man.
Graphic video footage of his assault, captured on a smartphone, showed the victim being set upon by the men, who accused him of sexual misconduct and being a paedophile. The man is seen screaming and pleading for his life as he is violently assaulted, choked and then beaten with a metal pole.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said there was 'absolutely no place for this type of concerning behaviour in our society' and urged any victims to come forward – even for historic incidents – when ready. 'It's crucial that the community understands that dating apps are not investigators – police are the only ones able to conduct a criminal investigation and hold perpetrators to account.'
While police hunt for the Laird vandals, community leaders are demanding wider government action. Greens state member for Richmond, Gabrielle De Vietri, said the attack was part of a 'co-ordinated pattern of far-right, homophobic violence that's becoming increasingly emboldened'. She has requested the premier and minister for equality 'urgently meet with our community who deserve to be heard and to feel safe'.
Commissioner Ball says the rise in hateful conduct requires a multipronged government response. He welcomed that Premier Jacinta Allan had discussed expanding the new anti-hate taskforce beyond its initial focus on antisemitism to include attacks on the queer community. He is also calling for a new, independent reporting tool to track incidents for data purposes, separate from the criminal justice system.
'We know already there are far more instances where gay men have been bashed than have been reported, and that's because people are quite afraid [to go to police],' he says.
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Responding to The Age, Minister for Equality Vicki Ward said in a statement that, 'Any violence targeting LGBTIQA+ communities is abhorrent and unacceptable. These are not isolated incidents, and we take them very seriously.'
The minister pointed to recently passed legislation. 'We've passed stronger anti-vilification laws, including specifically protecting the LGBTIQA+ community. We've banned the public display of the Nazi symbol and introduced new 'post and boast' laws to criminalise violent, hate-driven crimes being glorified online.'
Back at The Laird, business continues as usual and management aren't taking a backwards step. Owner Brett Lasham's staff had the rainbow flags up over the graffiti as soon as it was spotted, and it was scrubbed off by the time patrons rocked up for their first beer as 3pm.
Lasham says as a 53-year-old bloke he isn't intimidated – he even plans to print T-shirts using the vandals 'FAG' tag to wear at the bar– but he is fiercely protective of his patrons and their sense of feeling safe.
'I'd love to sit at a table with one of these people [and ask] what is it that made you want to do that?'
Arcuri, who first found the vandalism, has also built up a thick skin after years of being targeted as drag performer.
'It didn't hurt me. It was just like, 'God, this is an annoying way to spend my Sunday morning' … I don't have a key to get the paint,' he said.
He's learned every instance of hate is an opportunity to reframe the narrative for the gay community on their terms.