The Wall Street Journal has run a sensationalized story about the historical vulnerabilities in the adtech ecosystem that were improperly exploited to allegedly obtain data from some of Grindr’s former ad partners. The issues with adtech are real, unfortunately the WSJ is using scare tactics in a ploy for clicks.

A few things we want to make abundantly clear:

• What the WSJ describes would not be possible with our privacy practices today, practices we proactively implemented two years ago
• Grindr takes the privacy of its users extremely seriously, and we have put privacy before profit:
• Since early 2020, Grindr has shared less information with ad partners than any of the big tech platforms and most of our competitors, restricting the information we share to IP address, advertising ID, and the basic information necessary to support ad delivery
• Grindr does not share users’ precise location, we do not share user profile information, and we do not share even industry standard data like age or gender
• Grindr gives all our users globally the choice to control whether they receive personalized advertising    
• Grindr works with a limited number of ad partners who we review semiannually against rigorous data privacy and best practice standards
• The tradeoff of reducing the data shared with ad partners to below even industry standard is the ad quality is lower for users and of course Grindr’s ad revenue is lower as well

Our users value privacy, and we continue to put our users’ needs first. The issues threatening the LGBTQ+ community are real – issues like homophobia, prejudice, and state sponsored surveillance and violence, among others. Protecting privacy and protecting the LGBTQ+ community is and must be an ongoing effort for all of us. Grindr literally puts its money where its mouth is on this issue, I wish the WSJ would do the same.

-Patrick Lenihan, VP of Communications | LinkedIn

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Meet Dana Ross (she/her), our Software Development Manager

Dana’s been fascinated with technology’s ability to connect people, and she has spent over twenty years in the software industry. Prior to Grindr, Dana worked as a Software Development Manager at Chewy where she built a cross-functional team to improve the experience for subscribers. We got the chance to sit down with Dana to learn more about the web team’s work and how she sees her role in the bigger picture at Grindr.

Check out Dana’s Grindr story below, and take a look at our careers page to learn more about our open job opportunities.

Have you always worked in the software industry?

I’ve wanted to be a programmer since the second grade. It was the 1980s, and that was the first time I really got to see and touch a computer. The graphics weren’t great and the sound was barely better than the beeps from a microwave oven. But I was obsessed with the idea of a computer as a blank canvas and the possibilities it offered.

What drew you to the web specifically?

It was a natural evolution for me. Growing up, I didn’t have that many people in my life I could talk to about gender or sexuality. Bulletin Board Systems (BBSs) and the early internet got me through my teenage years. Online, I found hundreds of people eager to connect and share their inner worlds.

I’ve been creating for the web since 1996. It’s still a wonderful canvas for self-expression. The web’s also evolved into a powerful engine of commerce, publishing, and application creation, transforming lives across the globe like for our users at Grindr!

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Tell us why you joined Grindr. What do you love most about our mission and our culture?

I’m thrilled to work at a company using technology to bring queer folks together safely. It seriously energizes me. Plus, I get to work with amazing people every day. I love the collaborative problem-solving and sense of ownership on our team. I love having colleagues with a wide variety of backgrounds where we can learn from each other in support of our mission to connect the global LGBTQIA+ community.

What interesting problems is your Grindr team solving for and what are you looking forward to for the future?

Being on the web team exposed me to projects like Grindr Bloop and Grindr 4 Equality (G4E). Some of these sites were set up when the company was very young and the underlying technologies haven’t kept up with people’s expectations. We’re looking at moving Grindr’s web properties to modern content management platforms that we’ll be able to use more effectively.

This will hopefully provide a better and safer experience for our users while allowing us to scale as we continue to build out Grindr’s web presence. It will also help us continue to share and represent the progressive and impactful work on Grindr initiatives like Bloop and G4E.

What are your goals for growing your team?

As the web team grows, I plan to focus on finding solid engineers that embrace the human side of the job. Our team has to work closely with our partners on the Product team to make sure we’re aligned with Grindr’s business goals. We collaborate with folks across the organization responsible for the privacy, security, and experience of our users.

We strive for engineering excellence. But to be truly successful, we need more than exceptional engineers. We need compassionate, action-oriented advocates who recognize our responsibility to Grindr’s user base, the people using and loving the things we create.

Dana is hiring! If you are interested in working on a talented team of engineers that are working to solve unique challenges in support of the LGBTQIA+ community, you should apply for a role on her team today!

For more information on opportunities to work at Grindr, please visit our career site.

It’s Aries szn. The season of the ram needs a gentler touch.

Love: Dating is hard now. It’s not like “Bridgerton,” we don’t just marry someone hot after 4 conversations and a cursory glance at their bank statements. Don’t let the fact that you’re not in “The Gilded Age” turn you into The Jaded Bottom.

Lust: Easter is coming, a holiday that brings millions of people to their knees. You’ll be on yours too, but it won’t be to pray.

Friendships: What did we save the daylight and lose an hour of sleep for if not pitchers of margaritas on a patio! Grab your gays and get those rims salted.

Work: Summer is coming soon. Be gay. Do Crimes. Douche on company time. Coordinate your next vacation during a Zoom meeting. Insider trading. Who cares?

Love: There are nearly 4 billion men on this planet. Statistically, one of them has to want to text you back, right? RIGHT?!

Lust: You say violence is not the answer, but your kinky ass definitely wants to be slapped (and maybe choked a bit) while people watch in amazement. Consent is the key here.

Friendship: Group trips don’t always have to be out of town. Your local gay bar bathroom stall is right there. The best of tea is spilled in the powder room!

Work: Top that twink in human resources. Hole is a resource too, ya know!

Love: Next time a man wants to know what your love language is, tell him you’re multilingual. You’re fluent in receiving gifts, quality time, AND words of affirmation!

Lust: Deep inside all of us there are multiple dreams, wishes, and aspirations. Deep inside you,  there will be multiple members of the local Equinox.

Friendships: Listen up, Korra. You may be powerful, but you can’t bend your friends to your will forever. Start playing nice or you’ll be at an Avatar party of one.

Work: You’re feeling tempted to take on some new gigs and…you should. Your Ubers of shame aren’t gonna pay for themselves.

Love: If you make it to the end of this sentence without thinking about him, you win. But you didn’t, so better get as comfortable with taking L’s as you are with taking inches.

Lust: They say romance is dead, but it’s not! You just have to pay attention to the smaller, kinder gestures. Keep track of the ones who kiss your ass goodnight after they're done using it.

Friendships: Bottling is for tequila and lube, not for your emotions. Crying in private is not a permanent solution—tell them how they’re hurting you.

Work: Cause a little drama this month just to spice things up. CC your boss in an email about one of your coworkers getting married with the subject line: “UNIONIZING.”

Love: You’ve had more love interests at once than the entire cast of “Desperate Housewives.” Focus on one, Edie, lest the rest of the cast will have you killed off mid-season for stealing their men and making their lives so difficult.

Lust: It’s time to turn up the heat in the bedroom. Try some new things. Do something so hot and dirty, you wouldn’t even write about it in your diary.

Friendships: You love to be the ingenue of every situation, but keep being a diva and you’ll be the only one taking bows when the curtain closes. Sure, it’s fun being bent over, but certainly not alone!

Work: If the IRS tries to come for your money this year, tell them you’re not paying taxes because that’s *not* Met Gala Behavior.

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Love: You’re calling him “daddy” when he doesn’t even call you back.

Lust: The weather is nice and you should treat yourself to a nice cruise. No, I’m not talking Royal Caribbean—your local park will do. You won’t be out to sea, but you can still get wet!  

Friendships: You don’t listen to your girls complain about the same guys for hours not to be able to cash in some favors when you need them. That’s right, it’s someone else’s turn to host the pregame!

Work: No one likes completing a task quite like you, but it can’t be all work and no play. For every item you’re checking off your boss’s list, add a little something you wanna try for daddy.

Love: At this point you’d rather trade nudes with Ron Desantis than sit through another boring dinner date. I get it. Spice up your first date suggestions. Activities are fun. We mean bowling or laser tag, not bathhouses!

