A young Christchurch man is warning other LGBTQ+ people to take care when meeting people through dating apps after an encounter arranged on Grindr ended with him in hospital.
The 21-year-old, who has chosen to remain anonymous, arranged to meet someone at Woolston Park in April after chatting on the gay dating app.
But when he arrived, nobody appeared.
After waiting for around 10 minutes, he headed back towards his car. That was when he says two hooded men approached him from behind.
“I couldn’t see the person that I was meant to be meeting,” he told 1News. “I ended up then heading back to my car and there behind me was two hooded males who decided to come at me from behind.”
The attackers pushed him to the ground before kicking and punching him while using homophobic slurs.
He eventually managed to escape towards Ferry Road, where a member of the public came to his aid.
Attack leaves lasting trauma
The assault left him with a fractured leg, concussion and a chipped tooth, requiring two days in Christchurch Hospital followed by rehabilitation.
Months later, he is still receiving counselling.
“The long-lasting effect has been the effect on my mental health,” he said. “There’s so much that trauma can do, especially in an attack, but not just an attack — it was an attack based on someone’s sexuality.”
RainbowYOUTH said it was deeply saddened by the attack, adding that violence targeting one member of the rainbow community can have wider repercussions.
Police examined the scene and made enquiries in the area but have so far been unable to locate those responsible.
Detective Constable Thomas Martin said similar incidents involving dating apps have occurred elsewhere in Aotearoa and encouraged anyone targeted to contact police.
In May, Southland Police separately warned dating-app users after people were allegedly lured to secluded areas of Invercargill and seriously assaulted. Police said attackers appeared to be using the apps specifically to gain victims’ trust before arranging meetings.
Staying safer when meeting online
Netsafe says most people use dating apps without serious harm, but fake identities can be used for scams, extortion and potentially dangerous face-to-face encounters.
New Zealand Police recommend meeting for the first time in a public place, telling someone you trust where you are going and leaving whenever something doesn’t feel right.
Crucially, responsibility for violence always remains with the people committing it — not those using dating apps to meet others.
The Christchurch survivor says he is sharing his experience in the hope other people will be more aware of the risks.
