A Healthy Queer Dating Guide to Encourage Kindness and Inclusivity – News18

Bumble, the women-first dating app, 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, aims to promote kindness and encourage an inclusive dating experience on the app and beyond.

The app is founded on respect and accountability and aims to build a space for everyone to authentically connect and express themselves. The app’s State of the Nation 2023 Report* found that 69% of LGBTQ+ respondents compared to 56% heterosexual or straight daters say being nervous talking to new people created friction for them when dating. 40% of LGBTQ+ respondents compared to 30% heterosexual or straight daters said not feeling confident being themselves on dates created friction for them when dating someone.

Recognising the unique complexities faced by LGBTQ+ daters, the app’s 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 and so on, and aims to create a kinder and more inclusive online dating environment.

“As a company rooted in kindness, respect, and online accountability, we aim to foster a diverse and inclusive community on Bumble where everyone can authentically express themselves. We are thrilled to partner with experts, thought leaders and organisations in India, who do such important work for LGBTQ+ communities, to develop this healthy queer dating guide. Our shared goal is to empower and enhance dating experiences for LGBTQ+ daters in India and hope to contribute to creating a kinder and more inclusive future for online dating,” shares Samarpita Samaddar, India Communications Director, Bumble.

On collaborating with Bumble, Pratishtha Arora, CEO, Social Media Matters said, “The healthy queer dating guide is an initiative to celebrate the vibrant diversity of relationships, empower connections, and help individuals navigate the dating space more confidently. We would like to thank Bumble for building the guide, created to help individuals in the journey of inclusivity, compassion, and self-discovery as we navigate the path to meaningful connections.”

The app has introduced features and policies to help make the app a kind, respectful and inclusive space. 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, are long-standing safety features within Bumble’s robust safety tools to encourage their community to have a safer and healthier dating experience. On the app, people can expand upon their gender identities and sexual orientations, enabling them to better express themselves in a way that best reflects who they are, with options such as “trans woman,” “intersex man,” “genderfluid,” and more. 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.