To create this report, we tapped into the minds of 10,000 Grindr users to get their thoughts and feelings on the queer pop culture they care about: music, movies, TV, and more. We’ll continue to track these trends each month, while rotating additional topics in to add some flavor.

For February, we also asked users about their love life (gasp!). Since we just survived Valentine’s Day and Single’s Awareness Day, we figured now would be a great time to check in on how romantically inclined everyone’s feeling.

The results may surprise you…

Pop Culture Favorites

From Miley getting the “Flowers” herself to Pedro Pascal’s incredible turn as our Daddy in The Last of Us, this month was really the Rihanna Super Bowl of iconic cultural moments.

Songs

1. ‍Flowers Miley Cyrus            ‍
2. Die For You The Weeknd            
3. ‍Kill Bill SZA                  

Shows

1. ‍The Last of Us HBO            ‍
2. You Netflix            
3. ‍Abbott Elementary ABC                  

Movies

1. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania            
2. Magic Mike’s Last Dance            
3. Close                  

Pop Culture Moments

1. Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show            
2. The Grammy Awards            
3. The Anetra and Sasha Colby lipsync                  

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Sex + Dating Preferences

Grindr users are looking for anal on the first date and a romantic partnership this year. We love holding two truths at once.

What kind of relationship are you looking for this year?

How far do you like to go on a first date?  

What makes someone more “dateable” on Grindr?            

What leads you to reach out to someone on Grindr?  

Which Zodiac sign are you most interested in dating?

‍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 Scott David Fedorov, Backend Software Engineer at Grindr! Scott has been at Grindr since November 2021. Before that, he was an Applications Engineer for four years working on a business-to-business Smart Metering platform. Scott lives in the Chicago suburbs, and while the company does have an office in the city - he enjoys getting to write this article from the comfort of his couch under a warm blanket since we are a remote-first company!

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

What led you to become a Backend Engineer with Grindr?

I actually started my career in radio, doing promotions, marketing, and some on-air work. I was always more tech-minded, though, and went to college for Electrical Engineering. For a while after school, I worked for power companies, where I then started to get more into software engineering. A slew of hobby projects, online classes, and YouTube videos later - and here I am as a software developer.

All that to say, my path here has been long and winding. I don't have a "traditional" software engineering background, just passion and some experience. I’m no expert, but I was lucky to find Grindr, which recognized that while experience is necessary, passion for a company can be a great complement to skills in the role. They took a chance on me and it has been a great experience. The team has been phenomenal and is very good at what they do. Not only have they welcomed me with open arms, but they have also become fantastic mentors and colleagues in short order.

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

When I applied to Grindr, I wasn’t actively looking for new work, but I saw a job posting that just seemed like a great fit for me and so I went for it. Kind of a long-shot, “can you imagine?!” dream-job kind of thing. I’ve been a user of Grindr since the early days. I met my husband and a lot of my very best friends through Grindr. It’s an amazing app with millions of daily active users. It is still surreal to work for a company I see casually mentioned on TV and in movies.

I’ve heard a lot of people refer to Grindr as a “hook-up app”, and sure, that obviously happens but it's also so much more. We’re all about connecting users with others in the community and we are constantly finding ways to make the user experience better and more inclusive. We’re not the only app in the space, but in my opinion, we’re the best app. We are the app with the most users in the space. The employees here care A LOT about the community and I’m truly impressed with how much attention is paid to making sure that what we do is positive for the space, not just driven by revenue.

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…and we get to have a lot of fun here. Some of the conversations I get to have with colleagues, I could never imagine having at previous companies!

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

Grindr has been around for a while. There's a lot of legacy code here, but most of the team is new. This brings a fresh perspective to the tech stack and the entire code base is being systematically replaced with newer, faster, more secure, and reliable versions. At the same time, we're working on a slew of new features that as a personal user, I am excited for and can't wait for the community to get to experience (like Albums!).

Grindr is working on more ways to better connect people in our community. The app has always been very location-centric and will continue to be. We're developing more ways to connect our users to the communities they live and work in. The adoption rate for the new tags feature has been amazing and is the first step toward helping our users search for other people with similar interests. And the list of available tags is always growing!

What has growth been like for the team?

The team is growing quickly, but Grindr is actually run by a relatively small team, especially compared to the number of users we serve. The company headcount grew by 40% last year and the backend team alone is expected to grow significantly throughout 2022. All this growth and change makes Grindr feel like a start-up at times and it’s such an exciting time to be here. The culture is amazing. I used to roll my eyes at people who talked about how important company culture is. But it wasn’t until I started working here that I really understood what they meant. It’s different. You can feel it.

If you are interested in working for an organization that is a champion of the LGBTQ+ community while getting to develop interesting tech solutions - you should apply today!‍  

‍Meet Vance Banks (he/him), Sr. Product Designer working with Grindr since December 2021!

Vance has worked on several teams at Grindr, focusing on a range of projects from the core user experience to growth. While studying in Orlando, Fl, Vance had the opportunity to dip his feet into the gaming industry as a User Researcher and Producer where he found a passion for user-centered tech. Vance moved out to the west coast in 2012 after graduating with his MS in Game Design & Product Management. While browsing Grindr, he started networking with someone who told him about an open Product Designer role for a startup in San Francisco, starting his career as a Product Designer.

Check out Vance’s Grindr journey below and learn more about our open careers here!

