Racism is prevalent in gay communities: Eliminating ethnicity filters on Grindr isn’t the solution by Lisa
Over the past month, the Black Lives Matter movement has gained significant momentum, becoming impossible to ignore. Sparked by the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others at the hands of law enforcement, millions of people worldwide have taken to the streets to protest against white supremacy and its associated institutions. The call to defund police departments across the United States is growing louder each day. Statues symbolising brutal colonisers and slavers, such as Colston and Rhodes, are being toppled. Marches are being held to assert the importance of Black trans lives in New York. Abolitionist politics have become mainstream. The UK is also grappling with its historical and current injustices, rooted in the exploitation and dehumanisation of Black people. The current climate is one of rebellion, and it has shifted the Overton window, offering a glimpse into a future where all Black lives are valued, regardless of gender, class, or creed.
This pivotal moment coincides with Pride season, and companies worldwide are making efforts to show their support for both the BLM and LGBT communities, often to protect their profits. Grindr, a gay dating app often criticised for fostering sexual racism, has tried to avoid backlash by removing its contentious ethnicity filters. These filters enabled users to sort or exclude potential matches based on race, a feature that has been widely criticised, particularly by white critics who view it as incompatible with their vision of a colourblind society.
At first glance, the removal of these filters might seem like a victory, and a move that gay men of colour would applaud as progress. However, the reality is more nuanced. For many, this change complicates the already challenging task of navigating the intricacies of online dating, which is often rife with racism. For many Black gay men and gay men of colour, the ethnicity filters provided a way to find and connect with other men, creating a community free from fetishisation, othering, and the white gaze. Many gay men of colour prefer to date other gay men of colour for this very reason. The ethnicity filters allowed them to tailor their experience to their needs. Viewing the removal of the ethnicity filters as a utopian solution implies that being desired by white men is a desirable end goal.
Jason Okundaye, a writer, cultural critic, and Black gay man, believes that the decision to remove the filters is misguided: “Grindr hasn’t considered that many people of colour, particularly those who live in majority white areas, rely on these filters to find each other. Many have absolutely no interest in interacting with white men on the app and that should be supported.” Much like the suggestion by New York’s mayor to erect BLM monuments in front of Trump Tower (a proposal that no one asked for), removing the Grindr race filters is a superficial gesture masquerading as meaningful action. The world of dating apps is not only influenced by real-life dynamics but often serves to reinforce prejudices in explicit ways.