By Dear Straight People,
A staggering 54% of LGBTQ+ people come out on a dating app before announcing it to their friends or family. This significant finding comes from Tinder’s 2023 Future of Dating Report.
Dating apps like Tinder have long been safe havens for the LGBTQ+ community. Recognizing the importance of providing a safe space for the queer community, Tinder has gone to great lengths to help their LGBTQ+ users find their pride this year.
Over a fifth of new Tinder users identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, so we felt it was important to create an authentic way for them to connect this Pride season.
Whether you’re proudly sharing coming out online, or you’re excited to meet new people to celebrate your first Pride with, we’re happy to help LGBTQ+ users find their Pride this year.”
Melissa Hobley, Chief Marketing Officer at Tinder
Key initiatives include Tinder India’s Queer Dating Starter Pack, which offers guidance on self-discovery, dating etiquette, consent, safety, and self-care. Additionally, Queer Made Weekend celebrates LGBTQIA+ businesses in India. In Thailand, Tinder’s Let’s Talk Gender campaign educates users on issues like pronoun usage.
Tinder also emphasizes safety with features like the Traveller Alert, which warns LGBTQIA+ members about laws in certain countries. Users can manage their profiles flexibly, choosing when to reveal their gender and sexual orientation.
New profile stickers such as “Came Out Online” and “My First Pride” further support LGBTQ+ users, offering more ways to express themselves and connect with others.
As Pride Month concludes, the ongoing support from organizations like Tinder remains essential. For more on Tinder’s Pride Month efforts, check out our interview with a Tinder spokesperson.
Exclusive Interview With Tinder Spokesperson
Based on Tinder’s Future of Dating report, 54% of respondents revealed that they came out on a dating app before announcing it to their friends and family. What does this figure say about the role of dating apps in the LGBTQ+ community, especially in their journey of self-discovery and coming out?
Tinder has been a safe space for the queer community to come out, offering users a way to explore their dating preferences and meet new people online before they feel comfortable making those connections out in the real world.
With more Gen Zs driving changes in the dating landscape and challenging constrictive norms, they prioritise honesty, authenticity, and open-mindedness over looks. Gen Z’s acceptance of difference also resonates in their more open and inclusive approach to gender and sexuality – they are, after all, the most fluid generation when it comes to both things. This is a cohort that is more likely to identify as LGBTQIA+ and reject traditional gender roles.
We see this in the fact that LGBTQIA+ members are now the fastest growing group on Tinder, and members aged 18-25 that identify as LGBTQIA+ have more than doubled in the last two years, according to our Future of Dating Report 2023. On Tinder, there has been a 30% increase in gender identities other than male or female since 2021 globally.
We recognise the importance of dating apps serving as a safe space for many to disclose their orientation. This June, the launch of Tinder’s profile stickers offers LGBTQIA+ users and allies an authentic and relatable way to celebrate Pride this year, with more options to express themselves and connect with others. The evolution of dating apps caters to the different needs and wants of the various communities where they feel supported. It encourages more to come out within the online environment while they explore their sexuality to figure out what’s right for them.
Tell us more about Tinder’s wider regional efforts to increase inclusivity within the LGBTQ+ community, such as Tinder India’s launch of the Queer Dating Starter Pack. What inspired the development of this campaign?
With Gen Zs making up more than half of the LGBTQIA+ community, Tinder is continuously engaging with these users by expanding gender orientation in this space for young queer individuals. In fact, non-binary is the fastest growing gender identity on Tinder, with people identifying as such having increased by 104% within one year alone.
We recognise that everyone has a different arc of understanding surrounding gender identities. Working together with Gaysi Family – a queer-owned, queer-run media platform in India, we have been focused on educating our users about the use of pronouns, how allies can behave on the app, how to date someone from a different sexuality, among other things.
This Pride, we also continue to connect strongly with queer Gen Z singles in the region with local campaigns beyond the launch of profile stickers. Building upon our partnership with Gaysi Family in India, we developed Tinder India’s first Queer Dating Starter Pack offering a visual checklist and essential guidance on self-discovery, dating etiquette, consent, safety & boundaries, and self-care, as well as the return of Queer Made Weekend, one of India’s most popular pride festivals, dedicated to celebrating, supporting, and amplifying businesses and products made, owned, and run by India’s LGBTQIA+ community.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, Tinder is also featuring content from Let’s Talk Gender, sharing bite-sized educational content for Gen Zs in Thailand tackling key issues such as using pronouns, and more.
What are some of the Trust & Safety initiatives that Tinder has launched, as part of a continuous effort to create a safer space online for LGBTQ+ users to date?
Tinder continues to build upon our efforts to ensure everyone feels safe, confident, and comfortable when engaging in conversations and meeting new people.
Early this year, we rolled out our Dating Safety Guide in Southeast Asia to provide relevant and up-to-date dating tips. More importantly, our Dating Safety Guide also informs our users on the various in-app safety features put in place to ensure everyone can have a safe dating experience, from connecting online to taking the relationship IRL. According to a survey conducted by Tinder, 80% of young people in Southeast Asia feel that safety features on dating apps are their top priority in their online dating experience.
One such feature is the Traveller Alert: when LGBTQIA+ members travel or use Tinder’s Passport feature in a country with laws that penalise their community, they are alerted and given a choice to opt-out before their profile is shown in the area.
Furthermore, aside from creating a safe and inclusive space for all, Tinder also remains dedicated to creating a positive and empowering experience for each individual. We understand that the identities of our users are complex and multifaceted, so LGBTQIA+ users can select whether to reveal their gender and sexual orientation online at any time with the flexibility of managing their profiles, to support their safety, comfort, and inclusive representation. This also helps Tinder learn more about them and recommend potential matches that fit their preferences.
At Tinder, the well-being of our users is paramount, and we want to ensure that this new generation of singles is getting to know new people in fun, safe, and healthy ways.
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