Daily US Times: Homophobic hate crimes are on the rise across the world. A 4-2-year-old gay man in Belgium was found dead in an abandoned park after he arranged date with a man he met on the gay dating app Grindr. Three youths aged between sixteen and seventeen have been arrested on suspicion of the murder of David P.
Belgian local public prosecutors’ office and police have not yet confirmed or deny if the killing was motivated by homophobia, but David P’s case highlights the fact that for LGBTQ+ people, searching for a romantic connection online right now can put you in serious danger.
The incident in Belgium is not an isolated one. Recently, a US teen was charged with a hate crime after violently attacking a man he had met on Grindr. A teenager was put on probation in Ireland after he admitted assaulting and attempting to rob a man he’d been chatting to on Grindr under false pretences.
And according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA’s) Annual Review of LGBTQ+ rights in Europe, homophobic hate crimes are on the rise and hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people in the Netherlands were reported by Dutch media almost every week in 2020.
SOS Homophobie’s annual report in France found that the number of hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people had increased for a fourth consecutive year in 2020.
Many are feeling vulnerable and threatened, and there are fears that homophobic assailants may be taking advantage of the fact that queer dating apps are one of the only opportunities LGBTQ+ individuals can use to meet others right now.
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