A dangerous social media trend...

[pubic_assistance]

A dangerous social media "trend" seems to have emerged over the summer. Teens luring gay men from dating apps into situations where they are beaten, harassed and filmed for their social media feed.

11 Illinois teens charged with felonies after men lured and beaten using dating apps

WWW.NBCNEWS.COM

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The teens, all males 17 and 16, were charged with aggravated battery, criminal damage to property and...

 

[Ali Gator]

Hasn't this been going on since...forever ?  Gay men being lured into dangerous situations by others ? Especially since the popularity of dating apps ? It seems like we've talked about the dangers of meeting people over the internet (even on the RM sites) many times on this forum, in great detail and shared experiences. 

[nate_sf]

It sounds like here they may be recording the beatings to post on social media. The article doesn’t provide the specifics, so that’s just a guess. 

It’s dumb of the perps because they’re creating evidence. But sucks for the victims regardless. 

[pubic_assistance]

8 hours ago, nate_sf said:

It sounds like here they may be recording the beatings to post on social media.

Yes. I posted one of the articles I read. Another mentioned they "trend" they were participating in, was capturing gay men in situations and recording their humiliation and/or abuse for social media. They didn't mention anyone the more violent acts being recorded, only that the trend seems to have inspired them.

Yes, gay baiting is as old as time. But the social media aspect is new

Edited December 30, 2024 by pubic_assistance
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[d.anders]

Sadly, it's just a matter of time before we see a Matthew Shepard incident filmed. Only this time, there will be millions celebrating the visuals on social media. Plenty of hatred against gays, still. I have serious fears for the next four years.

[mike carey]

There was a number of similar cases during the year in Canberra and the local region, as reported here by the ABC.

Police search homes, seize electronic devices as they investigate alleged homophobic assaults of men on dating apps in Canberra - ABC News

WWW.ABC.NET.AU

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ACT Policing say they have executed five search warrants as they investigate the alleged assaults of three men using an...

(The reports refer to ABC Policing rather than ACT Police as the local police here are provided by the Australian Federal Police under a service agreement with the territory government.)