[September 18, 2018]

Grindr Takes A Stand Against Sexual Racism And Discrimination With "Kindr" Initiative

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Grindr, the world's largest queer mobile social network, today kicked off its "Kindr" initiative, which aims to foster a more inclusive and welcoming environment on Grindr and elsewhere within the queer community. The campaign is built around a combination of new community guidelines, stricter enforcement policies and awareness-raising videos that highlight user experiences of discrimination in-app.

"Sexual racism, transphobia, fat and femme shaming and further forms of othering such as stigmatization of HIV positive individuals are pervasive problems in the LGBTQ community," said Landen Zumwalt, head of communications at Grindr. "These community issues get brought onto our platform, and as a leader in the gay dating space, Grindr has a responsibility to not only protect our users, but also to set the standard for the broader community that we serve."

"Grindr has a new suite of queer leadership - myself included - who share this same mission to take much-needed action, make impactful changes in the app and use Grindr's enormous power to do good for greater LGBTQ community," continued Zumwalt.

"Like many of us, I was a user of Grindr before I started working here, so I was already familiar with the racism and issues faced by people of color or non-masculine identifying people on the app," said Zach Stafford, chief content officer at Grindr and editor-in-chief of INTO. "I joined Grindr because I saw an opportunity for the company to be a leader and social change agent."

"Online discrimination has reached epidemic proportions affecting not only Grindr but other social networks. Our 'Kindr' initiative is a rallying call for Grindr and our community to take a stand against sexual racism and all forms of othering. Together, we will work to maintain a welcoming and inclusive environment and end the need for people to include exclusionary statements on profiles," said Zumwalt.

Kindr is built around education, awareness and specific policy changes in the Grindr app. Its new community guidelines will serve as the first step of many Grindr will be taking to help foster a more inclusve and respectful community on its platform. As part of the video campaign, Grindr partnered with notable queer leaders and activists, including The Vixen and Jai Rodriguez, in addition to a number of every day users to share their experiences with discrimination and speak to ways to engage in respectful conversations online.

Over the next five weeks, Grindr will roll out five videos on Grindr, social media, media buys, and Kindr.Grindr.com, a new landing page for the campaign.

Updated Community Guidelines Establish a New Standard

Grindr is setting a higher standard for its community and creating a safe and authentic experience for everyone. New community guidelines will allow users to freely express themselves while also maintaining a welcoming and inclusive environment. Here's what people should expect from Grindr's global community and most importantly, from Grindr:

We have a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, harassment, and abusive behavior. We want you to be yourself, but not at the expense of someone else. Anyone found bullying, threatening, or defaming another user will be banned.
We will also remove any discriminatory statements displayed on profiles. You're free to express your preferences, but we'd rather hear about what you're into, not what you aren't. Profile language that is used to openly discriminate against other users' traits and characteristics ("No fats, no fems, no Asians") will no longer be tolerated and will be subject to review by our moderation team.
If you see someone breaking the rules, please report them using the block button found in the upper right corner of their profile, and we'll take it from there. You may also encounter people on the app who upset or offend you without necessarily violating our guidelines. In those instances we recommend using the block feature, which will prevent you and the other user from seeing each other or having future contact.

For access to the "Kindr" media kit, including images and videos, please click here. For more information on the campaign and to view the updated Community Guidelines, please visit Kindr.Grindr.com.

ABOUT GRINDR
With 3.8 million daily active users in every country in the world, Grindr is the largest LGBTQ mobile social network. Since its launch in 2009, Grindr has grown to become a fundamental part of users' daily lives globally. The company continues to expand their ecosystem to enable all users to connect to the world around them. Through INTO, a digital content channel for and by the LGBTQ community, various events, and experiential opportunities, Grindr is helping users engage across the spectrum.

Headquartered in West Hollywood, California, Grindr is a Certified Transgender-Inclusive Business and encompasses a diverse and passionate family of makers, innovators, leaders, and most importantly, doers. Grindr employees are fueled by an endless curiosity, an ability to embrace change, a respectful and collaborative work environment, and a knack for crossing every finish line.

Grindr is proud to have been recognized by Fast Company as one of the ten "Most Innovative Social Media Companies in 2016" and by Forbes as a "model for corporate social responsibility."
Grindr is available on the App Store and Google Play.

Quote from Jai Rodriguez