The new home of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus on Valencia Street, San Francisco (Photo courtesy San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus)
The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus has announced that is launching its own LGBTQ Arts Center in the California city.
The Chorus has taken over a $9.6million, four-storey, art deco building at 170 Valencia Street. It will be the first time the Chorus has had a permanent home.
The SF Gay Men’s Chorus is arguably the most famous gay choir in the world. It formed in 1978 and is famed for its performances and recordings.
According to the SF Chronicle, besides acting as a home for the Chorus, the building will evolve into a fully-fledged LGBTQ arts center.
The building dates back to 1930. Former occupants include worshippers of the Baha’i Faith. They used it as a place of worship up until 1976.
The Chorus hope to begin programming events from the fall onwards.
‘The way we envision this space is really being a community space, so being able to bring in more LGBTQ arts organizations,’ said Executive Director Chris Verdugo.
‘As we introduce this into the community, a big piece of that will be aligning ourselves with other various LGBTQ arts organizations who need rehearsal space, who need small performance spaces.’
The purchase of the building has been largely thanks to a $5million donation from a former Chorus member: Terrence Chan.
In a statement, Verdugo praised Chan’s generosity.
‘We are so grateful to Terrence Chan and his life partner Edward Sell who will lead our campaign and our board of directors for their most generous support of this remarkable venture. We look forward to working with and alongside other LGBTQ arts organizations while supporting them in their artistic and advocacy endeavors.’
In the same statement, Chan said, ‘I am particularly excited about the vision for a National LGBTQ Center for the Arts. At this time in our nation’s history, it is vital that we in the LGBTQ community have a home for our art and artists.
‘I am confident that great work will be created in our new home – work that will inspire, engage and educate.’
Amongst those to congratulate the Chorus on their new home is San Francisco’s recently elected mayor, London Breed.
‘Congratulations to @SFGMC on their new home at the old Baha’i Temple on Valencia Street!’ she tweeted. ‘This space will serve as a national arts hub for the LGBTQ community, providing workshops and trainings for artists and performers from all around the globe.’
HIV positive people with an undetectable viral load cannot sexually transmit HIV. That’s the unequivocal conclusion from one of the leading health agencies in the US.
Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) undertook a review of recent research. Their conclusion is simple: Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U). It’s the same message now backed by over 300 health agencies all around the world.
The results of the NIAID review were published yesterday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). One of the reports co-authors is NIAID Director, Dr Anthony Fauci. He is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading HIV experts.
In a statement, NIAID called evidence for Undetectable = Untransmittable ‘overwhelming’. Not only does getting those diagnosed with HIV on to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) ensure their long term health. But it also significantly reduces HIV transmission rates. This is because those with the virus suppressed in their body cannot pass it on.
The authors pointed to research that looked at over 77,000 examples of condomless sex between serodiscordant male couples. One half of the couple had HIV and the other did not. There was not a single transmission of the virus from the HIV positive person to the negative person.
Those taking medication must stick to their medication regimes.
It can take up to six months of ART treatment to bring viral load down to undetectable levels (less than 200 copies of HIV per ml of blood).
Those with HIV should have their viral load tested every 3-4 months for the first two years of treatment. If their viral levels remain suppressed, this can extended to every six months.
They noted that adhering to medication was essential. ‘When ART is stopped, viral rebound usually occurs within 2 to 3 weeks.’
‘The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that of the individuals with HIV in the United States in HIV clinical care in 2015, approximately 20% had not achieved viral suppression at their last test.
‘CDC also noted that 40% of the individuals in HIV clinical care that same year did not maintain viral suppression for more than 12 months.’
They say lack of access to consistent healthcare, among other factors, can impact viral load.
‘In summary, even though the clinical data underpinning the concept of U = U have been accumulating for well over a decade, it is only recently that an overwhelming body of evidence has emerged to provide the firm basis to now accept this concept as scientifically sound.’
It says U=U has implications on prevention. There are also legal implications. Currently, more than 20 states in the US make it a crime for someone with HIV to have sex without informing their partner they have the virus.
They also think promoting the U=U message may remove, ‘the sense of fear and guilt that a person may be harming someone else, as well as the feeling of self-imposed and external stigma that many people with HIV experience.’
Among those to welcome the report was Bruce Richman, Founder of Prevention Access.
Richman tweeted, ‘This is huge news and validation of #UequalsU from the greatest minds In the field and the world’s #3 medical journal!’
