By all accounts, should have been a record year for the leading gay dating app, which touts some 27 million users. Flush with cash from its January acquisition by a Chinese gaming company, Grindr's executives indicated they were setting their sights on shedding the hookup app reputation and repositioning as a more welcoming platform. Instead, the Los Angeles-based company has received backlash for one blunder after another. Early this year, the Kunlun Group's buyout of Grindr raised alarm among intelligence experts that the Chinese government might be able to gain access to the Grindr profiles of American users.
Then in the spring, Grindr faced scrutiny after reports indicated that the app had a security issue that could expose users' precise locations and that the company had shared sensitive data on its users' HIV status with external software vendors. This has put Grindr's public relations team on the defensive.
They responded this fall to the threat of a class-action lawsuit — one alleging that Grindr has failed to meaningfully address racism on its app — with "Kindr," an anti-discrimination campaign that skeptical onlookers describe as little more than damage control. The Kindr campaign attempts to stymie the racism, misogyny, ageism and body-shaming that many users endure on the app. Prejudicial language has flourished on Grindr since its earliest days, with explicit and derogatory declarations such as "no Asians," "no blacks," "no fatties," "no femmes" and "no trannies" commonly appearing in user profiles.
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Of course, Grindr didn't invent such discriminatory expressions, but the app did enable their spread by allowing users to write virtually whatever they wanted in their profiles. For nearly a decade, Grindr resisted doing anything about it. Founder Joel Simkhai told the New York Times in that he never intended to "shift a culture," even as other gay dating apps such as Hornet made clear in their communities guidelines that such language would not be tolerated.
Talk about too little, too late. Last week Grindr again got derailed in its attempts to be kinder when news broke that Scott Chen, the app's straight-identified president, may not fully support marriage equality. While Chen immediately sought to distance himself from the comments made on his personal Facebook page, fury ensued across social media, and Grindr's biggest competitors — Scruff, Hornet and Jack'd — quickly denounced the news.
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Some of the most vocal criticism came from within Grindr's corporate offices, hinting at internal strife: Into, Grindr's own web magazine, first broke the story. In an interview with the Guardian, chief content officer Zach Stafford said Chen's comments did not align with the company's values.
Grindr did not respond to my multiple requests for comment, but Stafford confirmed in an email that Into reporters will continue to do their jobs "without the influence of other parts of the company — even when reporting on the company itself. It's the last straw for some disheartened users.
Concerned about user data leaks and irritated by a plethora of pesky ads, Bray has stopped using Grindr and instead spends his time on Scruff, a similar mobile dating and networking app for queer men. A precursor to modern dating as we know it, Grindr helped pioneer geosocial-based dating apps when it launched in It maintains one of the largest queer communities online, offering one of the only ways gay, bi and trans men can connect in corners of the world that remain hostile to LGBTQ rights.
But nearly 10 years on, there are signs that Grindr may be losing ground in a dense field of competing apps that offer similar services without all the baggage. Other apps seemed to have taken what Grindr did, but make it better.
Grindr was the first big dating app for gay men. Now it’s falling out of favor - Los Angeles Times
Robinson now prefers meeting people on Scruff, which he says has a friendlier interface and far fewer "headless horsemen," those infamous dating app users who upload only a faceless photo of a toned torso. Unsurprisingly, Scruff tries to distance itself from Grindr every chance it can — claiming to be a safer and more reliable option. What makes Hornet so great for gay travelers are the community features that help users network beyond dating. It started in Berlin and has now spread around the world and, while heavy on the hook-ups, also enables users to find friends, dates or learn more about LGBT issues.
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It aims to be a safe and friendly environment where you can live your queer life to the fullest. The app is free and it just takes creating a quick profile to get you in touch with tonnes of guys all over the world. Wait, what? This is the largest gay social network in the world? Well, it was developed in China and the majority of its 27 million users are there.
Internet censorship is rife in China and Blued is a way of getting around the banning of sites like Grindr. Its founder is a former policeman and committed to LGBT rights and we love that the network is now in partnership with Hornet. Although it might have been set up as a Grindr for straight people, there are now lots of gays using it; just set your preferences and enjoy the wealth of choice there.
Calling all bears, or fans of bears; this is the gay hookup app for you. Businesses might even use their Growlr HOT! Spot feature to give app users Pro features. This works in a similar way to Grindr and Scruff — you get matched with someone who catches your eye and then the two of you take it from there.
What makes it a bit different is its aim of avoiding bigotry and negativity that can be found on other apps and there is subsequently more diversity here. Surge is another like-Tinder-but-not app that proves useful when traveling again because it dodges the censors due to its generally low profile.
The app actively encourages people to use it when traveling and wants to create a community worldwide, so why not be part of that?
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Right, Mr. Right Now or Mr. Traveling is a time to get out of your comfort zone, right? So download a hookup app and get exploring! Take home a hot guy or a hot memory, not an STD. Besides, you never know what other fun surprises your trip might have in store for you Now you're all set and prepared to explore our big queer world, why not sort out everything else out all in one go?
If necessary for your travel plans make sure you have brought proper travel insurance , protected your privacy by getting a secure VPN , compared all the top hotel booking sites to find just what you're after, reserved an unbeatable rental car price and - of course - booked the best flight deals! Or maybe just forget it all and go for a last minute cruise or effortless tour instead?