Grindr is making strides to be more inclusive for transgender users, an effort that’s manifested in the latest changes for denoting gender and pronouns.
Last week, Grindr expanded gender categories that users can choose from, including “cis man,” “trans man,” “cis woman,” “trans woman,” “non-binary,” “non-conforming,” “queer,” “crossdresser,” and write-in categories that users can create for themselves. The app has also introduced pronouns into the platform, allowing users to choose from “he/him/his,” “she/her/hers,” “they/them/theirs,” or submit their own specific pronouns.
https://twitter.com/GAYSHARKB0Y/status/933884503902240770
grindr updated their profile settings to include gender identity and pronouns :) pic.twitter.com/5Mo7oCSdVj
— david (@1000dollarfrog) November 27, 2017
Jack Harrison-Quintana, the director of Grinder for Equality, the company’s health and human rights advocacy platform, said the changes come in response to critiques from transgender users about their negative experiences with people who aren’t versed in trans issues.
The app’s new “Gender Identity” section of the help center aims to mitigate those experiences, taking the “responsibility” off of trans users who find themselves prodded by intrusive, insensitive questioning. The section includes an FAQ with answers to questions including, “Is it okay to ask a trans person about surgeries?” and “Why do some people want to be called they?”
“One thing we heard over and over again from trans people using Grindr was that they felt unwelcome as other users would often only want to ask them about what it means to be trans or approached without knowing how to speak respectfully about trans issues,” Harrison-Quintana told Newsweek in a statement. “That’s why we created written resources linked from the gender identity fields in the profile to answer users’ questions and decrease that burden on trans people.”
H/T the Stranger