Lust: You’re branching out into topping this month. You can do it. Kiss your cock ring three times and say the magic words: There’s no place like hole.

Friendship: Your friends made you sit through a three-hour GRAMMYs for Lil Nas X to not even win a single award. You have sole aux cord in the Uber privileges for every weekend til Memorial Day. TAKE NO REQUESTS.

Work: Sure you can put quitting your job on your summer bucket list, but how will you pay for any of the other things on it, sweetie?

Love: You are responsible for your own salvation, babe. What makes you think this man will save you from a burning building when he won’t even save your number in his phone?

Lust: Your hole is like a garden, it needs lots of well-planted seeds to thrive. Luckily, this season you’re meeting a lot of men with green thumbs. Don’t be afraid of the finger too though!!

Friendships: You do not have to tell every acquaintance you see at the bar “let’s get coffee soon.” You don’t even like coffee and you *really* don’t like them. Why lie twice? God is counting!

Work: Capitalism is a scam. Drink all the company La Croix you want. Hell, take some Cliff bars home for your friends and roommates!

Love: I know being single may be making you lonely but, no matter what, please remember: You is kind. You is smart. You is not lonely enough to be posting statuses on Facebook.

Lust: Stop lying in bed and telling men they own your hole. They may be shareholders, but you know damn well they are not sole proprietors!

Friendships: Mercury may not be in retrograde, but sometimes it feels like your mental health is. Don’t be afraid to ask your friends for help. You don’t listen to their lies for nothing.

Work: Your Pride travel calendar can’t give “Carmen Sandiego” when your bank account is overdrawn and underpaid. Ask for that raise now or the only Pride rainbows you’ll be seeing is on someone else’s IG story.

Love:  Ignorance is bliss and knowing things is the direct cause of unhappiness. For true peace, live your life with an empty head and open legs.

Lust: Just because you like rawhide doesn't mean your hole needs to look like leather. Give it a spa day. The return on investment will be well worth it!

Friendships: We get it…if friendships were grade school, you’d be valedictorian! But how about passing some of that knowledge along for once? Tutor others on how to be a better friend to you instead of letting them all flunk out! No one likes a mean nerd!

Work: Office morale is at an all time high. You know what that means? It’s time to start a vicious rumor!!!

Love: Your friends are settling down, but it’s time for you to settle some scores. Call up that ex who hurt you, text that man who ghosted you. Get closure or get even! The choice is yours.

Lust: They say you’re only as good as your last performance. If that’s the case, you’d win an Oscar for pretending he’s laying it down better than he actually is. Stop faking it! He’ll never get better if you reinforce poor performance!

Friendships: We’ve experienced a global pandemic, economic collapse, natural disasters, and…you want to stay in on a Friday night? When you might run into your crush? Listen to the group chat…GO. The world is burning!

Work: You are running things and thriving in all aspects of the workplace. It’s enough to make you wanna change your tax status to Head Of Household. Careful—with great power bottoms come great responsibilities…

Love: There’s a thin line between love and hate but a continent between you and all your Instagram crushes. Expiring photos can’t satisfy you forever. Start shopping local!

Lust: This month, your hole will be struck down by more middle-aged men than proposed legislation that helps the working class.

Friendships: There’s nothing that can't be solved over mani-pedis and a movie night with your girl. Don’t you think that one argument over Jorgeous’ elimination has gone a little too far?

Work: There’s a way out of any after-work social situation you don’t want to be in! Just get creative. Make up a dog you don’t own. Tell them your grandma has syphilis. The more unbelievable it is, the less likely they are to investigate.

Welcome to #WorkItWednesday, Grindr's feature on employees and programs at the heart of the work we do to connect the global queer community.

Meet Daniel Kim (he/him), Senior Android Engineer at Grindr!

Daniel Graduated from Cal State Long Beach where he studied Computer Science. Prior to Grindr, Daniel held several positions where he got to work on projects including anomaly detection for a satellite system and the development of an NLP (Natural Language Processing) system. After wrapping those up, Daniel found himself on Grindr’s Android team and hasn't looked back. He joined Grindr in May 2021 and has loved working with a team of innovative engineers on impactful projects.

Check out Daniel’s Grindr story below, and take a look at our careers page to learn more about our open job opportunities.

What drew you to Android engineering specifically?

Android engineering is very fast-paced. It can be daunting how fast things change in the industry. But the complexities of mobile devices, coupled with the pace of change is exactly the reason that I love it. It keeps me on my toes and is really exciting. With coding languages and industry standards changing, keeping up with the evolution of the field allows me to constantly learn. For instance, a lot of legacy Android code is in Java but Kotlin is a new and much more sophisticated coding language that helps to push out features faster and creates a more reliable app for the user. Having to switch gears and learn a new coding language here at Grindr has helped me become a better developer.

Have you always worked in the software industry?

I have worked in a broad set of industries prior to joining Grindr. I have been a part of academia, FinTech, and different start-ups. While I have always worked in coding, I have always been more drawn to the technical pieces of a role rather than the industry. Working for Grindr was exciting because I got to work on interesting tech projects such as the migration from MVC to MVVM + CLEAN to clean up the architecture of the app. This made it so that we could write better and more stable code.

Tell us why you joined Grindr. What do you love most about our mission and our culture?

I was looking for a company that gave me the opportunity and autonomy to work on technical projects that I was passionate about. A lot of companies are so “feature-focused” that they set their engineers to work on that and only that. Grindr has the perfect balance of working on rolling out features and exploring new ways to make the app better for users. The company really values the quality of the work over the speed.

I really feel valued working at Grindr. People care about you and you are more than just your job. It feels wonderful to work on a team of invested coworkers where we all believe in the mission of the company of supporting the LGBTQ+ community in connecting worldwide.

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What is the most interesting thing about working for Grindr?

I keep going back to having the space to work on the things that I want to work on. Autonomy is not only allowed, but encouraged. That creates a much different environment from my previous roles. It also makes me feel like the team is moving the app forward when we get the freedom to be creative. One interesting thing I have been working on is refactoring the code to ultimately allow us to focus more on our user base and launch new and exciting features faster!

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

I have such a great team and manager to lean on for support at Grindr. My manager has really gone above and beyond to help me develop not only my technical skills but also my interpersonal skills. I can tend to be a little more reserved, but he has created a space where the team feels comfortable speaking up and voicing their opinions. He also encourages me to go outside of my comfort zone to learn and grow. I have recently started sitting in on interviews for the team and it has been great to contribute to that work, too.

I have always been interested in learning more about mobile application security. Grindr actually has a security champions program that brings together people from different engineering functions of the company to address security on the app. I have been able to work on security projects which has not only helped me develop a broader understanding of mobile security but also dive into an area that I was really interested in.

What interesting problems is your Grindr team solving for and what are you looking forward to for the future?

Recently I have been partnering with the growth team on some new projects geared towards that. This is my first time working on growth-focused projects and it's really interesting to think through the ways that we engage users with the app and implement new offerings to deliver more value for them.

We’ve also been upgrading the testing pipeline by shifting our Bitrise workflows, emphasizing better instrumentation, and unit testing and moving our UI test to Firebase Test Labs. This allows us to build faster features and reduce bugs and crashes, all while providing a better and even more secure experience for our users.

And this is just the beginning – our roadmap for upcoming features and user experience is so exciting and I’m really happy to be part of it.

If you are interested in working with talented engineers like Daniel at a company where you can see immediate impact on not only the work, but for the LGBTQ+ community, you should apply today!

Theories attempting to explain our community’s penchant for daddies abound, the most prevalent suspects that gay men chase older men due to our collective “daddy issues.” After polling my audience on the subject a few months back, over 80 percent argue that since gay men don’t often have the best relationships with their fathers, they seek this crucial bond when dating.

“I wanted gay role models when I was younger, and the closest man to that was my father,” adult actor Jack Dixon tells Grindr. “I think the need for someone to be accepted by a man (even a straight man) runs strong in our culture so we carry that into our adult lives.”

