Anti-gay abuse surges in Australian state: study

Abuse and harassment of homosexual, bisexual and transgendered people is rife in Queensland, a new study revealed on Thursday.

A survey of 1,100 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people by Griffith and Bond University researchers found that the overwhelming majority had been victims of targeted harassment as well as physical and sexual abuse.

Moreover, attitudes towards them are not changing, with 53 percent saying they had been victimized in the past two years.

Griffith University researcher Dr Alan Berman told Australian Associated Press that respondents reported being abused while in public, the workplace and school and university.

"The majority of perpetrators are likely to be young males with no prior relationship to the victim, raising questions about the links between homophobic and transphobic abuse and insecure concepts of masculinity on the part of offenders," Dr Berman said.

The report found 75 percent of LGBTIQs who were victims did not report the harassment or attacks to authorities or did not seek professional assistance.

Source: Xinhua