REUTERS – Jan 5 – Chinese gay dating app Blued is halting new user registration for a week, following media reports that underage users caught HIV after going on dates set up via the app. In response, Blued vowed to launch a "comprehensive content audit and regulation," and crack down on underage users posing as adults. Blued, which was launched in 2010 and now boasts 40M registered users, is backed by state-run media Beijing News.
Category: All Gay
Grindr Harassment Suit Could Change Accountability for Tech
NBC MIAMI – Jan 5 – Matthew Herrick claimed that for months an ex-boyfriend used Grindr to harass him. The harassment continued for months, even after Herrick obtained a temporary restraining order against Grindr that required the company to disable the impersonating profiles. He continues to push back against Grindr, arguing that tech companies should face greater accountability for what happens on their platforms. If successful, the lawsuit could bring a significant legal change.
Grindr’s Director Of Communications Quit Over President’s Gay Marriage Comment
INSTINCT MAGAZINE – Dec 10 – Last week, Grindr was trending after its President and CTO Scott Chen posted to Facebook that he thinks "marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman." Now in reaction to that, Grindr's communications director Landen Rafe Zumwalt, who is openly gay, has quit his job. "As an out and proud gay man madly in love with a man I don't deserve, I refused to compromise my own values or professional integrity to defend a statement that goes against everything I am and everything I believe," Zumwalt wrote through medium.com. Scott Chen explained his Facebook post: "The reason I said marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman is based on my own personal experience. I am a straight man married to a woman I love and I have two beautiful daughters I love from the marriage. This is how I feel about my marriage. Different people have their different feelings about their marriages. You can't deny my feelings about my marriage."
by Devin Randall
The full article was originally published at Instinct Magazine, but is no longer available.
Grindr, the First Big Dating App For Gays, Is Falling Out of Favor
WASHINGTON POST – Dec 7 – 2018 should have been a record year for Grindr, the leading gay dating app, which touts ~27M users. Instead, the app 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 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. Last week, news broke that Scott Chen, the app's straight-identified president, may not fully support marriage equality. In the past several years, Grindr users have widely reported that spambots and spoofed accounts run rampant. Earlier this year, a massive study by the Center for Humane Technology found that Grindr is the No. 1 app that leaves users feeling unhappy. Among its major competitors, Grindr has the lowest score on the Apple App store: a lowly two stars.
Head of Grindr Sets the Record Straight on His Position on Same Sex Marriage
NYDAILY NEWS – Dec 4 – Grindr president Scott Chen wrote on his Facebook page, "Some think marriage is between a man and a woman. I think so, too, but it's a personal matter." He added, "Some people think the purpose of marriage is to have your own biological children. It's a personal matter, too." The L.A.-based LGBTQ friendly social media page Into quickly seized on Chen's comments, posting that "Into has learned that President of Grindr does not support same-sex marriage, according to deleted social post." Chen acknowledged the post, but claimed his intention was to argue against those who oppose same-sex marriage in Taiwan, where he was educated and served in the military.
by Brian Niemietz
See full article at NY Daily News
Scruff CEO: The Real Issue with Grindr Is Way Bigger Than Gay Marriage
OUT.COM – Dec 3 – President of Grindr, Scott Chen created a Facebook post where he defined marriage as a "holy matrimony between a man and a woman." Here is an interview with Scruff CEO Eric Silverberg.
Q: How you felt when the news surfaced about the President of Grindr's remarks on gay marriage?
A: It's very disappointing. As a private citizen, you certainly have your right to your private beliefs, but when a leader in the gay community says these things, they're disrespecting the decades-long work of marriage equality activists.
Q: What do you know about the owners of Grindr?
A: I know that today, Grindr is entirely owned by a Chinese company. I think what this whole incident shines a light on is just how important the identity and personal beliefs of the tech company leaders really are in 2018. That's why I'm proud that Scruff is a gay-owned business.
Q: Tell me more about how Scruff pursues a business model.
A: Some tech executives don't use the products that they're building. We here at Scruff absolutely do. That manifested in the decision we made this year to get rid of all programmatic advertising, and to forgo any kind of data integration with Facebook.
Q: Can you explain what programmatic advertising is?
A: Any time you see a banner ad in an app, your data — be it your location, your sexuality, or the app you're on — is shuttled out of the app and into something that resembles a stock exchange. In that instant, you have advertisers who are bidding on that impression. The issue now is that data doesn't just stop with the advertisers anymore.
Q: Do you believe the claims that Grindr won't allow advertisers to receive access to users' HIV statuses?
A: I think we should look at their history of decision-making. People have very good reason to be deeply skeptical.
Q: Why is Grindr so big?
A: They were simply first to market.
Q: What are your hopes for Scruff, especially in the wake of these revelations about Grindr's president?