Have you always worked in product design for the tech industry? What drew you to the tech or the dating space specifically?

I actually haven’t! Growing up, I always knew I wanted to do something art or design related. I originally had my eye on the video game industry, but I naturally gravitated to the tech industry over time.

I started my career in Product Design, creating designs for article pages in Photoshop for several big-name publishers across the US for six years. After that role, I moved to Colorado and dived into creating fashion production tools (PLMs) and live e-commerce experiences for users during the pandemic. While working for these companies was integral to my growth as a designer and people manager, I felt disconnected from the user. So when I discovered that Grindr was hiring for a Product Designer, I jumped onto the opportunity to help design user experiences for members of my community. I truly love working for an organization that allows me to work on projects that ignite my passion for design while being able to serve the community I care so deeply about.

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

When looking for my next opportunity, I wanted to create an impactful experience for users across the globe that was more meaningful than adding an item to their cart. Working at Grindr has allowed me to create those experiences by connecting LGBTQ members for friendships, dates, sex, and more.

Other than connecting fellow queer people with one another across the globe, I was driven to Grindr because of their mission to be authentically queer. I always felt I needed to hide a portion of myself working for other companies. Oftentimes, in the professional world, queer people are forced to do a bit of code-switching in order to fit in. At Grindr, I can be authentic and express my identity loud and proud. I never imagined being able to work for a place that so wholeheartedly accepts and celebrates me.  

What does a Product Designer for Grindr do? What sort of impact do you get to have in your role how does it fit into the bigger picture?

Being on the Product Design team means you have an impact on the visuals and user experience of the product. As a Product Designer, you'll work with the Product, User Research, and Engineering teams on the front lines to create new features and enhance the app's user experience.

During a project, you'll stay in close connection with the Product Manager and PMs in your pod, discussing the direction, goal, data (both quantitative and qualitative), and technical feasibility of the feature and providing design reviews for the engineering team.

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While small, the Product Design team is always available to collaborate, critique each other's work, and share the apps that inspire us. Product designers are assigned to different squads focusing on areas such as improving the core experience to reassuring that users in unsafe areas stay secure. The multitude of opportunities to collaborate with such innovative, passionate, and brilliant colleagues is one of the things I love about my role here at Grindr.

How have you grown professionally while on your team?

Before coming to Grindr, I always worked with a tiny amount of users and little to no budget to conduct user testing and interviews. At Grindr, I've been able to lead user testing initiatives for my projects with an unlimited amount of eager users to provide feedback and the opportunity to design meaningful experiences for queer people. The design leadership, year over year, asks what areas we'd like to grow in and then provides us with opportunities to dive into those desired growth areas. It is refreshing to work for an organization that listens to its user base and informs the product roadmap based on feedback.

On another note, Grindr's social justice program, Grindr for Equality, supports the product teams on topics from a global perspective, allowing us to better understand the spectrum of the LGBTQ community. This information allows us to design experiences for users with a different perspective than ourselves. The queer community is colorful, broad, and diverse with its own unique sets of needs when building connections. Our success hinges on continuing to grow and develop our app to meet the needs of our global user base.  

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

Grindr is a relatively senior tech company, having been around since 2009. We have been able to add a bunch of meaningful features while maintaining the functionality of the app,  even as the use case and user base has continued to expand. As one of the first and still largest social networking apps for the queer community, we have the unique challenge of navigating some of the historic technical pieces, while continuing to build and improve the experience.

To that end, we have been making great strides in polishing the app and creating an exceptional user experience. We are working on new and delightful ways to increase user engagement, building modes that match user intent, enhancing the chat experience, and designing new platforms to help users connect while continuously championing the queer community.  

Do you have a favorite memory of working at Grindr so far or a moment that stands out to you that really captures what it is like to work here?

In my experience from previous remote roles, there can be a sense of disconnect from your colleagues when most of your face-to-face time with them is spent through a Zoom window. However, that feeling doesn't exist here at Grindr. Everyone is very intentional about integrating people into the Grindr team. It is refreshing to work for a company where people really care about each other and treat our colleagues as part of a community.

Because we encourage folks to bring their whole selves to work, when we do get the opportunity to meet in person, conversation and energy stay authentic with their remote persona. Not to mention, the people at Grindr know how to party!

If you are interested in joining a team that values authenticity and collaboration, with a mission of supporting the global LGBTQ community in connecting, you should check out our open roles today! Not to mention - its just plain fun here.

Grindr is a wildly different app today than when we started in 2009. What began as a small hookup app for gay men has grown into an online community connecting the entire LGBTQ community: a place to chat, make friends, find dates, hook up, or… whatever! Over the years we’ve also evolved the design of the app, added a slate of new features, and become more inclusive. With all those changes over the course of 14 years, it’s no wonder that the culture of the app and how people use it have changed, too.

To help you navigate this ever-changing landscape and in honor of Singles Awareness Day, we asked Grindr employees to share advice, tips, and wisdom for how to get the most out of Grindr today. Not just practical stuff like “fill out your profile,” but also more nuanced aspects of Grindr culture that have changed over the years (things like “use peoples’ correct pronouns”). Think of it as a mini “State of The Union” for how the app and the community has evolved.