Race Bannon, educator, activist and author of Learning The Ropes: A Basic Guide to Safe and Fun BDSM Lovemaking, agrees that the daddy archetype might have definitional origins with fathers, but has evolved to become its own categorical term for a “certain relational figure in a younger person's life that may take on some interpersonal father-like characteristics within a partnered or social relationship.”

In other words: our fondness is less about our fathers in a relational sense, and more about what they foundationally represent and offer our lives.

A daddy himself (though the word makes him cringe), Dixon speculates the appeal of daddies may also be that they represent what most gay men grew up thinking a man should be. Someone dominant, muscled, hairy, with a deep voice and other attributes traditionally associated with masculinity. Since many of us might not have been that man ourselves, we seek these qualities in other men.

This masculine ideal is heavily amplified by porn, which is a particularly influential medium for gay men since our desires are largely ignored most everywhere else. As a result, we turn to porn as education, not only for sex but what we find desirable.

The adult industry, like any business, is curated for profit, and “Daddy” is the third most-searched category on Pornhub, according to stats released in 2018. Scenes in the category often depict an older man in the dom top role with a much younger submissive co-star. Rarely do we witness a daddy-on-daddy scene or a daddy bottoming in studio porn, and why? Because it obscures the fantasy that has been spoon-fed to us since we first Googled “Gay porn” and "How to delete your search history."

As a result, many adult actors over 40, Dixon included, feel typecast. “I enjoy daddy/boy scenes, but I think many of the big-name studios and their directors/producers are so stuck in that,” adult actor Dallas Steele shared with me in a previous interview. “They can’t visualize using men over 40 in any other role than as a daddy.”

Daddy era

Daddies have never been more popular and their definition more inclusive. These days, a daddy can be of any age, gender and sexual orientation. According to the New York Times, they’d officially hit their peak in 2018.

The daddy designation has evolved to an umbrella term with different subcategories below it: leather daddies, sugar/Splenda daddies, femme daddies and zaddies, are just a few examples. However, in general, these all boil down to the same definition: a more dominant and experienced individual who can offer support and/or mentorship to a younger individual in some way.

Bannon speculates our current daddy obsession is due to society’s greater acceptance of a wider range of types as equally deserving of erotic notice. “We saw this with the growing popularity of the bear movement and more recently with men who present as feminine,” he says. “They are rightfully seeing their presentation acknowledged as sexually appealing when it might have been shunned in the past.”

Damon, 47, has been enjoying the fruits of his daddy status after cruising through his thirties feeling invisible. As soon as he turned 40, woofs and taps came rolling in like never before. After fucking countless 20-somethings, some of whom ceremoniously labelled him “daddy dick” on their phone, Damon theorized over why he, a middle-aged man, was suddenly so desirable.

“We (Gen-X gays) are the first generation of gay men who’ve had the privilege of living openly and aging openly in society,” he suspects. “I was a bit too young to be sexually active during the AIDS crisis, so I came of age after the worst carnage in our community. I had the benefit of growing up when society was starting to open up and discuss gay rights and issues.”

Damon’s point does have merit since, before the AIDS crisis (which began in 1981), it was illegal to be gay, until the Model Penal Code removed "consensual sodomy" from its criminal code, making it a crime to solicit for sodomy in 1962 in Illinois, almost a decade before any other state. It wasn't until 2002 that most other states had repealed their sodomy laws or their courts had overturned them.

This would make Gen X the first generation to have the social privileges of aging as openly gay men due to the countless sacrifices and activism of the generations before us. “We lost a generation of daddies to AIDS, so I think there was a gap where we didn't have nearly the mass of daddies we have today, which could be another reason they’re suddenly so popular,” Steele adds.

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Leather daddy

Sexual use of daddy dates at least as far back as 1691, which the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang cited as the earliest use by prostitutes referring to pimps and older customers. It’s also been traced back to Freud's “The Oedipus Complex” in 1899 to describe sexual desires for an opposite-sex parent.

Daddies as we know them, however, are undeniably linked to the leather scene. Leather as a gay subculture is largely born from post-World War II biker culture in the 1940s and 50s. Biker culture was in full bloom at the time, as it represented a rejection of the white picket fence image that America was presenting since many men who served in the war had a difficult time adjusting to civilian life after the war. Similarly, the leather uniform and lifestyle rejected femininity, which was often associated with gay men at the time.

During the war, American soldiers experienced a European mentality and sexuality while forming an extremely close bond with other men. To continue that camaraderie (and perhaps some other relations, wink, wink), clubs were formed, usually around motorcycles since it was a common interest as soldiers rode them in the war.

When recruiting for the war, many gay men were given blue discharges from the United States meaning they could not serve in the army (this action was disproportionately used against gay and black people) and made it difficult to find work. This caused gay men to flee and seek employment in major cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco, where a majority of these motorcycle clubs were established.

The first leather bar, the Gold Coast, opened in Chicago in 1958. Its owners, partners Chuck Renslow and Dom Orejudos, would later found the famous International Mr. Leather competition in 1979. Just four years later, the first competition celebrating daddies, Leather Daddy and Daddy’s Boy, was founded in 1983 by Alan Selby, otherwise known as the “Mayor of Folsom Street.”

The 70s and 80s are considered the “golden age” of the leather scene, as the lifestyle was something new, exciting and popular as ever. It was during this heyday that the daddy identity was formed and passed through media, mostly in pulp fiction magazines and personal ads.

During a time they needed it most, leather communities and bars became sanctuaries for gay and curious men to live and love authentically. For many, this community was their only family, where daddies, often the experienced mentor-type, would offer individuals the foundational need for place and belonging, along with a sense of tradition, heritage, and the passing along of something from generation to generation. It’s a relationship that could be whatever you wanted it to be: platonic, sexual, or somewhere in between. But it’s never incestual.

“There has always been a bit of reverence for older guys within gay men's leather culture,” Bannon says of the daddy designation. “It’s often due to the assumed greater level of sexual and community experience that can usher a younger or newer community member into the scene in a mentorship role.”

This could all mean that, yet again, a cultural phenomenon in our community is born from rejection and the loneliness we experience as a result. Or maybe it’s not that deep. Maybe gay men find older men attractive and that’s that. Unfortunately, much of queer history is speculative since we’ve been forced to exist in secret for so long. But on this we can all agree: daddies are and will always be in our hearts and holes.

There’s no time like now to rebrand. You’re not the stereotype of your zodiac sign you were five minutes ago.

Love: Life is too short to not do something reckless. Invite the three people you like to an orgy and eliminate them based on how well they perform under pressure.

Lust: It’s always “top of the mornin to ya.” But where is your top of the afternoon, evening and night?

Friendships: Choose chaos this month. Listen, if your friends don’t want to come to all 6 of your birthday events, fine. That’s just more room for their exes.

Work: Who cares about what the haters, your friends, your coworkers, and every piece of media we’ve ever seen has to say about it.  Sleeping with your boss will work out, you’re built different.

Love: You’ve been a bit aggravated lately, but stop taking it out on the ones you’re trying to date. Otherwise your Google calendar will have more holes in it than a Euphoria storyline.

Lust: Your sex drive is higher than the price of gas right now. Luckily for you, there are plenty of men looking to fill up your tank.

Friendships: You’ve left issues unresolved for longer than a season of Drag Race. Speak up now or your friends will sashay away for good.

Work: Your inbox is full, but your social calendar is not. You need to find that work life balance—get a hobby that will tip the scales in your favor.

Love: You date men like new Batman movies—each one trying to be grittier than the last. Maybe try something new because if one more person ghosts you after three dates, you’re gonna become the Joker.

Lust: You can fix your car. You can fix your attitude. If you’re Pete Buttigieg, you can try to fix bread prices, but you CANNOT fix HIM.

Friendship: You’ve been looking to build up your squad, but remember that expanding your hole is not exactly the same as expanding your social circle. Well, not always!

Work: Jobs are like tops: you don’t really NEED one, but they’re nice to have when you don’t wanna go hungry.

Love: The idea of a man is almost always more exciting than the reality. If you’re feeling lonely, try dating one of your other personalities.

