Grindr updates its app to be more gender inclusive

Grindr, the dating app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people, is updating its app to be more inclusive of its transgender and non-binary users.

The company is introducing new profile fields that offer a wider range of gender identities and pronouns, and it says it will be using more gender-neutral language within the app.

The gender options now include “cis woman”, “trans man”, “non-binary”, “non-conforming”, and “queer”.

The change comes after the company surveyed its transgender users and consulted with the US National Center for Transgender Equality, an advocacy group.

“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,” Grindr director of equality Jack Harrison-Quintana said in an emailed statement.

The company has since added an FAQ on gender identity. Questions include “Can a trans person be gay?” and “Is it okay to ask a trans person about surgeries?”

“We created written resources linked from the gender identity fields in the profile to answer cis users’ questions and decrease that burden on trans people,” Harrison-Quintana said.