Dating app Grindr has announced that in celebration of Trans Awareness Month, it has developed new features to include transgender and gender non-conforming users.
The app is primarily used by cisgender gay and bisexual men and has been criticised in the past for not providing a safe environment for trans and non-binary people.
“One thing we heard over and over again from trans people using Grindr was that they felt unwelcome as other users would often only want to ask them about what it means to be trans or approached without knowing how to speak respectfully about trans issues,” Jack Harrison-Quintana, director of Grindr for Equality said in a .
“That’s why we created written resources linked from the gender identity fields in the profile to answer users’ questions and decrease that burden on trans people.”
Users can now fill out gender identity forms on the app that include options like trans man, cis man, non-conforming, queer, trans woman and woman. There’s also an option for users to write in their gender identity if it does not appear on the list. Grindr users can also fill in their correct pronouns as well.
Grindr has produced a video that features trans and non-binary people talking about their experience on the app and what the new features will mean.
Host Jen Richards comments that trans users often attract people who use transphobic language, ask intrusive questions or say something like ‘I’ve never been with a trans person’.
The Grindr app will now host a ‘Gender Identity Help Centre’—a resource that answers questions about what it means to be transgender, cisgender, intersex or non-binary. Plus tips on how to respectfully have a conversation online with a trans or gender non-conforming person.
“I love that it’s going to make trans people feel so much more comfortable about online dating,” says Blossom C. Brown.
Peter Sloterdyk, VP of Marketing at Grindr the company is "committed to making Grindr a welcome and safe space for all trans people."