Lust: There’s no honor amongst thieves and these men are robbing you of your joy! Stop getting so involved and start getting even!

Friendships: “You’ve got a friend in me,” he says. What you don’t know is that your closest friend was inside him last night.

Work: You can’t be forced to go back into the office if there’s no office to go back into. Think about it…

Love: Falling in love for you is a full-time job: you do it five times a week, barely get any benefits, and it never pays as well as it should. Take some time OFF.  

Lust: The State of your Union is that you’re wide open. You know everything about importing and exporting. You’re a trade professional.

Friendships: Nothing ever comes between you and your friends. Well, except him. And him. OH, and him. Noticing a pattern?

Work: If Joe Biden wants you to stop working from home, he’s gonna have to stop doing it first!!!

Love: The sun is staying out later and you think now is the time to stay in more? Sun’s out, buns out, babes. Nothing gets a man’s attention more than a big butt and a smile.

Lust: You’ve rescheduled on men so much this month. You are not the Chromatica Ball. Set a date and stick with it.

Friendships: Toni Collette has a new show on Netflix that you could be throwing viewing parties for, but you’re checking to see if a boy who doesn’t even have your number is watching your Instagram stories. PRIORITIES, PLEASE.

Work: Unlike men, your work projects don’t get easier if you put them to the last minute. Get it out of the way or you’ll be spending your happy hours with Miss Microsoft Office.

Love: Never has someone with such sharp wit had such a dull love life. Turn the knife away from the men pursuing you and towards the real enemy: those keeping us from a full Normani album.

Lust: Not everything needs to be the length of a Batman film, sometimes it’s okay to get in, get off, and get out!

Friendships: Men may c*m pretty quickly, but few other things in life do. This includes friendships. Put in the work or put it out of its misery. It’s holding you both back.

Work: Sometimes you gotta miss a function to make it to the next. Don’t feel bad for prioritizing money. You can’t survive on favors and drink tickets from drag queens

forever! You’re not a Scorpio.

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Love: Listen, if there’s one thing gays are gonna do is have a mailing list for new nudes. You ain’t the only one who received it, but remember that’s not your business!

Lust: Anyone who says “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” has probably never had one covering their mouth and another slapping their ass. Risk it all!!!

Friendship: If your friendship isn’t like Willow Pill and Kornbread’s in the workroom, is it even a friendship?

Work: Every single time you check an email after you’re supposed to be done working, a top flakes on a bottom who already douched. You don’t want that on your conscience, do you?

Love:  Men are liars. Take everything he says to you with a grain of salt and a huff of poppers. You can’t be disappointed if you never have expectations!

Lust: Honestly, you’ve been flaked on so much recently you need to start a policy of not douching ‘til he’s AT your house. He can listen to a podcast in the living room while you get ready.

Friendships: There’s no stronger bond than the one between you and the other gay who knows you’re fucking someone you’re definitely NOT supposed to be. Don’t get caught, Cassie!

Work: Three iced coffees and 4 hours scrolling through Twitter later, you’re ready to send your first work email for the day. Congratulations!

Love: Just because you like to be put on a leash, called a b*tch, caged, and occasionally enjoy the pound, does not mean he can treat you like a dog! Unless you’re into that?

Lust: They say “she’s a wh*re, she’s f*cked half of New York!” about you like it’s a bad thing. They don’t know you turned down the other half!

Friendships: The group chat is not the space to air out your grievances! You’ve never needed an audience to voice a complaint, Don’t Start Now, Dula Peep! There’ll be no future in the friend group for you to be nostalgic about.

Work: At this point, we’re all just doing our best. And even though your best might not be good enough, your ass is. The best way to keep your work load down is to take a few others from a superior.

Love:  A good man is like the perfect martini: strong, straight up, and dirty. If he doesn’t have those qualities, it’s time you start finding a new cock…tail.

Lust: COVID restrictions are lifting and so are your inhibitions. Three’s company, four’s a crowd, 5-8 is a K-Pop group, but also the best time of your life.

Friendships: There are people who will say there are bigger things to worry about than what you’re wearing to your Oscars’ viewing party. Those people are liars who don’t understand the importance of watching rich people who don’t know your name be honored for things you never even saw.

Work: I know you’re working from home, but you can still call in and say you can’t make it because gas prices are too high. It might work!

Love: Men are good for two things. None of those things have been discovered yet, but don’t stop trying to figure it out. Let us know when you do. Scientific research is about sharing your findings with the community.

Lust: This little piggy went to the market. This little piggy stayed home. This little piggy takes PrEP. This little piggy loves c*m.

Friendships: Salt is for shots of tequila and popcorn, not for your friends who are trying to give you solid advice.

Work: Work is all about tracking metrics and doing well. You’re about seven passive aggressive email replies from beating your high score! Congrats!!

We are fortunate to live in a time where HIV treatment and prevention look entirely different from the early days of the epidemic. HIV medications can decrease viral loads, making them virtually undetectable (and untransmittable), and preventative medications, PrEP being one of the most common, reduce the risk of getting HIV through sex by 99 percent.

But, in spite of the medical advancements that have turned this disease that was once considered a “death sentence” into something manageable with proper care, popular culture hasn’t evolved to keep up. Recent shows and films, like Bohemian Rhapsody and It’s A Sin, continue to tell stories about HIV from the lens of the 80’s and 90’s, largely ignoring the recent strides in treatment and prevention, and often exacerbating old prejudices and misconceptions.

“We've been programmed by society to feel fear and shame when it comes to HIV,” says Jared Frieder,  writer-director of 3 Months. “And I want to keep having dialogues about that stigma so we can overcome it.”

In a landscape of HIV ghost stories, Frieder has done something quietly revolutionary: he has made a modern HIV film. One that is filled with laughter and hope and love. It begins with Caleb (a never better Troye Sivan) as he graduates high school and learns that he’s potentially been exposed to HIV and must wait 3 months for the test results.

We spoke to Mr. Frieder about 3 Months (now streaming on Paramount+), coming-of-age stories, comedy, and Troye Sivan (obviously).

I've heard that 3 months is inspired by your life, is that true?

Yes! First of all, I'm a nice gay Jewish boy from Florida, and so is Caleb (played by Troye Sivan). Also, as gay men, we all know what it's like to wait for test results. I wanted to capture the uncertainty of that time period and show that—with access to medical care—HIV is no longer a death sentence in our modern world.

What made you want to explore a modern hiv story?

I wanted to tell an uplifting, hopeful, fun story about a kid realizing that HIV is no longer a death sentence and the very things that make him different—the very things he feels shame about—are the very things that make him indispensable, worthy of love, and worthy of celebration.

Can you talk a bit about the choice to tell this story through a comedic lens?

Queer people are funnier than straight people—this is not up for discussion, it is a fact. We use humor to cope with the traumas life throws at us. For me, it was important to be authentic to the queer experience and have Caleb deal with his tribulations with humor. It just felt honest.

This is a movie about waiting that was literally stopped mid-production because of covid-19. What was that wait like?

It was emotional waterboarding. This is a film about someone who has to wait in uncertainty because of a virus, and we literally had to wait in uncertainty because of a virus. But Caleb fights for what he wants while he waits, and I took a page from his book. I fought every single day for this movie until we finished and thank god we did.

‍How did Troye get involved? What was it like working with him on the character of caleb?

Troye was always Caleb. I wrote him as the kid I wished I could've been in high school (cool, magnetic, confident) and that is Troye. He is such a brilliant actor—he carries this movie on his back and has to access the full emotional spectrum to bring Caleb to life. He's a movie star and I can't wait for people to see him in this role.

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This is a queer coming-of-age story with an impactful twist. Watching felt like you have a real love for that genre. Do you have any favorites that have inspired you over the years?

Oh absolutely. Juno is probably my favorite coming-of-age story. I love the way they took serious themes and topics and made them accessible and hopeful. Other coming of age favorites of mine are Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Dirty Dancing, and The Breakfast Club.

Hiv stigma is still rampant in the queer community, is there anything in particular you hoped for viewers to take away from 3 months?

