Grindr, the popular dating app for LGBTQ+ individuals, is actively fostering a safe global community called 'Gaybourhood,' particularly in areas where being gay is illegal. At the Might Hoopla festival, Grindr's senior VP Tristan Pineiro emphasized the app's role as a digital refuge for users lacking access to physical gay neighborhoods. Despite safety concerns about operating in hostile regions, Grindr collaborates with NGOs to ensure it provides a vital connection for isolated queer individuals, reiterating the necessity of their presence in these areas.
"We want to provide anything that you find in a physical Gaybourhood digitally," Pineiro explained.
"Of course, if you're lucky enough to live in a city that has its own [physical, gay neighbourhood] then of course that's where you should be going... However, in the majority of places, that's not always possible."
"We'll get asked often, 'Should you even be [in those countries] while you're putting people at risk?' ... and the answer is always a resounding 'Yes, you need to be here because you're providing [queer people with] access to each other.'"
"By existing in regions where it's still socially unacceptable to be LGBTQ+, Grindr hopes it can bring a sense of community through the online world, if physical connectedness isn't possible."
Collection
[
|
...
]