We hope this is a fun and informative guide for you, but also know there’s no definitive, one-size-fits-all rulebook on how to date in the year 2023. Take what’s useful to you and leave what isn’t. Except, of course, the rule to always be respectful. That's nonnegotiable. :)

Profiles

1. Fill out your profile

Your profile is the easiest way for you to be found on Grindr. When people scroll through the grid, they’re more likely to hit the brakes on someone with a photo. When people filter, if you don’t specify you’re a bottom under “Position,” the top of your dreams might just pass you by. The more you share about yourself on your profile, the easier it‘ll be for people to find you and know if you’re a match.

2. Say what you’re looking for, not what you’re not looking for

No one is into everything. Some of us use Grindr to hook up, some folks are looking for dates, and some people log on just to make friends. There’s room for everyone. But the most annoying thing in the world is when someone lists all the things they’re not into on their profile. Instead of saying “no couples” or “no bottoms,” simply say “looking for single tops.”

3. Don’t wear a hat in your profile photo

Yes, your hat looks really cool and we can all tell that you live in Brooklyn, but unless you plan to leave it on during sex most people will want to see what’s underneath. Bald is beautiful too—who wouldn’t let Mr. Clean talk dirty to them? Nobody likes a surprise when meeting someone new, so you might as well show them what you’re working with up front. When it comes to hats and sunglasses, less is more.

4. Use a recent photo in your profile

We do not want to see any pre-pandemic photos. I don't care how good you looked three years ago. If your profile pic is two megapixels and was taken on a Motorola razor, it’s time for a photoshoot.

5. Don’t use “Read Profile” as your profile name

No one likes required reading. If you’re going to use “Read Profile” as your literal profile name, you better be writing the most fascinating story ever told. If you’re not explaining some freaky new kink I’ve never heard of, sharing prose that brings me to tears, or making me LOL, then please don’t demand that I read your “hung only” profile poem.

6. If you’re going to link to your IG please make sure it’s not blank

I’m going to assume something strange is going on. Same goes for private profiles—don't link it if you're gonna make me follow just to get a face pic.

7. Your profile pic should be just you

I shouldn’t have to guess who I’m messaging, or cross my fingers that the person I’m talking to is the one on the right. This does not apply to couples, although it’s always nice when the half of the couple you’re talking to lets you know which side of the photo they’re on.

8. Advertise yourself honestly

If your profile says you’re looking for “friends only” and the first message you send is “hung?”...that’s a major mixed message. If what you’re looking for changes (and it often does), update your profile accordingly so people know what you’re looking for at that particular moment.

9. If you see something, say something

Our Support & Moderation teams work super hard to keep the Grid free of rancid vibes, but you might still occasionally run into bad actors (not the Razzie kind) on the app. Hate, harassment, bullying, and violence are unacceptable on Grindr — if you see someone disrespecting this rule, don’t hesitate to report them to us. You’re doing everyone a solid by helping keep Grindr safe and cozy for all.

Chat

1. “Sup” is not an appropriate greeting unless it’s past 1am

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to greeting someone on Grindr, but it’s a good idea to give a little bit more than “sup.” In spite of its social media derision, “Hey handsome” works! “Hey, how’s it going” is totally acceptable. Reading “sup?” at 8 pm? No. You can send that to me after 1am when we’re both tipsy and have 15 minutes to decide who to hook up with before we fall asleep.

2. If you ask for more pics you better have some as well

It’s totally fair to ask to see more pictures when getting to know someone. You’re doing your due diligence to make sure they look like their profile picture and that you’re attracted to them. That’s fair. However, if you’re going to ask someone to send every single angle of their body, you better be prepared to send the same amount of (recent) pics as well.

3. Take a hint

Sometimes someone you think is super cute isn’t into you. It sucks, but it happens to every single person on earth—even the most beautiful people in the world get turned down every now and then. Take your licks with grace, know that you’re still someone else’s cup of tea,  and don’t harass people because they’re not responding to you. And definitely don’t write “not interested?” If they were interested, they’d be responding to you.

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4. Wait till you discuss sex to ask if someone is hung

Look, I know you wanna get to the point and time is of the essence, and certainly no shame to my size queens, but maybe go through a little bit of flirting before asking how hung someone is or isn’t.

5. Be respectful

Remember that there's a person behind every profile with real feelings. Being nice can go a long way.

6. Don’t ask me to use Snapchat

I wish you well but I am over 30 and will not be downloading that app. Private Albums have screenshot blocking anyway, why would I leave the app to do the same thing I can do here? And I’m sorry WHAT is kik??

7. You get what you give

Grindr is its own microcosm and it abides by the same rules that apply everywhere else in life: you get what you give. If you make an effort to initiate engaging conversations with people you'll have way more success than if you just log on and wait around.

8. Ghosting Happens

Look, sometimes people are busy and forget to respond. Other folks aren't comfortable turning people down and feel bad saying they're not interested, so they say nothing at all. Whatever the case, no response is a response, and it’s best to try to not take it personally and assume that the other person is well-intentioned but was either busy or not interested. All users should take care to be respectful of people’s time and feelings, but at the end of the day everyone has their own reasons for ghosting and it’s not a referendum on you or your worth—you’re still hot, ghosted or not.

9. Stop asking me if I’m ready

I’m an adult and I’ve just asked you to come over and have penetrative anal sex. Believe it or not, I know how to “get ready” for these experiences, and I don’t need your reminder. I know my body better than you do. You asking me if I’ve douched is a surefire way to kill the mood. Of course I’m ready, but more importantly, are YOU??

