US – The LGBTQ dating app has launched an initiative called Kindr which hopes to foster a more inclusive online environment.
The platform’s issues with discriminatory behaviour has become widely known. ‘Sexual racism, transphobia, fat and femme shaming and further forms of othering are pervasive problems in the LGBTQ community,’ says Landen Zumwalt, head of communications at Grindr.
In order to address these problems, the Kindr campaign is built around new community guidelines, stricter enforcement policies and videos that showcase some of users’ negative experiences. As a leader in the gay dating space, Zumwalt believes that Grindr has a responsibility to set the standard for the broader queer community and provoke change both online and offline.
Chauvinistic behaviour can also affect communities that were created as a safe space. Kindr showcases how these platforms can take responsibility to educate their users.