Rachel spoke in support of a Greens’ motion requiring the Legal and Social Issues Committee to inquire into anti-LGBTIQA+ hate crimes. This would include the investigation of countermeasures and the adequacy of current responses and supports for victim-survivors.
Wednesday the 18th of February 2026,
Victorian Legislative Council
Rachel Payne (South-Eastern Metropolitan):
I rise to speak on this motion 1199 in Mr Puglielli’s name on behalf of Legalise Cannabis Victoria. This motion requires the Legal and Social Issues Committee to inquire into, consider and report by the 1 September 2026 on the scale and scope of anti-LGBTIQA+ hate crimes occurring in Victoria. This comes in the wake of a spate of hate crimes last year in which members of the LGBTQIA+ community were targeted via dating apps. While the exact nature of the violence varied, one thing was the same amongst all the attacks: a desire to shame and stigmatise gay men. These men would connect with what was unknown to them, which was a fake profile. The profile would then lure them to meet in person, and once they did, these men would then be met with violent attacks, verbal abuse, filming and threats to out them.
Targeted catfishing and vigilante violence
In one such recent case in Melbourne’s bayside suburbs, a man in his 30s organised to meet with someone he had been talking to online – someone who, at least from their profile, appeared to be who they said they were. But when he got to this meeting spot he was jumped by three men carrying metal bars. They attacked him, laughed at him, called him names and filmed it. He was so badly beaten he almost ended up in intensive care and thought he may not get out alive. This kind of anti-LGBTIQA+ vigilantism is so distressing and has caused a lot of harm to the community. No-one should be set up to go on what they think is a date or a hook-up and end up on the receiving end of violence. At the time of these attacks 35 people were arrested just in Victoria, and many similar attacks were reported across the country. Some of the alleged offenders were as young as 13. The truth is there are likely more attacks that went without investigation because they were never reported; shame, stigma and distrust of police all play a part in distorting these figures.
Resurgence of hate
There was a time when, for many decades in this state and across this country, there were essentially state-sanctioned gay-bashings and killings where police looked the other way and, at times, took part. Perpetrators were typically young men operating in groups like we are seeing today. Our culture continues to reckon with how gay men and the LGBTIQA+ community more generally were treated for far too long. While we have come a long way, we see parts of this culture repeating itself, as this motion has identified. The drivers of this resurgence are complex – a rise in homophobia – and these kinds of hate crimes do not exist in isolation. Understanding how we have gotten here yet again will help us address these trends before things get even worse.
Online influencer groupthink
Another vital part of this motion is an investigation into anti-LGBTIQA+ influencers and hate groups, including those sharing far-right, misogynistic and homophobic alpha male content. In the modern age, perpetrators are equipped with access to the internet and an anonymity that presents its own new risks. At the same time social media has helped to normalise behaviours and attitudes that our society has worked so hard to move into the past. Nowhere is this seen more than in young men faced with challenges to traditional masculinity who are seeking answers and people to blame. This kind of othering for the purpose of laying blame happens all across different groups in our society – to immigrants, to women, to the LGBTIQA+ community. This is a mammoth problem requiring a whole of society response. It will not be solved by this inquiry, but it presents a starting point to address this kind of radicalisation.
Importantly, this inquiry will also be tasked with investigating strategies to counter anti-LGBTIQA+ influence, particularly among young people; the adequacy of current responses to preventing these crimes; the adequacy of current supports for victim–survivors; and ways to improve public safety and e-safety for LGBTIQA+ community members. These are all worthwhile areas of investigation. As a member of the Legal and Social Issues Committee, I look forward to being part of this inquiry. Legalise Cannabis Victoria will be supporting this motion.