10. Use correct pronouns

It takes all of five seconds to check someone's profile to see what pronouns they use. Doing so will save you from embarrassment and will show the other person the respect that they deserve.

Features

1. Use Boost when you’re traveling

Boost is still new so I don’t think everyone realizes how great it is when you’re traveling. I went to Miami and used Boost and immediately alerted the entire city that there was a new girl in town. I’m heading to Europe this summer and I will be Boosting along the entire Mediterranean coast.

2. Use Private Albums to protect your nudes

Private Albums have screenshot blocking so that you can protect your nudes from being used without your consent. You can also stop sharing your album at any time should you decide you no longer want someone to have access to that…side of you.

3. Taps are perfectly fine

If your profile reads “No taps,” I’m going to assume you’re fussy and you don’t enjoy a good time. What did a little fire emoji ever do to you? I find sometimes a tap is all you need to break the ice.

4. Use Viewed Me to see who keeps tabs on you

Viewed Me is great for many reasons, but one particular reason I think it’s great is that you can see who regularly checks in on your profile. This has helped me find FWB’s like you wouldn’t believe, especially since I don’t mind making the first move.

5. If you’re out in public and want to see if a cute guy is gay but you’re not trying to talk to anyone, use Incognito mode

Sometimes you need to use Grindr to do a little sleuthing, and that’s okay. When I’m just trying to get down to business without chatting anyone up I turn on Incognito—you still have all your usual capabilities like chat, but you won’t appear on the grid.

Offline

1. Don’t use Grindr while having an IRL conversation

I love you and I want you to get your life, but I am not going to wait to finish my story so you can send another angle of your ass to hungjock20.

2. If you’re in an open relationship make sure your partner is comfortable with you being on Grindr while you’re hanging with them

It’s one thing to be open—it’s another thing to be sending dick pics while you’re cuddling on the couch watching “The Last of Us.”

3. If you see someone cute eating near you, don’t take a pic of them eating and send it to them on Grindr and tell them that they’re cute

Can’t believe I have to even say this one.

4. Be wary of Grindr at the gym

The gym is a sacred space for many in our community. It’s our sanctuary where we go to unwind, de-stress, and yes, even work out. If you hook up with someone who also goes to your gym, you’re going to have to see them in your sacred space for the rest of eternity. Every single day. On and on. This also goes for apartment buildings and offices. Don’t f**k where you eat.

5. Be there when you say you will

Have you ever had someone say they’ll be over in 20 minutes and you’re waiting ass up 45 minutes later staring at your pillow and wondering if it would look better in blue? Yeah…me neither. Be clear on what your ETA is and update your hookup if something changes.

6. Treat your hookup like a guest

If you invite someone to your home you should treat them like any other guest: ask if they would like a glass of water, make some small talk about the weather (snow again!), and offer them a nice, fresh towel to clean up with afterwards. You never know when a hookup will become a FWB or even a partner so treat them as such.

Yes, these chats have everything: longing, unrequited love, passion, and a little bit of laughter. Dig in below and have a wonderful Valentine’s Day (no matter what your current relationship status is).                              

‍Lovesick

Great to see the community prioritize their health.

‍The Last of Ussy

Seeking a boyfriend for the end of the world.

‍Chivalry Found Alive

I'll pack the wine and crackers.

‍Communication is Key

Valentine’s Day Grindr Chats

Every great relationship begins with an open conversation.

‍Morning Cup of What?

Sometimes metaphor speaks louder than dick pics.

‍Get Your Priorities Straight

The first boyfriend requirement is that they’re BeyHive.

‍Fools Rush In

A bouquet of poppers? You shouldn’t have.

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Last year we introduced Boost, an iconic new way for users to put themselves near the top of the grid for an hour in the spotlight, and the results have been pretty great. Users are getting up to 5x more chats and 8x more views when they Boost. That’s a lot of attention. That’s like Jenna Maroney levels of attention.

But, since it’s a new feature, we still have plenty of users who aren’t yet aware that Boost even exists. This posed a unique challenge for the Marketing team: how do we show users who haven’t tried Boost what the experience feels like? That’s where the Try Boost video campaign comes in.

In Try Boost, we feature an all-queer cast in everyday heteronormative settings. They’re bored at office parties, invisible to their work crushes, stuck at home with clueless bro roommates, and alone eating a sad dinner. That is, until a magical button that says “Boost Me” appears. In pressing the button, their worlds transform into a queer utopia.

Boost perfectly encapsulates what makes Grindr so special—the ability to leave the straight world and go into your own queer corner. And that’s what we wanted to show with these spots, the experience of heightened connection when you need it the most. We want our users to feel seen anywhere they go. With Boost, never has it been this fast and easy to get eyes on you and your profile.

Check out the Try Boost spots below and give Boost a go next time you need a lil’ queer utopia.

Helping Hand

Naked Sushi

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Birthday Rave

Roommates

February 7th marks the 20th anniversary of Safer Internet Day, a day dedicated to promoting a safer and more secure online experience for all. As the world's largest LGBTQ social networking app, Grindr is dedicated to creating a safe and welcoming space for the entire community–one that’s also kinda sexy too.  

My name is Juliet Shen, and I’m the Director of Product for Trust & Safety at Grindr. I joined the team last year after working in the online safety space at Snapchat and Tinder, and I am so excited to be here. Since I’m new to Grindr, I wanted to take a moment to talk about the priorities we’re focused on for this year and re-introduce the teams who work year-round to make the app safer and share some of their incredible efforts.

