Gay students extorted with threat of being ‘outed’ in home countries, Victorian hate crime inquiry hears

Some international students who are being threatened with extortion after being lured into meetings via gay dating apps in Victoria say they are scared of their sexuality being shared with family members overseas . Photograph: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Some international students who are being threatened with extortion after being lured into meetings via gay dating apps in Victoria say they are scared of their sexuality being shared with family members overseas . Photograph: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images Gay students extorted with threat of being ‘outed’ in home countries, Victorian hate crime inquiry hears LGBTQ+ support service says men from countries where homosexuality is illegal are targeted for attacks via dating apps Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast International students from countries where homosexuality is illegal are being lured into meetings via gay dating apps before being assaulted and extorted with threats of being outed, a Victorian inquiry into hate crimes has heard. Since June 2024, police identified 95 attacks targeting gay and bisexual men across Victoria, resulting in 42 arrests, Thorne Harbour Health’s chief executive, Chad Hughes, told a hate crimes inquiry on Wednesday. But Hughes, whose organisation runs a LGBTIQ+ health service, said he believed the “true number” was far higher, as many victims were reluctant to come forward due to mistrust of police. According to Switchboard Victoria’s chief executive, Jenna Tuke, who appeared alongside Hughes at the hearing, some were also scared of their sexuality being shared with family members overseas – and were extorted as a result. “We’ve heard a lot of stories of people who’ve been … contacted after the offence and asked to deposit tens of thousands of dollars in an account – ‘otherwise, this video will be shared with everyone in your contacts,’” Tuke told the hearing. “We’ve certainly seen a pattern of overseas students being targeted in countries where … homosexuality is illegal. “[The] family implications for those people are absolutely massive.” Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email Tuke said one caller to her support service said: “I’ve got until 10pm, and if I don’t give them this money, they’ve said they’re going to release this to everyone in my contacts, including family overseas.” “We’re hearing those types of stories quite frequently,” she told the hearing. “It does appear that they may be targeting people who they think are not ‘out’, and for whom the kind of consequences of being outed as gay or queer will be greater.” Footage shared in the ‘manosphere’ At just one recent community forum convened by Thorne Harbour, Hughes said 12 men disclosed being attacked after arranging meetings through dating apps. Only two reported them to police, “and one of them regretted that”. “The attacks are deliberate and humiliating. The victims are forced to recit