The Pride Month is coming to a close, but a lot more needs to be done to create awareness about the queer community which includes sensitising, using the correct pronouns, the questions one should ask and most importantly, what not to ask.
Relationships are an essential part of any individual’s life, but let’s understand that for the queer community, it’s not as easy. Taking matters into its hands where it can, Bumble has launched a one-of-a-kind Healthy Queer Dating Guide, developed in partnership with Social Media Matters, and supported by Rangeen Khidki, Sappho for Equality, Official Humans of Queer, in consultation with equal rights activists Harish Iyer and Manak Matiyani. The idea behind this guide is to promote kindness and encourage an inclusive dating experience on the app and beyond.
This comes after Bumble’s State of the Nation 2023 Report found that 69 per cent of LGBTQAI++ respondents compared to 56 per cent heterosexual or straight daters say being nervous talking to new people created friction for them when dating. Forty per cent of LGBTQAI++ respondents compared to 30 per cent heterosexual or straight daters said not feeling confident being themselves on dates created friction for them when dating someone.
The Healthy Queer Dating Guide covers a wide range of topics, including navigating first dates, the journey to second dates, kindness in conversations, how to approach dating when prioritising one’s emotional needs, with an aim to create a kinder and more inclusive online dating environment. This includes Incognito mode, which lets you have more control over who can see your profile while swiping, taking a stance against identity-based hate, moderating for harassment, fetishization, homophobic and body-shaming language, and more. Private Detector and Photo Verification, as well the ability to Unmatch or Block and Report within the app encourage their community to have a safer and healthier dating experience.
There are also options options such as 'trans woman', 'intersex man', 'genderfluid', and more in the app. This can be changed at any time, as many times as the person would like. People can also choose to share their gender identity and pronouns directly on their profile. Bumble worked closely in collaboration with GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) to help ensure that Bumble is thoughtfully serving the needs of its diverse communities.
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