The victims of a violent assault in Footscray say their incident appears to be part of an alarming upward trend.
Three members of the LGBTIQ community say they were assaulted inside Footscray Plaza on the night of Friday, November 4 after being chased through the streets following a confrontation at a nearby restaurant.
Already shaken by the attack, they were further incensed after allegedly being told by police they weren’t able to label the crime as trans or queer phobic.
Starlady, Azja and another friend were leaving a restaurant in Footscray when a customer who had earlier laughed derogatorily at Starlady yelled “get the f-ck out” before slamming the door shut.
When Starlady stuck up her middle finger in response, the man and two of his friends gave chase.
Azja, who was grabbed in a headlock, said even a nearby security guard failed to intervene even when one of the attackers began punching her friend in the face.
“Unfortunately there wasn’t much of a response from bystanders intervening. Even after the attackers left nobody came up to see if we were okay.”
While upset by the ordeal, Starlady said one of the saddest aspects was the lack of support during and after the attack.
“I was yelling out at the top of my lungs but everybody just sort of watched,” she said.
After waiting for police to attend, the trio went to Footscray Police Station to lodge their statements.
Starlady said they were disappointed with what she saw as pressure not to label it as a trans or queer phobic crime.
“We had to bang on the window for 10 minutes, then when they did see us they told us we couldn’t say it was a hate crime.”
Azja said she was similarly pressured and as a consequence her statement fails to reflect what she is certain brought on the attack.
“For us the situation was clear as day, it was caused by transphobia and queerphobia,” she said.
Starlady said she has heard of a number of recent attacks across Melbourne and fears these are only the tip of the iceberg, with many likely to go unreported.
Both Starlady and Azja said the LGBTIQ community has seen an escalation in discrimination brought on by recent attacks on the Safe Schools program in the media and Parliament.
“It’s having a direct result on our safety in the community, encouraging and emboldening bigots to slander and vilify and perpetuate hate crimes,” Starlady said.
“I think all these vicious narratives against any traditionally marginalised groups allow for these violent behaviours, the perpetrators of this attack possibly feel they might not face any consequences,” Azja said.
She said she is especially concerned for young people who may not have the same support networks in place to deal with this kind of situation.
“For me it is pretty heartbreaking, as youth workers we really try to affirm young people’s identities and the ways they choose to express their gender and then these attacks happen and it makes you question what kind of things they are facing once they leave the safe space we aim to provide.”
Starlady said since speaking out about the incident she has met with the Footscray police inspector and GLLO officer to discuss improvements to training.
Victoria Police spokeswoman Sophie Jennings said records show police attended the scene of the alleged incident just over 15 minutes after the first call to 000 and stayed to speak to other witnesses.
Ms Jennings said Victoria Police recognises that crimes motivated by prejudice cause serious harm to victims and can leave them and their communities feeling vulnerable, threatened and isolated.
“Victoria Police training and education includes ethical decision making, professional policing, community engagement and cultural awareness,” she said.
“Victoria Police is in ongoing contact with the victims to ensure they feel supported through the process as we work to identify the alleged offenders. Two Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (GLLO) Liaison Officers have been in contact with the victims this week along with representatives from our Priority Communities Division and local police.”
Police are seeking to speak to two men captured in CCTV vision, described as medium height and build, with dark hair.
