Grindr Launches Anti-Discrimination Initiative With Video Series Featuring The Vixen & Jai Rodriguez: Watch

In an effort to create a more welcoming dating space -- and to keep up with dating apps that have already announced stricter anti-discrimination policies -- Grindr launched a new initiative today designed to curtail abuse and bullying on its platform.

After a cryptic announcement in July, Grindr finally rolled out the details surrounding the Kindr initiative. The initiative will entail a new zero-tolerance harassment policy in its community guidelines, a ban on racist, transphobic, and body-shaming language on profiles, and a new video awareness campaign.

"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's new community guidelines put an emphasis on their zero-tolerance policy for discrimination. Abusive, bullying, or otherwise threatening users on the platform will be banned indefinitely from the app. The Grindr team will also put an end to statements that discriminate towards other users based on their "traits and characteristics," though users are still allowed to express preferences on their profiles. 

British model and activist Munroe Bergdorf announced last month that she served as an advisor for Grindr’s anti-bias initiatives. Bergdorf met with Zumwalt and Grindr chief content officer Zach Stafford to discuss the protections that the app can create for QTPOC using the app.

“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,” added Zumwalt.

Grindr will also roll out a five-video series chronicling users’ experiences with discrimination on the dating app. The first, out today, features the likes of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 10 alum The Vixen, OG Queer Eye guy Jai Rodriguez, and comic Joel Kim Booster. Watch it below: