Grindr, a “dating” app specifically designed for gay men, has introduced new transgender-friendly features just in time for Transgender Awareness Week.
According to Engadget, the app now allows users to pick a variety of different options to better explain how they choose to identify. Screencaps provided by Engadget show Grindr explicitly asks people how they identify, prompting them to pick if they are a “man,” a “cis man,” or a “trans man” (or a “woman,” a “cis woman,” or a “trans woman”). Users are also given the option pick even more alternative genders, such as “non-binary,” “non-nonforming,” “crossdresser,” or simply “queer.” If none of those seem to fit, users can write in their own genders.
It is unclear how users are supposed to differentiate between being a “man” or a “woman” vs. a “cis man” or a “cis woman,” since those both refer to people who are biologically male or female.
In addition to allowing people to choose their gender identities, users can also choose their preferred pronouns. Those pronouns include “he/him/his,” “she/her/hers,” “they/them/theirs,” and a blank option for users to choose their own pronouns, such as “ze” or “xe.”
Jack Harrison-Quintana, the director of Grindr for equality, told Engadget, “One thing we heard over and over again from trans people using Grindr was that they felt unwelcome and that their non-trans peers only wanted to ask them about what it means to be trans or approached without knowing how to speak respectfully about trans issues.”
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(Image source: Amanda Hinault, via Flickr)