I want people to realize that—again—HIV is no longer a death sentence. We've been programmed by society to feel fear and shame when it comes to HIV, and I want to keep having dialogues about that stigma so we can overcome it.

This is your directorial debut. Congrats! What’s next for you?

It's all under wraps but maybe a little superhero thing, maybe a little story about porn. Stay tuned!

As part of this year’s DPD, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce myself as Grindr’s new Chief Privacy Officer.

While new to the role, I’m not new to Grindr, and over the past year I’ve been regularly collaborating with our product and engineering teams to support and enhance the privacy controls we offer to our users. I even had a chance to talk about these controls and the importance of digital safety at the WorldPride & EuroGames / Human Rights Conference in Copenhagen during last year’s WorldPride. It was definitely one of the highlights of my career.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I know how important it is that the apps we use to connect with each other are safe, secure, and give us control over our data. In honor of this day dedicated to spreading awareness about online privacy, I wanted to share some of the ways in which you are in control of your privacy as you engage with our app and others on Grindr:

• The information you provide on Grindr is up to you. Remember, you control what you want other users to see on your profile - only add what you feel comfortable sharing, and feel free to delete photos and profile content whenever you want. Learn more about building your profile here.
• Customize your in-app privacy settings. Change whether users see you in Explore searches, whether your relative distance from other users is displayed, or whether you show up in Viewed Me lists by engaging these in-app settings.
• Utilize operating system-level settings. By changing your device’s OS settings, you can also control how Grindr and other apps use your location or how they send you notifications. For iOS, learn more about location services here and notifications here. For Android, learn more about location services here and notifications here.
• Download your data through our automated self-serve tool. Your personal data is yours and you can download a copy whenever you like. Learn more about accessing your personal data here.
• Opt-out of ad targeting. In the app, you can opt out of targeted advertising by our ad partners by clicking “Settings,” scrolling to the “Security and Privacy” section and clicking “Consent Preference Center.”
• Choose your preferred Grindr app icon. You can change the way the Grindr app appears on your device for extra discretion. More information about our discreet app icons is available here.
• Add a PIN for an extra layer of security. You can set a 4-digit code that will be required before opening Grindr on your device. Click here to learn more.

And in addition to our existing app privacy protections, we conduct thorough privacy reviews on new features and services to honor our commitment to user privacy.  

I’m proud of the work everyone here at Grindr does every day to protect the privacy and security of our users’ personal information. While DPD is the perfect time to introduce myself and reinforce good privacy practices, I look forward to being in touch throughout our privacy journey.  

If you have any questions, let us know at [email protected].

- Ron De Jesus, Chief Privacy Officer | LinkedIn

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In this as-told-to feature, New York City-based multidisciplinary artist Blew Velvet describes his relationship with the art of cruising.

When I was a kid in Florida there was this notorious spot near where I grew up that was like “don’t go there at night because a bunch of gay dudes have sex in the bathroom and on the beach.” It was this urban legend of Central Gulf Coast Florida. Honestly, as a young gay boy this was something I secretly fantasized about all the time. That’s how I knew about the concept of cruising even though I had never done it.

When I was about 19 or 20, I had just moved to New Orleans and I lived near this place called The End of the World. It is this little look out, sort of a little jetty, that goes into the Mississippi River. Obviously cruising was happening in public and I just had to find it, so I remember when I was living there, being able to come home from the bar or at any time during the evenings, and look on the apps to see if people were walking around. We would just go to the End of the World and hook up there. There were also a couple of glory hole situations in this abandoned apartment building nearby. So that was my first official cruising situation.

I had cruised in public places like bars and stuff, sort of the act of cruising itself, before that. Cruising happens in a couple capacities: there’s anonymous cruising spots, like going to a video store where you’re expecting a dick to poke through a slot; then there’s cruising at a bar where you’re doing the inherent homosexual signalling to indicate that you want to have sex; and then, because it’s the 21st century, we have apps now and cruising can happen in more of a planned way, whether it’s just that the location is disclosed or something else.

I think it’s a huge, important part of nonverbal sexual communication that takes a lot of practice and a lot of patience and probably a lot of community for.

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I think that personally, all forms of cruising are very useful if you’re trying to be a radical, independent slut in the gay community.

I love cruising people at bars, I love getting cruised at bars, I love picking up on vibes someone is trying to put down. I think it’s so sexy and the “no thank you’s” are as easy and as good as the “yes’s” for me. It’s just cool that you can communicate with people that way. In this post lockdown world it feels like there’s an anonymous cruising renaissance happening right now and I’ve definitely been tapped into that.

As cruising is its own language, I feel that there are dialects that are spoken regionally. New York has its own language, San Francisco has its own language, the town I grew up in probably has its own language — the rumor was that in order to get laid at that beach where I grew up, you wore a white ribbed tank in the middle of the night and that was you signalling that you were there to fuck.

The first time I went to San Francisco I had sex basically immediately. I was waiting for someone to pick me up from a friend’s house on the side of the street and a truck pulled up a little bit away from me at a parking spot. I was wearing these athletic pants that were super bulge-y. I looked at this guy in the truck and he looked at me and looked at my bulge. I touched my bulge and he opened his door and he pulled his dick out. I don’t think that’s a language that happens in New York — maybe that’s because there’s not that many places where you are likely to be in a car like that.

The most memorable thing that ever happened to me as far as cruising is concerned is when I first went to The Rambles. I had heard about it and read all this old gay literature about it, but had never really been. So I went for the first time and sat on a bench with my bike. I had looked it up on Google Maps so I knew I was there but didn’t know where everyone was. It was all just couples walking around holding hands and people laughing. Then this one cute boy walks up sweating with his shirt on his shoulder and he looks at me, and I look at him, and he looks back at me. I do the whole chin up and nudge my face at him and he comes over.

He opens up with like “Are you having any fun?” and I was like “well not yet, are you?” And he says “Yeah, all the time. I live right around here, I’m here like every day.” So I’m like “Where do you have fun?” So he tells me to lock my bike and then walks me around for like two hours all through Central Park, explaining where everything happens and when. Then he takes me to this place that felt like this smut Disney movie: he walks me through these small, baby trees and behind this one large tree is all these guys in a circle, jerking off in broad daylight surrounded by a thicket of leaves in the middle of Central Park. It was so cool. Then he took me to his favorite private spot that nobody was at and we fucked.

I’ve read a lot about cruising. There’s this book called Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade and it’s by Justin Spring. If you don’t know, Samuel Steward is the guy that Dr. Kinsey studied in order to define homosexuality on the Kinsey scale — he’s like as far polar gay as you can get. He wrote about every single person he ever had gay sex with, hence the name secret historian. He talks about living in Chicago and working near a naval base and how the sailors would come into his tattoo shop and he would suck their dicks, drink, give them tattoos, and then they would go about their lives in the navy.

The whole Take Me album I’m writing right now is sort of an emotional roller coaster of being young and day in this moment. Originally the concept was describing how we dealt with pandemia but part of that was me dealing with a big ole break up from a very important relationship. I think being able to have some very free, chaotic sex was really helpful for me. With the “It’s Not Enough” track, we actually shot the music video in Prospect Park which is an area where I cruise. So it was really about realizing that you have the tools around you to get your needs met autonomously and cruising is one of those tools.

I think if you’re interested in trying to cruise, here’s my tip: if you want to go about it completely alone just brace yourself for a series of triumphs and failures until you start to understand the game better. That’s just how a lot of people do it. But if you find yourself asking how to do it, you might want to go with a friend first. If you can find somebody who knows the ropes, have them show you the ropes because someone is going to have to show you at one point whether they’re a stranger or not.

You can follow Blew Velvet on Instagram, stream their music online, or visit their website. You can also subscribe to their OnlyFans for $9.99 per month.

Grindr revolutionized hookup culture back in 2009 as the first social networking app to use geolocation to find potential mates. Whether home or abroad, finding love, sex, and community has never been more convenient for queer folks, and our newest feature is about to make things even simpler. Introducing My Tags.

