A new study has shown that a number of terrorist groups are targeting LGBTQ+ communities. 

The research, published in PS: Political Science & Politics, and led by extremism expert Dr Jared Dmello from the University of Adelaide’s School of Social Sciences, showed that extremist groups with contrasting ideologies overlapped in their hatred of LGBTQ+ people. 

“We found a wide variety of extremist groups, which on the surface have nothing in common, are actually engaging in similar attacks on the same marginalised communities, Dmello was quoted as saying by Cosmos magazine.

“Both Islamic extremist groups and far-right terrorist groups actively target the queer community through propaganda and violence.

‘Similar tactics and propaganda used to justify attacks’ 

“It was quite surprising to me just how much the far-right and Islamic extremists are engaging in similar tactics, messaging and propaganda to justify their attacks against the LGBTQ+ community.

“Sadly, this reflects broader political movements around the world that also target the human rights of this increasingly vulnerable population.”

Talking about the study, he said: “The article even features propaganda created by the Russian government, claiming that NATO-trained mosquitoes in Ukrainian labs were designed to spread a ‘gay virus’ that would selectively infect only ethnic Russians. 

“In response, some Russian supermarkets now sell a specialised mosquito repellent designed to protect against this so-called gay virus.”

In light of the findings, Dmello, who was aided in the research by professor Mia Bloom and Dr Sophia Moskalenko, called for further investigation into extremist narratives. 

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In 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned that the LGBTQ+ community in the US would be at risk of attacks during the 2024 US presidential campaign.

The DHS referred to the Texas shopping centre shooting, which left eight people dead, the attack on a school in Nashville, where six people – including three nine-year-old children died – and an attempt to burn down a church in Ohio that was planning to host a drag event.