Grindr aims to stamp out discrimination on its platform with ‘Kindr’ initiative

Grindr has long had a problem with discrimination.

It’s evidenced by profiles which are openly racist, with terms like “Black=block,” “no gaysians” or “no chocolate or rice” that are written in these bios.

Now the gay dating app is looking to stamp it out. It’s launched an initiative called Kindr, updating its community guidelines in a stand against racism, bullying, or other forms of toxic behaviour.

The biggest change to the guidelines is the banning of discriminatory language in these profile bios, and those who breach the new rules are subject to review by moderators.

Grindr has also launched a website featuring its diverse user base, along with a five-video series where users talk about the discriminatory comments that they’ve received on the platform.

“If you don’t put ‘no Asians’ in your profile that doesn’t mean you have to fuck Asians now, it just means I don’t have to see it,” comedian Joel Kim Booster, who appears in the campaign, explains.

“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,” Landen Zumwalt, head of communications at Grindr, said in a statement. 

“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.”

It comes after a lawsuit was threatened against the company by Los Angeles user Sinakhone Keodara, who told NBC News the platform “allows blatant sexual racism by not monitoring or censoring anti-Asian and anti-black profiles.”