With My Tags, users can choose keywords that most accurately represent their identity and preferences to explicitly find what you’re looking for, whether it’s a long-term monogamous relationship with a daddy or a discreet military twink with a foot fetish. No matter how broad or niche, My Tags will make whatever you’re searching for more attainable. Think of it like SEO for your Grindr profile.

If you’re eager to see which keywords made the list or you’re looking for a refresher on our community’s ever-evolving terminology, see the tags below and choose the many or few that best suit you.

Anon: Short for “anonymous.” Don’t expect much intimacy from this dude. You’re no more than a pole or a hole in this scenario.

Bator: Short for “masturbator.” A moniker often used to describe someone who gets off on solo or partnered masturabtion, edging, gooning, and other forms of manual intercourse.

Bb: Derived from the equestrian term, meaning to ride a horse without a saddle. Except you’re riding dick without a condom.

Beard: This guy has a face full of hair, save for some weak spots that he’s probably insecure about. Men with weak chins may use it as camouflage.

Bear: A big, hairy man who probably growls during sex. He might even eat all the food at your campsite.

Bi: Short for “bisexual,” this person’s sexual and/or romantic interests are not limited to one gender.

Bubblebutt: Has an ass you can bounce a quarter off of. The bottom’s version of “hung,” meaning its interpretation varies by individual.

Carplay: Fooling around in a vehicle. A popular option for gays who can’t host and homosexual Uber drivers.

Chastity: This person is not looking for sex. It could be a kink (meaning they’re aroused by denying themselves orgasm and sexual pleasure) or a vow of celibacy. If the former, they might wear a chastity device (see: cock cage) to enhance the experience.

Chub: A person with some delicious meat on their bones.

Cleancut: Is a well-groomed individual and believes haircuts give them superpowers.

College: Is currently attending college, meaning they have a roommate and a fairly regular drinking schedule.

Condomsonly: Condoms are their chosen form of protection.

Cruising: Wants to meet in a public place (likely a forest, park, or restroom) for sexy times. Intrigued? Read more on cruising here.

Cub: A smaller, typically younger version of a bear.

Cuddling: Is looking to snuggle, watch a movie and maybe get into some heavy petting. This person is craving intimacy but is too lazy to douche.

Cut: A particularly gauche way of saying circumcised.

Daddy: Typically an older, mature man, though its definition has evolved to become more of a mindset for those with masculine or dominant energy.

Dating: Wants dinner before getting dicked down.

Dirty: Refers to the mind, not their hygiene or the current state of their apartment (though it might).

Discreet: Wants to keep their private life private. Expect them to delete and create a new profile every few weeks. Don’t worry, they’ll come back. They always do.

DL: An acronym for “down-low,” meaning they might be closeted or are seeking non-negotiated intercourse outside of their relationship. In either case, they’ll have a blank profile.‍

Dom: Short for “dominant” (and the “D” in BDSM), a dom is the aggressor who typically takes charge during a kinky sexual session. The dom serves to satisfy a sub who, in a healthy BDSM relationship, has already expressed their boundaries prior to play.

Drag: A drag queen who is online to talk about dick, not drag.

Drug-free: Doesn’t use drugs.

DTF: An acronym for “down to fuck.” Not a fan of “endless chat” and will be quick to suggest WhatsApp for quicker communication.

Edging: Takes the long road to orgasm by repeatedly nearing and denying climax, building toward a deeper, stronger orgasm. A worthwhile technique for those looking to build endurance in the bedroom.

Feet: This person is aroused by feet and gives a fantastic foot massage. It isn’t weird. Don’t make it weird.

Femme: This person’s appearance and/or mannerisms could be perceived as what’s considered traditionally feminine.

Flexible: Can wear their ankles as earrings. Could also be referring to their sexuality.

Friends: Seeking relations of the platonic variety.

FTM: An acronym for “female to male,” meaning this person’s sex was assigned female at birth but identifies as male.

Furries: Refers to a sexual interest in anthromorphic characters or animals with human-like features. The fetish may also include an attraction to stuffed animals and isn’t necessarily sexual.

FWB: An acronym for “friends with benefits,” the benefit of which is sex. A friend to breed is a friend indeed!

Gaymer: A gay video game lover. Ask for their gamertag and play with each other’s joysticks.

Gear: Is aroused by fetish gear like harnesses and dressing up.

Geek: This person identifies as a nerd and can speak at length to the X-Men as a queer metaphor.

GH: An acronym for “glory hole,” which are fist-sized holes typically found in bathhouses, adult theatres, restrooms, even people’s homes for anonymous oral and anal sex. Read more about glory holes here.

Group: Fond of orgies and group sex. The more the merrier!

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Hairy: This man is hairy all over and will satisfy your Burt Reynolds on a bear skin rug fantasy.

Hands: This guy appreciates the under-valued art of handjobs, fingering and other manual methods of stimulation.

Hosting: Prefers hooking up at their place. Judging their apartment is completely warranted.

Hung: Has a pendulous schlong swinging between their legs, or at least thinks they do.‍

Jock: Despite its athletic origins, someone who identifies as a jock may or may not play sports (because gay). It generally means they’re in good physical shape.

Kink: Often confused with a fetish, a kink is something that turns someone on, but is not considered the norm. Conversely, a fetish is a sexual act or object that is almost always necessary for a person to become aroused and enjoy sex. The more you know!

Kissing: Big on smooching.

Latex: Has a sexual preference or desire for latex items, usually apparel and accessories. Often drawn to its tight and glossy qualities.

Leather: Similar to latex, this person is aroused by and attracted to leather. Can be found at the Eagle.

Limits: This person wants you to know that they have boundaries that should be respected.

Lingerie: Somebody who embraces their feminine side by wearing sexy negligee, or is attracted to somebody who does. Played in mom’s closet as a kid.

Looking: Is currently looking for sex; hates “time-wasters.”

LTR: An acronym for “long-term relationship,” this person prioritizes dates over dicks.

Masc: This person’s appearance and/or mannerisms could be perceived as what’s considered traditionally masculine.

Military: Served or currently serves in the military.

Monogamy: Is seeking a monogamous relationship, meaning a relationship with one person, opposed to multiple.

MTF: An acronym for “male to female,” meaning this person’s sex was assigned male at birth but identifies as female.

Muscle: A hulking Adonis with a social following in the tens to hundreds of thousands. See for yourself, they’ve definitely linked to their Instagram.

Nipples: This person gets aroused when their nipples are teased or played with.

NSA: An acronym for “no strings attached,” meaning sex without emotional fidelity. Serves Craigslist Casual Encounters realness.

Nylons: Enjoys wearing or playing with someone dressed in nylon or pantyhose.

Oral: Into mouth stuff.

Otter: A slim, hairy person.‍

Pic4Pic: Will only send pictures if you first agree to send them back. Might block or ghost you after getting their rocks off. Don’t take it personally, it’s their MO.

Piercings: Has more than two holes.

Pits: Enjoys licking and sniffing pits and is offended by deodorant. The mustier the pit, the more they commit.

Poly: Short for “polyamorous,” a type of ethically non-monogamous relationship that refers to folks who have multiple romantic relationships at the same time.

Poz: Is HIV positive. Remember: Undetectable means untransmittable!

Public: Is turned on by public sex and the possibility of getting caught. Knows a great spot nearby.

Pupplay: A subset of the “pet play” fetish, where individuals behave and inhabit the headspace of a dog. The pup fetish is not necessarily sexual, and often involves playing fetch and pup gear, such as hoods and tails. While the fetish centers around canines, no actual animals are involved.

Pup: The titular pup in pup play. Loyal to their pack and obedient to their handler (unless they’re a stray), who traditionally plays the dominant role in a pup play scenario.

Quickie: A CliffNotes version of sex. This person is probably on their lunch break.

Roleplay: Enjoys playing a character to help bring a sexual fantasy or dynamic to life. Think: teacher/student, cop/robber, camp counsellor/masked serial killer with mommy issues.

Rough: Not interested in love-making, this piggy wants to fuck. Don’t be gentle with this one.‍

Rubber: Has a sexual preference or desire for rubber apparel and accessories.

