It began with comments about her skirt.
The 27-year-old had just begun her dream job in a government agency, her first as an openly gay woman, when she began feeling uncomfortable.
Within months, Mel was trying to push her male boss's hands away as he sexually assaulted her while she was driving.
"There had been a few young girls in my role before me, which seemed odd," she said.
"Things started as just comments, but I was so new and fresh I just dismissed them."
Mel's boss began commenting about her dress sense and body within days of starting her new role.
The situation came to a head when she was tasked with driving him from Sydney to Newcastle for a conference.
"He decided that would be a good time to put his hands between my legs," she said.
Mel repeatedly pushed his hands away and requested he stop, but he didn't.
She eventually reported the incident to her female director, hoping for an internal investigation and action.
Mel was instead moved to another department while her former boss was promoted.
She said being openly gay added an extra layer of vulnerability to the assault.
"Me not knowing exactly who I was or questioning who I was made me feel more powerless in that situation," she said.
"He had a particular type that he would cycle through that role, young women a lot like myself."
Mel, who did not want her name published for privacy reasons, is not alone in her experience.
New research has found almost 80 per cent of young queer people have been sexually harassed or assaulted in the workplace.
The SpeakingOut@Work report, commissioned by Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS), interviewed 1000 people aged 14-30 and found 13 per cent had never experienced sexual harassment at work.
Experiences of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia were linked to sexual harassment, lead researcher Kerry Robinson from Western Sydney University said.
"This research shows how deeply workplace harassment impacts LGBTQ young people - it's not just about inappropriate behaviour, it's about a culture that devalues their identity," she said.
The study found 30 per cent of victims were threatened with sexual violence as a means of "fixing" their gender or sexual orientation.
Most perpetrators were older men who acted alone and 46 per cent were co-workers, while 31 per cent were clients or customers.
For Mel, the experience has changed her life trajectory.
"I have serious issues now working with men," she said.
"I've gone back to restudy so I can continue working in my industry but just in a different area because I won't work in government anymore.
The results are a wake-up call for workplaces, ANROWS chief executive Tessa Boyd-Caine said.
"Every inappropriate joke, every intrusive question, every exploitative act pushes LGBTQ young people further from feeling and being safe at work ... this must stop," she said.
"A workplace free from sexual harassment is a responsibility we owe every LGBTQ young person."
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Fullstop Australia 1800 385 578
