India (31st May, 2023) — As one of the first dating apps to expand gender identities and sexualities represented on its platform, Tinder has always been an inclusive place. The world’s most popular dating app has also been a safe space for the queer community to come out, offering members a way to explore their preferences and meet new people online before they may be ready to IRL.
As revealed in Tinder’s latest Future of Dating Report, over half (54%) of surveyed LGBTQIA+ identifying 18-25 year olds say they were out on a dating app, before they were to friends and family,1 making the act of coming out online a common rite of passage. In general, the new generation of singles also said their sexuality (33%) and gender identity (29%) have become more fluid in the past 3 years.2
To better support and celebrate these members’ coming out journeys, Tinder is introducing pride stickers. The newest members of the community will be able to connect with others to experience their first Pride season with.
“Our LGBTQIA+ members aged 18-25 have more than doubled in the last two years, and the community is the fastest growing population on Tinder,3” says Melissa Hobley, Chief Marketing Officer at Tinder. “We’re so honored to play a role in their journey from coming out to finding community, and are committed to creating more inclusive ways to make the authentic connections we know today’s daters value most.”
In addition to the ”My First Pride” sticker, Tinder is offering all members, LGBTQIA+ and allies alike, an authentic and relatable way to celebrate Pride with a series of new profile stickers, giving them more options to express themselves and connect with others. The stickers were designed to help members bridge the gap between creating online connections and building an offline community.
The new stickers include:
My First Pride - going to a gay bar or Pride parade can be daunting for a newly-out individual. This sticker was created to help first-time Pride attendees find and connect with others to experience Pride with
Came Out Online - A badge of honor for the community of those whose coming out journey started with a digital first step
Save Queer Spaces - Whether they’re online or IRL, the importance of queer spaces that foster a sense of acceptance and community cannot be overstated
Happy Pride - Pride is a celebration for all, whether you’re just out online or proudly out to the world
Proud Ally - Whether you’re part of the community or not, allyship and support are incredibly meaningful to the queer community and something to be celebrated
Tinder in partnership with Gaysi Family is also bringing back its Queer Made Weekend, a two day festival that is dedicated to celebrating, supporting and amplifying businesses and products made, owned and/or run by India’s LGBTQIA+ community. Queer Made Weekend will be held on 10th and 11th June in Mumbai and 17th and 18th June in Delhi. If that isn't enough, queer caterers, mixologists, musicians, artists and more will be present at Queer Made Weekend celebrating and supporting all things queer made, run and owned.
With online dating being the most common way same-sex couples meet,4 it’s important that the queer community feels seen, heard and safe on Tinder all year-round. Over the years, Tinder has introduced several features that allow members to express their authentic selves on the app while offering elements of safety. These features can “be your authentic self” toolkit and give members the control over their experience online:
Traveler Alert - LGBTQIA+ members do not automatically appear on Tinder when they open the app in countries with laws that have effectively criminalized the community.
Geo radius - available in the profile settings, location no longer limits the possibilities for new connections. Members can expand their radius up to 100 miles, or use the Passport feature to make connections anywhere around the world.
Block Contact - Members can input which of their contacts they’d rather not see, or not be seen by. Whether those contacts are already on Tinder or decide to download it later using the same contact info, they won’t appear as a potential match.
More Gender and Sexual Orientations - Tinder members can choose from more than 50 gender identities and sexual orientations globally.
Relationship Goals - Profile badges sharing what members are looking for on Tinder: long-term relationship, long-term open to short, short-term open to long, short term, new friends, or still figuring it out.
Incognito Mode - Members have complete control over who sees them while scrolling through profiles - only those whom they’ve Liked will be able to see them in the app.
Tinder’s Pride stickers will be available in the app beginning June. Members can view The Pride Sticker Center and add stickers to their profile by tapping on in-app notifications.
About Tinder
Launched in 2012, Tinder is the world’s most popular app for meeting new people and has been downloaded more than 530 million times. The app is available in 190 countries and 45+ languages. More than half of all users are 18-25 years old. In 2022, Tinder was named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company.
1 A study of 1,000 18-25 year-old actively dating singles in the US, UK, Australia and Canada between Jan 21, 2023 and Feb 7, 2023 conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Tinder.
2 A study of 4,000 18-25 year old actively dating singles conducted in the US, UK, Australia and Canada between Jan 21, 2023 and Feb 7, 2023 conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Tinder
3 Tinder member registration data 2022.