Rugged: An outdoorsy type. Wears flannel, Wrangler jeans and work boots. Lists hiking somewhere in their profile.

Safersex: Prioritizes safer sex practices.

Showoff: An exhibitionist who enjoys masturbating and showing off for others. They get off on praise and adoration.

Sissy: A pejorative term for someone considered feminine. Someone who self-identifies as a sissy is likely aroused by its implicit degradation.

Smooth: This person is either naturally hairless, or takes a razor to their fur to assure their body is smoother than a twink’s chin.

Sober: Doesn’t drink alcohol.

Spanking: Is aroused by spanking/flogging. Has been very bad and needs to be punished.‍

Spit: Is turned on by spit. Wants to be basted in someone’s saliva.

Sub: Short for “submissive” (and the “S” in BDSM), a sub assumes the more compliant role in a kinky scenario, getting off on obedience, discipline, spanking, etc. If Batman is a dom, Robin is a sub.

Tentacles: A sexual interest in tentacles and the creatures that possess them. The sexualized genre of Japanese manga and anime known as hentai was made to appeal to people with this fetish.

Thick: A husky individual with a body thicker than oatmeal.

Toys: Likes playing with toys, which is far less innocent than it sounds.

Trans: Short for “transgender,” meaning their gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth.

Twink: Zac Efron in High School Musical.

Twunk:  Zac Efron in Baywatch.

Vaccinated: This person has been vaccinated and is ready for another injection. #vax4vax.

Vanilla: Their sexual interests don’t typically include anything out of the ordinary.

Video chat: Enjoys erotic interaction over video. A wonderful long-distance option, or if you don’t want to clean your apartment.

Visiting: An out-of-towner and fresh face on the Grindr grid seeking foreign validation, dick, restaurant recommendations, etc.

Watching: A voyeur who gets off on spectating; possibly into cuckolding. ‍

WS: Short for “watersports,” meaning this person likes pee and maybe jet skiing. Their showers are golden and their toilets are human.

From the “MONTERO” music video’s lap dance in hell to that White Lotus ass-eating scene, 2021 was brimming with iconic moments we’ll be thinking about for at least 6 more ‘All Too Well’s (that’s one-hour standard time). We surveyed 10,000 Grindr users about their favorite queer pop culture moments of the year, and here's who came out on top.

Gay gasp of the year

We were heavenly blessed with many opportunities to damage our vocal cords this year, but the one gay gasp to rule them all came courtesy of America’s sweetheart, Lil Nas X. The “MONTERO” music video featured Lil Nas sliding down a stripper pole into the underworld and giving Satan a lap dance. Sinful? Maybe. Sexy? Honey. Iconic? Absolutely. Keep giving ‘em hell, Lil Nas.

TV show of the year

Who else had, “Let’s play a squid game, play a squid game, do you want love, or you want fame? Are you in the game?” in their head for most of this fall? If not, maybe instead you were obsessing over Sex Education, a show about horny teens on Netflix that really resonated with people of all ages. Throw in renowned actress Gillian Anderson and some of the year’s best queer representation on television, and I truly do believe that the children are the future.

‍

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Movie of the year

Pop quiz: are these statements from the House of Gucci press tour true or false? Gaga committed so hard to her character that a psychiatric nurse was on set? True. Gaga was afraid that Patrizia would find her while filming? True. During a red carpet interview Gaga said, "I don't believe in the glorification of murder. I do believe in the empowerment of women." Yeah, um, that’s true too. This woman gave everything. Father, Son, and House of Gaga!

Song of the year

Well, it wasn’t the Jamaican dancehall album we were rooting for, but Adele is back and, in typical Adele fashion, her lead single “Easy On Me” will absolutely bring you to your knees (not in the sexy way). Does everyone remember where they were when they first heard the part of the song where she goes “EeeEeEeeEeEeeeeeeeEeeEasy…on me”? I was sobbing while getting my ass ate. Let’s also give a huge shoutout to Lil Nas X and Doja Cat for making our return to the clubs that much yummier this year. Stream “SCOOP” for clear skin.

Album of the year

The fact that Taylor Swift moved the release date of Red TV up a week shows you the power and might of Adele’s music industry, so it’s no surprise that 30 took our number one album spot as well. Now, let’s talk about how hard it was to get a damn ticket to her show…haha just kidding we love you Adele. But seriously please help us get tickets to your show. Jk jk. Unless?

Podcast of the year

A podcast about Chippendales being the most popular with Grindr users? Groundbreaking. But there’s more to Welcome to Your Fantasy than meets the eye ear—throw in a murder mystery with all that ass and you’ve got a solid mix of Magic Mike and Gone Girl. Special shoutout to Louis Virtel of Keep It for keeping all the actressexuals out there fed with anecdotes on Jane Fonda, Barbara Loden, Florence Pugh, and more. Mare Winningham hive, we eatin’.

Tiktoker of the year

Plastique using TikTok to show that she can be fish and trade with the blink of a hair flip? We love to see it. Her magical drag transformations have captivated the TikTok world, but we have one super important request: drop the skincare routine, sis. Special shoutout to Barry Brandon, who is always serving looks for the feed. Fashion line when?

Comedian of the year

Y’all really Nailed It! with this pick. That was cringe, but unlike me, everything that comes out of Nicole Byer’s mouth is actually funny and cool. This year she finally got to bring her whimsical brand of drunk auntie to the masses with her first Netflix special BBW (Big Beautiful Weirdo), and Grindr users ate it up. Special shoutout to our Las Culturistas fam, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, who gave their readers (fans) the most unhinged culture awards of all time.

Queen of the year

RuPaul may not know her last name, but Trixie Mattel is still the biggest star on our end-of-year tree. As a Queen of The Universe judge she keeps it real and funny, and we are dying to stay at her new Palm Springs spot, Trixie Motel. If I had to guess, I think the color palette will be giving…Pepto.

OnlyFans of the year

OnlyFans really tried it this year by saying they would ban pornography on the platform. Um, what? Don’t worry, they quickly backed that thing up and have continued hosting your faves. Speaking of which, former go-go boy and Slag Wars host Matthew Camp is your top…top? of the year. Hope he is ready to keep giving us the boyfriend experience in 2022.

^{Art by Zach Brunner}

Summer 2020 was coming to a fateful end, so I asked a few friends to join me at the nude beach, a local queer hotspot, for boozy freezies sold by big-breasted and bare-chested women, and for gay cruising nestled within the surrounding foliage.

As fate would have it, moments after we arrived, the sunny skies turned dreary and grey. When the rain came minutes after our arrival, many of the beach-goers had begrudgingly picked up their towels, their jockstraps, and fled for the city, save for a few 20-something otters in pup gear.

Being the only others on the beach, I observed as these four men fumbled with a tennis ball and frolicked in the wet sand together. Each wore a leather mask with ears and snouts, a spiked collar, a silicone tail, and a clear plastic cock cage. They topped a communal dog bowl with White Claw and would take turns lapping it up and licking one another.

“Bobby, are you crying?” a friend asked, concerned.

Surprising even myself, a few tears had trickled down my cheek. Something about the pups’ playfulness was just so beautiful to witness. They didn't have a care in the world and, as a radical neurotic, I admired and envied their devil-may-care attitude.

After their play session, the pups laid down on a bundle of blankets fixed like a dog bed and took a nap nuzzling each other. I, on the other hand, was an emotional wreck and had to go home.

Making fetch happen

Pup play is considered a subset of the “pet play” fetish, where individuals behave and inhabit the headspace of a particular pet or animal. While pups are the most popular, many other animals are emulated as well, from ponies and foxes, to cats and dragons. No biological animals are involved and, while categorized as a fetish, pup play isn’t necessarily sexual.

In fact, when a survey asked over 4,000 pups and handlers to rank pup play from 1 to 10—1 meaning “purely social” and 10 meaning “purely sexual”—the average score was 5.5.

For Pup Fox (real name: Ray),  the fetish is a combination of the two. Sexually, Fox uses his pup persona and gear as a way to allow himself to surrender to his deepest desires. Non-sexually, he uses the persona as a coping tool to subdue his anxieties. In both cases, Fox’s “pupsona” helps him feel more confident, sexually and socially.