For 2023, across the company, our trust and safety work is focused on three areas:

1. Invest in our proactive efforts to better detect harassment, bigotry, fake spam profiles, and minors who aren’t allowed on the app
2. Improve our current safety tools and resources such as reporting, blocking, muting, safety tips, community guidelines, and other educational guides
3. Support broader LGBTQ rights and equality to serve our community

We’re prioritizing these areas because both the real and online worlds are evolving. New technologies, such as generative AI, create new opportunities for online abuse. At the same time, different countries are issuing new rules around privacy and how apps and sites like ours manage data, which we talked about recently for Data Privacy Day. We know people place a lot of trust in us to protect them and their data, and our plan for 2023 is built on that foundation.

I’m so excited to work with my team and others on these priorities. Let me tell you a little about the groups I’m working with:

Trust & Safety

First, I want to highlight Grindr’s Trust & Safety team. Our mission is to help build a platform in which LGBTQ people from around the world feel safe to share their most authentic selves and establish meaningful connections. We serve the Grindr community, ensuring that the app’s best safety ideas are actualized and brought into reality. Our efforts also go beyond the app, as we work on constantly raising our content moderation standards in an effort to eliminate biases and set equitable policies (hello, nipples!) for all.

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Sometimes our work includes recognizing when something we thought would help is used in ways that do more harm than good. For example, when we noticed that our custom gender profile fields—meant to help trans people more accurately express themselves—were being used to make transphobic comments, we changed our strategy and built a global list of gender and pronoun options. We felt strongly that this work and research could help others be more inclusive, so we open-sourced the list for anyone to use.

Grindr For Equality

Next, we have our Grindr for Equality team, who work on a number of initiatives within the company. They act as a bridge between the Trust & Safety team and the community of LGBTQ activists whom we work with to get input on what’s actually happening to LGBTQ people all over the world, feeding that information back into our internal processes.

We are particularly appreciative of Afsaneh Rigot, who has led a project on LGBTQ digital safety in the Middle East-North Africa region from her post at the freedom of expression-focused organization, Article 19 in London. Together, she and Grindr for Equality have engaged a web of activists from technologists to local on-the-ground LGBTQ advocates, who have all come together in a coalition to advise dating apps and sites like ours on safety features that serve our global user base with their profoundly varied needs.

Our coalition work has helped us drill down into what our community needs in the parts of the world where being LGBTQ puts them most at risk. That has meant things like increasing screenshot blocking in those territories, allowing unlimited messages to be unsent, and blocking users’ exact relative distance from one another.

If you’re looking for more information on how to stay safe on Grindr, check out our Safety Tips, get informed about consent and sexual health, stay aware of scams with our Scam Awareness Guide, watch our Play Safe campaign to learn about the safety features in the app, and be sure to review our Holistic Security Guide for best practices on staying safe on and off the app. Finally, if you see something that doesn’t belong on our platform, report it to us so our 24/7 team can help. While our teams work to make our app and the internet safer every day, we are always learning and listening to people who choose Grindr so we can be better.

Grindr is a fun and sexy place, and we want to make sure it’s a safe one, too. Together, we can shape a better internet. Happy #SaferInternetDay!

Grindr for Equality is our company's social justice program, aimed at advancing LGBTQ safety, health, and human rights around the world. We serve a variety of functions – from helping to build features in the app that protect Grindr users in dangerous environments, to collaborating with global public health agencies to get the word out on emerging sexual health issues like Monkeypox – it’s all in a day’s grind.

The four key laws‍

Through years of working with LGBTQ activists and organizers, we’ve developed a way of thinking about the future that we believe can be a north star for helping us create a safer, more inclusive world for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. We’ve distilled that thinking into the four key laws we must enact in every country to ensure equitability for all:

Decriminalization

Decriminalization means getting rid of the laws that make it illegal for us to be who we are and love who we love. Currently, sex between men is illegal in about seventy countries, sex between women in about forty countries, and “crossdressing” is illegal in about fourteen. Removing these laws is fundamental to recognizing the basic humanity of all people.

Legal Gender Recognition

Trans people deserve the right to be recognized by their governments as the gender they truly are. In many countries, this is administered at the national level with documents like national ID cards and passports. In the US, it’s a bit more complicated because various IDs are handled at the federal and state governments, each of which may have different requirements. Nevertheless, it is a key goal of our movement to ensure that trans people have access to legal gender recognition in all facets of their life and without unnecessary barriers – like requirements that individuals go through surgeries that may be unaffordable or unwanted.

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Non-Discrimination or Anti-Discrimination

These laws make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, and they create pathways for legal recourse when discrimination does take place. They can cover a range of circumstances in which discrimination might take place, from employment to education, housing, and something called “public accommodations,” which refers to generally accessible places such as stores, restaurants, hotels, and transportation.  

Relationship Recognition

“Relationship recognition” is often more specifically referred to as marriage equality, but it can include other forms of recognition like domestic partnerships. So far, we’ve achieved full equality in terms of relationship recognition in only thirty-three countries worldwide.

Beyond

We have another job to do too – in many countries, our LGBTQ movements are forced to fight back against newly proposed laws that would harm us, rather than guaranteeing our rights. In the U.S., we are currently experiencing a backward trend of laws banning drag and criminalizing care for transgender youth, a phenomenon that is part of a larger attack on the LGBTQ community to label us as “dangerous.”

