Police statistics show homophobic assaults have risen in the latest reporting period, with 21 reported cases in Victoria in 2006-07, up from 17 in 2005-06. However, the figures indicate a general dip in reported homophobic assaults, with 30 recorded in 2001-02. Sergeant Scott Davis, head of the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit in the Victoria Police, says that while he hopes the rise is due to more people reporting homophobic crimes, it's difficult to tell.

Davis says the numbers are still a grave under-representation of actual homophobic crime, with only about 10 percent reported.

"There is a perception that Victoria Police are a homophobic organisation and will not respond appropriately. This is simply not the case; there has been a great culture change," he says.

Davis said approximately 70 percent of reported physical assaults are preceded by verbal abuse.

Assault is the most common homophobic crime, followed by property damage, which was down from 16 reported cases in 2005-06 to six in 2006-07.

Records show over 50 percent of homophobic assault cases are indictable, causing serious injury. Almost 60 percent of homophobic assaults involve multiple offenders, in groups as large as 12.

Lyn Morgain, CEO of the ALSO Foundation and part of the Homophobia Harassment Community Coalition, says it is vital to report homophobic crime.

"If we knew that the consequence of our silence may be a more aggravated assault against some other member of the community, we believe that people would be more willing and able to act - even though we do understand why people don't."

Greg Adkins, Co-Convenor of the Anti-Violence Project, says racist and domestic abuse is also under-reported in the broader gay community.

"People are not feeling empowered to talk about what is happening. This is critical, [because] people are not talking about what we know is happening out there."

By ANDIE NOONAN