“I never used to be able to be social in any setting,” Fox tells me, sheepishly. “But as a pup, I feel confident enough to put myself out there and play with others. In my pup world, every experience is a good one.”

Generally speaking, there are two roles one can assume in pup play: the pup and the handler. Pups typically inhabit the submissive role, whereas handlers (or sirs, masters) are dominant, though every pup and handler has their own dynamic.

“For pups, it’s generally about finding a top or dom that helps them get into that puppy headspace,” Pup Amp, sex educator and co-host of the YouTube and Twitch channel, Watts The Safeword, tells Grindr. “Sometimes the pup is looking for a lifelong mentor, sometimes short term play or direction, or just looking for some quick sexy times.”

The hierarchy among pups is more nurturing than authoritarian, and these roles are especially common among “packs” (a community of pups who belong to the same social group). The most common roles being: Alpha, Beta and Omega.

Alphas are the dominant pup, offering guidance and structure to Betas and Omegas. They’re the “top dog”, so to speak. The Beta is in the middle, following the guidance of the Alpha while serving to train and care for the Omega(s). Sort of like a vice president. The Omega serves the Alpha and Beta and devotes themselves to supporting and learning from the pack, while “strays” belong to no one and roam on their own.

“For the handler, the appeal is about training a pup, taking control of a leash and providing directions,” Amp says. As a queer person, mentorship can be crucial and hard to come by. Finding a handler is one way some will seek this support.

“I enjoy giving my pups lots of attention and affection, in the same way it’s fun to pet and love up on a real dog,” Dan, a 43-year-old handler, shares. “I even have a treat pouch that clips to my pants to hold M&Ms or gummy bears to give my pups as a treat when they’ve been good boys.”

Handlers take pleasure in guiding their pups in the right direction and protecting them from the dog-eat-dog world. In return, they receive unconditional love and affection. “I think of pup play as a power exchange that's much more focused on positive reinforcement than negative reinforcement,” Dan says. “It's got a much different vibe because its operant metaphor is different from, say, sir/boy or master/slave.”

Headspace or tails

The “pup headspace” is arguably the most important aspect of the fetish. This allows pups to let go of their inhibitions and embrace their primal side.

For some, entering the pup headspace is as easy as putting on gear, getting on all fours, and playing with a chew toy. Others advise that you meditate and envision the type of dog you want to emulate, analyzing how it moves and barks, and trying it out yourself.

For some, pup headspace can be difficult to achieve and the difficulty can differ by the day, but there are courses, online and off, that one can take for more personalized tips for entering the headspace, as well as Youtube videos and even pup-themed playlists.

Pup life

To better understand the pup life, I reached out to Support Pup Cooper, an educator and coach for pups and kinksters, to chat about his inaugural experience as a pup.

Cooper met his first handler, Cutter, a handsome Alpha pup transitioning to Handler, online, where their relationship quickly evolved from in-app chatting to video messaging. Cutter would ask Cooper to send him photos in full gear and ask him to send videos playing fetch and feeding from a dog bowl.

“It would make me so excited and so nervous,” Cooper says. “It made me feel submissive, especially when the things were recorded because then I knew they were out there.  It was one of the first times I felt the coveted puppy headspace.”

Eventually, the two decided to meet at MAL (Mid-Atlantic Leather), a three-day event celebrating the leather community,  and initially met in their hotel lobby in their human clothes. He requested when they meet the following day, that Cooper be fully geared up.

“As I met up with Cutter in the lobby, he immediately asked me to sit at his feet on all fours,” Cooper explains. “He put a collar on my neck and the click of the leash made chills go through my body.  Suddenly I felt cared about and safe, like I belonged.”  

After hotel staff informed them that they’d crossed the line of what was appropriate in their lobby, Cutter invited Cooper and another pup to his room. When they entered the room, Cutter sat in a chair and played fetch with the pups on the floor.

“We played like that for a while, and then Cutter unzipped his pants and had us come and play with his thick cock,” Cooper says. “Then he had me do something I wasn’t expecting. He had me play with the other pup’s ass and asked if I wanted to fuck him, and I did. The other puppy was on all fours and I was behind him, fucking him like dogs do, while Cutter watched and played with his cock in his chair.”

It was an eye-opening experience for Cooper, who would later meet with Cutter in his hometown, where more good times followed. Not much else occurred between Cooper and Cutter after that, save for the fact that Cooper knew without a doubt that he was a bona fide pup.

“Many aspects of that experience were not things I’d imagined I’d have done or enjoyed, but doing them opened my eyes to a whole world,” he says. “Pup play is about playing like a dog, of course, but it’s also a sexy and freeing place to grow in, and a place to be cared for and cared about.”

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Finding your pack

The simplest way for a pup to find community is to begin online. The advent of the internet is responsible for the pup play explosion in the ‘90s and again with social media’s growing prevalence in the 2010s. According to many pup sites, the fetish traces as far back as 17th century Europe, though much of its history, at least from an academic perspective, is largely speculative.

“I’ve found social media is a great way to find pups in the community and make connections, even if there isn't a thriving pup community in the immediate area,” Spot (real name: Garrett), shares. “There’s a large active pup scene on Twitter especially.”

Amp agrees. “Twitter is a large platform that allows anyone with ‘pup’ in their username to find each other, myself included.”

There are also resources like pupspace, an online community and app designed specifically for pups and handlers, as well as less specific sites like FurAffinity, which welcomes furries and pups alike. Fetish-based sites like Recon and FetLife are other worthwhile options, and have sections dedicated to pups and handlers.

“Most local groups, also known as PAH (“pups and handlers”) groups,  will have a website, Facebook group or some sort of social media presence to learn about events near you,” Amp says. “If you live in a small city without a PAH group, larger events and kink conventions exist in larger cities as well.”

If you happen to live in or near a larger city, there is a good chance your local gay/leather bar hosts a pup night or “mosh.” Just do your research, ask around and do some sleuthing, Scooby!

Doggy style

For many, pup gear is paramount to entering the pup headspace and their first purchase is usually a hood. Before making the investment, spend some time entering the headspace, fully envisioning your persona.

For example, are you more of a quiet and trustworthy Golden Retriever, or a yappy, rambunctious Jack Russell Terrier? Once you have a better sense of your pupsona, it’ll be easier to find a matching hood.

When it comes to tails, there are two types. One can be clipped onto a belt or harness, whereas the others are shoved up your ass. In either case, it’s considered disrespectful to touch one’s tail without permission from the pup and/or their handler.

Since pups spend much of their time on all fours, knee pads and gloves (or “paw mitts”) are another worthy investment. These are padded gloves specifically designed for pup purposes, forcing your hand into a fist so you cannot use your fingers.

Collars are a bit more complicated and can mean very different things to different people. At its most rudimentary, the collar signifies that a pup is subordinate to a Sir, Alpha, Beta, etc. and is the responsibility of the individual who collared them. For some, a collar is considered on par with a wedding ring, whereas for others, it carries a more casual meaning. Some will even throw collar ceremonies, which are celebrated similarly to weddings.

Leashes can be simple dog leashes that attach to your collar, or you can opt for a full-body harness. Queer retailers like Mr S Leather, Eagle Leather, Fort Troff, Square Peg Toys and The Stockroom will have any and all of the above.

Good boy!

At first glance, pup play can be perceived as silly. I’ll admit when I first laid eyes on the pack of pups on the beach, I scoffed. But I was ignorant and uneducated. The more I witnessed these young pups, the further I drifted from my initial reaction, because I dropped the societally influenced bullshit and saw the fetish for what it is: an innocent and powerful form of escapism.

Pups have an incredible ability to tap into that nostalgic, imaginative place that once powered our childhoods, like when I’d wholeheartedly believe I was Storm summoning rain in the shower (I can’t possibly be the only one who did this).

Stripped of all the barking, the hoods and the tail plugs, pup play is a group of people with like-minded interests supporting and caring for each other. And if you can’t get on board with that, then go fetch.