A: My hopes for the gay community are that people become more aware of the apps that they use, and really hold their companies and their leaders to the standards that they always should've been held to.
by Phillip Picardi
See full article at Out.com
Delta App – India’s First Homegrown Dating App For LGBTQ
INDIATIMES – Dec 2 – The Delta App is India's first homegrown LGBT app for meeting and dating people. This app aims to provide a safe and secure environment for people from the LGBTQ community to date and network. It has a trust score system where people get perks for creating more trustworthy profiles.
The President of Grindr Said He’s Against Gay Marriage
OUT – Nov 30 – Grindr's president and former CTO Scott Chen claimed marriage is a "holy matrimony between a man and a woman" in a deleted Facebook post, according to sources within Grindr. This isn't the first time Grindr's been in hot water with the LGBTQ+ community it serves: Earlier this year, reports surfaced that the app's parent company was selling data on users' HIV status to medical insurance companies. Long live queer media.
Interview with Adam Cohen-Aslatei, Managing Director of Chappy
OPW INTERVIEW – Nov 30 – Adam Cohen-Aslatei recently became Chappy's new Managing Director. (see news). A Harvard grad with 5 years at The Meet Group, he's powering up Chappy to become a leader in the gay dating space. – Mark Brooks
What brought you to Chappy and why do you want to help grow Chappy?
I've always been interested in networking and relationship building. Back when I was in graduate school I started a speed dating event series backed by an algorithmic technology. The majority of my career has focused on advertising technology and dating, so when this opportunity was presented, to reinvent and redefine gay dating, I jumped at the chance.
This mission is very personal for me. I came out later in life and I wish I had had access to an app like this. I believe everyone in our community deserves a better way to meet new people and build relationships in an environment that uplifts and empowers. This is the foundation and ambition of Chappy.
What is the most frustrating pain point in online gay dating?
Over and over we hear stories from guys about encountering discrimination, cat-fishing, or just general bad treatment on gay dating apps. Endless torso scrolling and anonymous profiles lead to a lack of accountability and a feeling of being in the shadows. All of our profiles feature a face and a name. Our bios are descriptive and we have a zero tolerance for hate and discrimination. All Chappy members sign a pledge to treat people with kindness and respect. All profiles are verified, stamping out cat-fishing. In a nutshell, we provide a clean environment from which to build relationships with real people.
Can you tell us about the new "Cute & Sexy" scale, and what it does to empower users?
The scale allows our guy to find the type of relationship he's looking for. The type of experience doesn't define the guy, and the same guy may want something Sexy one day and something Cute the next. We consider "Sexy" something that's bold and adventurous, that can be short term or not, but always memorable. Something "Cute" is sweet and could go the distance. This mood based scale empowers our community to find what they're looking for without judgement. We want to help gay guys find great, meaningful relationships for now, or forever.
How is Chappy working to be an ally for the LGBT community?
From the beginning, Chappy's mission included a commitment to building a stronger community. We take that mission seriously and we put our money where our mouth is. We recently started a new partnerships with GLAAD, which has become a fixture of our app, called Chats for Charity. Chappy will make a donation for each new chat session initiated on our platform – and these funds will help support global gay voices. So not only are we building real relationships within our community each day, but our members are also helping the community at-large.
We are finalizing a number of additional partnerships with organizations that build awareness, tolerance, and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, and look forward to announcing them soon.
Can you tell us a bit about Chats for Charity and how it works?
Chats for Charity is an easy way for our community to engage with our product while also supporting global gay voices. For each new chat sessions initiated on the platform, Chappy will make a donation to GLAAD. The funds are unrestricted, meaning that GLAAD has the flexibility to allocate them to both urgent issues and long term projects. We need to work together, individuals and companies, if we ever want to end discrimination, intolerance, and prejudice.
What does Chappy do to make sure user are safe to keep the community authentic?
All profiles are verified and profile pictures must contain a face. All of our members must sign the Chappy Pledge, a pact to be kind and respectful, and a vow to not discriminate. We elevate the barrier to register on the app, but that means that guys who are serious about meeting other guys and building meaningful relationships are on the app.
Our algorithm finds the best match for you and a mutual match must occur before anyone starts chatting, increasing the quality of the potential connection. I am always impressed to find such high quality guys on the app, amazing artists, Ivy League students, doctors, advocates, athletes and adventure seekers to name a few. Every kind of guy is on the app, and that's what makes our community so amazing.
What advice would you give to new Chappy user?
I would tell him to be honest, open and authentic. Whether he is looking for something fun and immediate or long term and lasting, he deserves to be treated with respect and with kindness. I believe that we each have a responsibility in our community to uplift each other and treat others the way we want to be treated. Now get ready to meet a great guy!
Taiwan Rejects Same-sex Marriage in Referendums
