Grindr Dating App Makes Changes for Olympics to Protect LGBTQ+ Athletes
Olympic Games.In a blog post published by the gay dating app on July 24, Grindr explained that users in the Olympic Village will not be able to use its "explore" function, which usually allows users to search for and view profiles in a specific location.Its "roam" or "show distance" features in the Olympic Village are also disabled – unless users choose to turn on their approximate distance from potential suitors."If an athlete is not out or comes from a country where being LGBTQ+ is dangerous or illegal, using Grindr can put them at risk of being outed by curious individuals who may try to identify and expose them on the app," the blog post reads.At least 67 countries have national laws criminalizing same-sex relations between consenting adults, according to Human Rights Watch.Grindr's precautions have been in effect since the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing so that "LGBTQ+ athletes could connect with each other authentically without worrying about prying eyes or unwanted attention," Grindr said.Additional safety features include the app allowing users in the Olympic Village to send unlimited disappearing messages and unsend messages, regardless of whether they're a premium or free user.It will also disable private videos within the Olympic Village and allow users to disable screenshots for profile images and direct messages, as well as send targeted safety resources and information such as weekly "messages reminding users that they may face danger while using the app in the Olympic Village and sharing links to our multilingual safety resources," according to the blog post.In addition, "the only ads that will appear on Grindr to those in the village during the Olympics will be advertisements from Grindr for Equality promoting health & safety resources," the company said.In 2016, The Daily Beast came under fire for an article in which a reporter, who identified as straight, used Grindr at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