And, of course, the work doesn’t stop with fighting back bad laws or trying to establish these four legal pillars. But, these efforts are key to focusing our efforts as we continue to fight for equality and use our platform to facilitate joy, connection, and liberation for all of those in our community.

I originally joined Grindr in June 2018, and was honored to work on privacy, compliance, and data security policy for an app that plays such an important role in our community. Another opportunity took me away for a few years, but I am thrilled to be back home at Grindr.

One of the reasons I’m most excited to be back is because Grindr’s data privacy philosophy is so well aligned with my own. With that in mind, I’d like to share some core privacy beliefs that permeate the work we do to keep our community Grind’n.

‍Your Data, Your Experience

We all know data influences each of us on a daily basis – and at Grindr we never lose sight of the fact that we are stewards of your data. It is still your data. You allow us to use it so that we can provide an optimal experience when using the app. Do you like personalized ads? Great, you can have them by adjusting your consent settings in our consent preference center which is always accessible from within the in-app settings menu. Maybe you don’t want customized ads, but you do want other users to know your interests so that your chats are a little more than “Hey, handsome.” Perfect, then including tags or indicating what you’re into are the perfect features for you. Perhaps you prefer a little discretion so you’re a fan of our private album feature. Whatever you’re into, whatever you’re comfortable with, whatever you choose, we respect the fact that it’s your data that powers your Grindr experience. Learn more about customizing your Grindr profile here.

‍Transparency is Mother‍

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Understanding how we use your data to provide you with just the right Grindr experience is of paramount importance to us. That’s why for years we have provided you with the full privacy policy prior to creating an account with Grindr. We know it may not be the sexiest read, but we are proud to empower you with the details behind how data powers your experience. We recently updated our Privacy Policy to further illuminate important points about the data that we collect, how long we retain it, and how you can utilize our in-app “download my data” tool to get a copy of the data associated with your account.

‍You’re in Control

You are the curator of your Grindr experience. We here at Grindr want you to make the connections you find most meaningful, and that all starts with not only giving you the ability to control the data you provide, but also allowing you to change your mind. You can control whether other users see you in Explore searches, whether you show your relative distance to others, or if you show up in Viewed Me lists. All of this is controlled by you with easy-to-access in-app settings. Whether you join Grindr to find short-term or long-term connections, we believe that you can direct and define your own Grindr experience by utilizing these in-app privacy controls.

We have a lot in store for you throughout 2023, and I’m so honored and excited to continue the good work we do at Grindr to protect and safeguard your data and to provide you with the best Grindr experience possible. Be on the lookout for more from Grindr, but on this eve of DPD, I just want to say thank you, and it’s good to be home.                  

We’re here at [email protected] for any questions you may have.

‍#WorkItWednesday is Grindr's feature on employees and programs at the heart of the work we do to connect the LGBTQ community with each other and the world around them. In this edition, we chat with Kimberly Escobar about her experience joining Grindr and how the IT team is looking to grow and scale.

Meet Kimberly Escobar (she/her), Senior IT Specialist!

Kimberly joined Grindr almost four years ago in May 2019. While in undergrad, Kimberly had the opportunity to complete internships at film production companies both in and out of IT. Upon graduating from California Lutheran University with a BS in Computer Science, Kimberly started as a Service Desk Engineer at a company that focused on solving production IT challenges for the media and entertainment industry. While her prior professional experience was centered around the film industry, she found it a natural transition to Grindr, which focuses on entertainment of a different variety!

Learn more about Kimberly’s journey below and check out the open role on the IT Team today!‍

Have you always worked in IT? What drew you to IT for tech or the dating space specifically?

I started working in IT during my undergraduate career in a few internships with media production companies. I was initially drawn to IT roles because they allowed me to work with so many different people, at all different levels across the organization. I really enjoy getting to work with and support so many functions of the business while still getting to work on challenging tech problems.

After a few years in the media and entertainment industry, I realized that I wasn't passionate about media production and wanted a change in environment. This led me to start interviewing with Grindr. While I had heard of the Grindr brand, I never realized the impact the company made on the LGBTQ community. I wasn’t intentionally transitioning into the tech or dating space, but I’ve found that being at Grindr has made my job feel so much more meaningful and helped me feel connected to the people and communities around me. ‍

Tell us why you joined the team at Grindr. What do you love most about your work, our mission, or culture?

There are so many things that I love about being a part of the IT Team at Grindr. Our team works almost entirely in cloud/remote systems (which helped make the company’s transition to a remote-first working environment nearly seamless). This, along with working in a small team, has allowed me the opportunity to manage tools that I otherwise would have never had any access to. The experience I’ve gained over the last few years and the support I’ve received has helped me take on new challenges and grow in my career.

On a personal level, it’s been incredibly rewarding to work alongside such open, knowledgeable, and passionate people. The team at Grindr genuinely cares about the impact that we are making for the LGBTQ community and for each other. Conversations are always engaging and I’ve learned so much about empathy and perseverance from my colleagues. It is something that I have not seen at other companies and one of the reasons that makes me want to be here. ‍

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Give us a little background on the day in the life with your role at Grindr. What areas do you support and how do you collaborate with other functions in the business?

Being in IT has the rewarding dynamic of working alongside all teams within the company at some point or another. Starting from day one, where we support the onboarding of new hires all the way through their ramp-up in the organization. This definitely keeps the day-to-day both challenging and interesting.

