00:00When this man, who we'll call Alex, started dating his ex-boyfriend three years ago,
00:08he had no idea the promising relationship would take a dark turn.
00:13In the beginning it was, you know, it was fun, it was new and exciting.
00:17The then 19-year-old endured alleged physical, financial and emotional abuse.
00:23His ex-partner even used a location-sharing app to track his movements.
00:29Which turned into, I'm tracking your kilometres, I'm riding down the kilometres,
00:34it's going to take you to get here and there and I'm going to check your car when you get home.
00:38The relationship ended after a violent incident where his nose was broken.
00:44He says seeking help was daunting.
00:47It was sort of a difficult step to take. It's hard to know where to start and who to go to.
00:52Support services say domestic and family violence in the LGBTQ plus community is prevalent.
00:59A 2019 survey of over 6,800 queer and gender diverse respondents found 61% had experienced intimate partner violence
01:11and 65% had suffered family violence.
01:15There are calls for more funding, particularly for specialised refuges.
01:20I've had 16, 17-year-olds in horrific circumstances who say,
01:27well, if I go, where do I go?
01:30And we have to say to them, we don't have anywhere to send you.
01:34More than $730,000 from the state has been split between three organisations to provide DV support for queer, trans and gender diverse people.
01:46The federal government says it has an arrangement in place with states and territories to match some DV funding.
01:54Some services are thinking outside the box, like Beyond DV, which has created an app to provide support and advice.
02:03By, you know, potentially using tools like the app and keeping these conversations going that we can take the shame away.
02:09It's really important, especially now in this climate, to have voices that you can trust from people that you respect.
02:15That's correct.
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