Drummond Street Services and Queerspace have made a submission to the Victorian Parliament’s Inquiry into Anti-LGBTIQA+ Hate Crimes, lodged in May 2026.
Drawing on our direct practice experience and our own research into discrimination and mental health among LGBTIQA+ people, our submission highlights the lived complexity of anti-LGBTIQA+ harm, the significant limitations of current responses, and the critical role of community-led approaches in both prevention and recovery.
We argue that addressing hate crime requires more than legislative reform. Any effective response must be genuinely intersectional, recognising the compounded experiences of those who hold multiple marginalised identities, including First Nations LGBTIQA+ people, trans women of colour, and LGBTIQA+ people with disability. It must also address the broader drivers of hate-related behaviour, including the rise of right-wing extremism and white supremacist movements.
Our submission advocates for stronger prevention frameworks in schools and communities, holistic approaches that move beyond criminalisation, genuinely intersectional service responses, and strengthened legislation alongside community-led oversight mechanisms.
You can read our full submission here.