One of the great qualities of Grindr’s IT team is the way that we segment and deliver our work. For the most part, our team splits up work into day-to-day support and ongoing projects. We have a role to play in keeping operations running as expected, but our team has also been working dilligently toward automating our workflows to ensure that the other teams at Grindr can continue to run smoothly. This has included learning how to effectively manage projects and reviewing any repetitive tasks or requests we get so we can convert this to our automation system. We view the employees of Grindr as our “users”, and just like our engineers who support the app, we are continually thinking of new ways we can keep things accessible and updated for their needs. ‍

What are your goals for growing your team?

We are excited to grow our team as the company continues to scale. In order to deliver high-quality support, we need to add folks who strike the right balance of keeping things moving while continuing to innovate on the automation piece. The primary qualities that we look for when interviewing are curious individuals who enjoy collaborating and adapting to the company's needs and developing technology. Since our employees are our users, we’re working on elevating their experience, so someone that is curious about or familiar with the tools we use and scripting is a big plus.

The other key piece of success for Grindr is that we continue to bring in folks who truly believe in the work that we are doing. Grindr has become such an important part of our users’ daily lives. Oftentimes people come to Grindr looking for love, sex, friendship, or simply to connect, but even deeper than that, maybe they come to Grindr because they are not able to live as out and open in their daily lives or maybe they do not live in a place with a highly visible queer community, so they turn to us to find that. Hiring folks who celebrate and believe in the mission of Grindr is going to continue to be key to our success.

If you are interested in working as a part of a collaborative team while developing innovative solutions to interesting IT problems, you should consider applying today!      

As a festive Mariah Carey declared atop a Peloton the minute the thermostat went below 50 degrees, the holidays are officially upon us. A time where dark nights are illuminated by Christmas lights, our homes are decorated with wreaths and tinsel, and the coziness of cuffing season proves gays can commit, at least until warmer weather returns.

By now you’ve already seen holiday shopping guides for “28 Best Xmas Sheets To Give Your Partner” or “16 Candles to Gift Friends,” but have you seen '10 Gifts That Would Make Santa Blush"?

Here are the best sex toys and products that’ll help get you on the naughty list.

Du Douche                                            

Let’s be real: all douche bulbs are the same. Some are big, some are small, some are black, some are gray, and some are misplaced when you need them most. The Du is different in that it’s a “thoughtfully redesigned” douche bulb with features that every bottom worth their weight in douche water will appreciate, like a soft and pliable tip so you don’t accidentally stab your hole (been there), a wide mouth for a quick fill (oh, honey!), and an air/water valve to prevent back-flow so you don’t have to remove and reinsert between refills. Finally: a douche designed by bottoms, for bottoms.

Hot Lava Masque by Studioready                                            

If you’re a little bougie when it comes to your booty (and why shouldn’t you be?), you’re going to love the Hot Lava Masque by Studioready. This astringent masque uses glamorous ingredients like white willow bark and finely milled volcanic rock (seriously) to brighten your bum’s skin and minimize blemishes. It’s essentially a 30-minute butt facial, but also like, such a cute way to bond with a partner. One gets their butt rubbed, the other gets to play with a butt. Or you each do both. Throw on some Netflix and a bottle of wine and that’s date night.

Everywhere Balm by Goodparts                                    

Sometimes your butt is a little sore after a good romp. It’s not excruciating, but feels like the dull rawness of an overworked muscle. Well, there’s a balm for that.  Made with high quality ingredients like jojoba oil, papaya seed extract and CBD, Everywhere Balm works to soothe muscles, release tension, calm inflammation and moisturize where it’s applied. As the name suggests, the balm is not only limited to your hole, but this is a Grindr gift guide, after all, and we know where it’s most useful.

Überlube                                            

The reality is that most lubes get sticky after a while and it can feel a little…gross. Due to its high quality and long-lasting silicone formula blended with vitamin E, Uberlube never gets to that point and actually moisturizes the skin. It’s so luxurious that it even comes in a glass bottle (ou la la). The brand insists their product isn’t just for sex, and recommends athletes use it to avoid chafing, as haircare to avoid frizz, and as a sensual massage oil. I kid you not, a man I was having sex with once pointed out how great the brand was and complimented me on my selection. We love a man with taste.

‍Disposable Wash by Future Method                                        

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Tap water, arguably the most common and convenient solution for douching, isn’t ideal because it flushes both the good and bad bacteria out, disrupting the area’s microbiome, which can lead to a host of intestinal issues. Future Method, a wellness booty brand co-founded by anal surgeon Dr. Evan Goldstein, has released a PH-balanced isotonic solution created specifically for douching, which moisturizes your rectum while it cleans and keeps your microbiome perfectly balanced. The washes come in packs of two, six and twelve and are also available as quick dissolve powder packs.

Training Kit and Education Set by bVibe                                            

Bottoming is no easy feat, and too many people have had uncomfortable and painful experiences as a result of inexperience or an overly aggressive top. Something everyone should do whether you’re a beginner, or a little out of practice, is train your anus like you do other muscles in your body. bVibe just so happens to have a kit designed for this exact purpose, complete with a small butt plug, a medium-sized vibrating butt plug, a large weighted butt plug and other useful accessories. The kit is not only ideal for training, but also allows you to explore different sensations. Anybody, no matter your experience level, would benefit from this set.

