Youth and domestic and family violence services call for more funding to support LGBTQIA+ community
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Alex* was 19 when he started dating his ex-boyfriend, but what began as a promising relationship took a dark turn resulting in alleged physical violence and coercive control.
“It was my first serious relationship. In the beginning it was fun, new and exciting, and then after three months that’s when it started to change,” he said.
He noticed an escalation in his then-partner’s behaviour when he started running his own real estate business.
“Then it was more constant, I was working by myself doing appraisals, seeing clients, and it was suggested, ‘We should put something on your phone to keep you safe.'”
Alex said his partner installed a location-sharing app on his phone.
He said his partner used it to track how many kilometres Alex was travelling each day and would check his car’s odometer when he got home to ensure it matched up.
“It was following me to client’s houses, then I wasn’t allowed to see male clients any more,” Alex said.
The now-26-year-old said it took several attempts over three years to leave the relationship, which included alleged physical, emotional and financial abuse.
“Trying to identify red flags when it’s your first serious relationship is harder when you haven’t experienced it before,” he said.
There’s growing calls from the youth and domestic and family violence sector for more financial support to assist the queer, trans and gender diverse community.
Rachel Hinds, who is chief executive of Brisbane-based LGBTIQ+ youth service Open Doors, said state and federal funding wasn’t keeping pace with demand, and a lack of diverse refuge options was resulting in young people staying in violent homes and relationships.
“One of the things that we are advocating for is for Open Doors to be funded to open a rainbow house, which would be short-term crisis accommodation,” she said.
“In this state there is no option for them, if they are to leave home, where do they go? There are no refuges created for trans and gender diverse people.
Content retrieved from: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-28/queensland-domestic-violence-services-calling-support-lgbtqia/105575212.
