Users can select from a range of pronouns and multi-partner relationships
The dating app Tinder recently added fifteen new gender identifications as well as several new relationship goals such as polyamory, ethical non-monogamy, and open to exploring.
The decision comes on the heels of a survey the company conducted which found 52% of eighteen to twenty-five-year-olds are more attracted to single-partner relationships, while 41% were interested in polyamory.
The new options are only currently available in the United States but are likely to be expanded to other countries sometime in the future.
Beyond the binary
Tinder’s step towards recognizing everyone’s right to self-identify, not to mention the ability to seek out or form non-monogamous relationships, is part of a growing trend among dating apps.
One of the leaders was Grindr, which in 2017 added a host of inclusionary upgrades. As Jack Harrison-Quintana explained to Techcrunch, “We created written resources linked from the gender identity fields in the profile to answer users’ questions and decrease that burden on trans people.”
In April of this year, HER, the lesbian-focused platform, proclaimed in a blog post, “We’re snatching back the term “lesbian” from the clutches of TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists) and bigots who’ve tried to hijack it to fuel their transphobia and hatred.”
Twenty-three million users strong, Hinge also announced its own series of expanded gender inclusivity selections and even set up online LGBTQIA+ resources, including a trans Not So Frequently Asked Questions (NFAQ) page.
A company spokesperson told Pick News, “The safety and well-being of our trans daters are always a top priority. We have a zero-tolerance policy for hate, and anyone exhibiting transphobic behavior on Hinge will be banned from our community.”
Even eHarmony, previously sued for same-sex discrimination in 2005 and whose founder made a series of decidedly homophobic comments, now proclaims, “eharmony is LGBT friendly. We believe that real love is for everyone, and we’re deeply committed to providing a platform that’s safe, inclusive, and welcoming for every single one of our members.”
Steps in the right direction
Tinder’s new gender and relationship options demonstrate that although some dating platforms still haven’t gotten the inclusionary memo, there’s little to lose and a lot to gain by giving users what they want.
Unfortunately, implementing those changes may not be easy. For example, in response to HER’s public support for trans rights, right-wing provocateurs bombarded Twitter with complaints, causing the social media platform to suspend HER’S Twitter account.
The ban has since been lifted, the message was clear–but not the one anti-LGBTQIA+ bigots may have been hoping for.
This controversy caused HER to double down on its message that, as CEO Robyn Exton said to Pink News, “HER has always been a platform that is for trans women, for non-binary people and anyone who identifies as a woman.”
A statement further backed up by the HER’s tweet to any of its anti-trans users, “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Sapphic dating service @HerSocialApp knocking it out the park
“A Message for Transphobes: Time to delete HER. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” #LGBWithTheT #CisWithTheT #LesbianVisibilityDay pic.twitter.com/aLTo70XMOV
— Lebkuchen Short Film (@LebkuchenFilm) April 26, 2023All means all
We hope the likes of Robyn Exton, Jack Harrison-Quintana, and companies like Hinge and now Tinder will help inspire other dating apps and communities alike to stand up to hate.
And by doing so, remind not just the LGBTQIA+ community but everyone, everywhere, that love is universal–and good for business.