Intimacy Melts with CBD by Foria                                            

If you find bottoming uncomfortable, CBD melts could be an effective solution for you. These rocket-shaped casts of CBD and cocoa butter are designed to enhance penetration, ease discomfort and increase relaxation, making for a more pleasurable sexual experience. These should be used roughly 30 minutes prior to intercourse so they have time to melt and absorb. They can also be inserted after sex to soothe soreness or muscle fatigue. Each package contains four suppositories, each delivering 50 mg of organic CBD. Speaking personally, these things work and after they’ve absorbed your butt will have the munchies and be hungrier than ever.  

Manta by Fun Factory                                            

If there is one toy I will defend to the end, it is the Manta. This odd-looking toy is one of the more versatile sex toys on the market, excellent for both solo and partnered play. When worn at the base, the Manta turns your penis into a vibrator, and is fantastic for edging when placed just under the head (highly recommend). It’s even handy when giving a blowjob, as it simulates the sensations of deepthroating courtesy of its intense vibrations. If you’re sick of strokers and looking for something different, you will not be disappointed with the Manta. It will change the way you masturbate.

‍The Skwert Douche Adaptor Kit by Bone Yard                                            

Sometimes douche bulbs or showers aren’t easy to come by. Water bottles, on the other hand, often are. That’s what makes this douche adaptor kit so brilliant. I’ve personally found it great for camping and, another bonus: it won’t raise suspicion at the airport. While this product is probably considered less luxe than the others, it had to be included on the list for its convenience and simplicity—think of it more as a stocking stuffer.  

LOKI Wave by LELO                                            

There is no prostate massager quite like the LOKI Wave, which pairs its powerful, dual-motor vibration with a unique “come hither” motion, where one tip stimulates the prostate from the inside, and the other from the outside. It’s a fantastic toy to play with on your own, but I also recommend wearing the LOKI Wave while topping. The toy naturally comes in contact with your prostate as you thrust and the resulting sensation is so intense your knees will buckle. So prepare for impact when you climax, this is a warning.

Customer feedback is vital to our decision-making process at Grindr. On a regular basis, we pull qualitative and quantitative data from customer feedback, content moderation reports, UserVoice, app reviews, social media, and more, to inform what we do as a company.

We want to share with you what we are hearing, and what we’re doing as a result.  

Image Moderation

This quarter, our customer support team fielded some questions about how we moderate profile images. Specifically, we’re hearing from some people who believe there is a discrepancy between when profile images are approved vs. rejected, and are questioning what process we use to approve photos.  

We’ve designed our image moderation system to be as fair and unbiased as possible, while still being efficient enough to approve images quickly. We’re always working to make our process better, more fair and faster, but here’s how we do it right now:

1. When you first upload a profile image, we run it through a Machine Learning system which checks for Community Guidelines violations, such as nudity. (You can read about our other Machine Learning system for text here.)
2. Images that are found to be within our guidelines are approved
3. Any image that is borderline, or probably violates our Community Guidelines, is sent for human review
4. We do not auto-reject borderline photos – every borderline photo gets reviewed by a real person
5. Our team then manually approves or rejects the borderline image
6. When we reject an image, we’ll tell you why
7. If an image is approved that shouldn’t have been, please report that image, and our human review team will take a look
8. Similarly, if you would like to appeal an image rejection, contact our support team

It would be cheaper and more efficient for us to auto-reject photos based on the Machine Learning labeling, in addition to auto-approving, but we don’t do that. We know that it can feel personal when an image is rejected. We want to be as sure as we can that we’re making fair decisions when we don’t allow a photo to be posted.

Specifically, we want to moderate nudity fairly. As an app, we must follow Apple and Google’s guidelines for nudity, yet we still want Grindr to be the expressive, sex-positive place that our community enjoys. We also have many members who are trans and non-binary, and although we have to follow the app stores' guidelines on female nipples, we do not want to reject images based on perceived gender. For this reason, we send potentially nude photos to the human team who review images alongside our user’s self-reported gender when available.

We also must be careful to not allow any images that are pornographic (again: app store rules). The definition of pornography is a difficult one, and you may not agree with where we draw the line, but in general we try to be as permissive as possible while still being allowed on the app stores—after all, we want to ensure that the app remains available to be used. (You can read more here.)

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Finally, we’ve specifically trained our team to look out for personal bias when moderating photos. We address potential bias with race and ethnicity, gender, body hair, body shape or size, age, and more. It’s important to us that our community feels able to express themselves freely and joyfully, and our photo moderation system is designed to support that.

Ban appeals and privacy

Data privacy, access, and control is something that people are becoming more and more concerned about. We think this is a great thing! Grindr has a privacy-by-design philosophy.

We sometimes hear the complaint from a banned user, “I got no explanation for my ban.” However, it’s important to protect the privacy of users who may have reported an issue. We can’t say “you were reported for [X] reason” because that could potentially help the banned user identify who reported them and put the reporting user at risk of retaliation.

This makes some people think we’re “banning for no reason,” but the truth is we can’t share the reason without putting someone else at risk – so we prioritize safety in this particular case over transparency. We’re okay with that tradeoff. (You can read more about why “banning for no reason” makes no business sense in this blog post I wrote last year).

We can never reveal details about someone else’s profile or reports. We’ve written more information about how we investigate and enforce our Community Guidelines here, along with information on our industry-leading ban appeal process.