Matthew Hodson, Executive Director of NAM/AIDSmap told Gay Star News, ‘Dr Anthony Fauci is the most senior American scientist working on HIV. His unequivocal support of the U=U message is welcome.
‘HIV stigma remains a public health crisis resulting – in extreme cases – in murder and suicide. The understanding that someone with HIV on effective treatment does not pose a transmission risk has the power to dispel much of the fear that results in stigma.
‘It should now be a public health duty to inform all of us who are living with the virus, and all of those whom we may encounter, that effective treatment prevents transmission.’
Husband and wife Jake and Hannah Graf are both trans | Photo: Paul Grace
18 December 2018 19:07 GMT
Six leading publications aimed at lesbian and bisexual women have issued a joint statement in support of trans people.
Representatives of DIVA, Curve, Autostraddle, LOTL, Tagg and Lez Spread The Word signed the statement.
They state, unequivocally, ‘That trans women are women and that trans people belong in our community.
‘We do not think supporting trans women erases our lesbian identities; rather we are enriched by trans friends and lovers, parents, children, colleagues and siblings.’
It said it was issuing the statement in the wake of anti-trans reporting across much of the media. There have also been a number of lesbians who have spoken out against trans rights.
Pride protest over trans rights
Last summer, lesbian protestors briefly halted the Pride in London march. Among their objections, the protestors claimed that some younger, butch lesbians were rushing to identify as trans men instead of embracing their lesbian identities.
They also objected to trans women with penises gaining access to female-only spaces such as changing rooms.
In the press, many media commented on the UK’s recent consultation on changing gender recognition laws. Even the left-wing Guardian was criticized for an editorial cautioning against changing the law.
‘We strongly condemn writers and editors who seek to foster division and hate within the LGBTQI community with trans misogynistic content, and who believe “lesbian” is an identity for them alone to define,’ says the statement.
‘We condemn male-owned media companies who profit from the traffic generated by these controversies.’
Trans rights advocates march at Glasgow Pride, 14 July 2018 | Photo: David Hudson
‘Concerned about the message these so-called lesbian publications are sending to trans women’
The statement continues:
‘We also strongly condemn the current narrative peddled by some feminists, painting trans people as bullies and aggressors – one which reinforces transphobia and which must be challenged so that feminism can move forward.
‘We are really concerned about the message these so-called lesbian publications are sending to trans women and to young lesbians – including trans lesbians – and we want to make in clear this is not in our name.
‘As the leading publications for queer women, we believe it is our responsibility to call out scaremongering conspiracy theories levelled at the trans community, and make it clear that DIVA, Curve, Autostraddle, LOTL, Tagg and Lez Spread The Word will always be safe spaces for the trans community.
‘Forty years ago, to be a lesbian was to be questioned and persecuted. Today things are better for cis lesbians but there are still places where to be a lesbian is impossible.
‘So it is for trans men and women, as well as non-binary people, many of whom identify as lesbian, bisexual, gay or queer. We know something of these struggles. And just as they and other allies have supported us, so we must support those among us who are trans, or risk ending up on the wrong side of history.
‘The sooner we stop focussing on what divides us and instead focus on our commonalities, the stronger we will be to confront the other injustices imposed on us.
‘We won’t be divided.’
Toxic ‘debates’ and tackling hurtful systems
Signing the statement are: Carrie Lyell (Editor, DIVA magazine); Linda Riley (Publisher, DIVA magazine); Riese Bernard (Co-founder and editor-in-chief, Autostraddle); Merryn Johns (Editor, Curve); Silke Bader (Publisher, Curve and LOTL); Eboné F. Bell (Editor-in-chief, Tagg Magazine); and Florence Gagnon (Founder and president, Lez Spread The Word).
Lyell told Gay Star News why she hoped to happen going forward.
‘I hope the LGBTQI community can move past these toxic “debates” about what it means to be a woman or to be a lesbian and to actually get down to tackling the structures and systems that really hurt us. We can’t do that if we aren’t united.’
She also spoke of the importance of speaking out.
‘We can’t achieve equality without visibility, and therefore it’s so important that trans people and their allies are louder than our detractors.’
It’s been revealed that the Trump administration quietly shut down a study into a ‘cure’ for HIV in September.
The study implanted human fetal tissue into mice in its quest to find effective new treatment for HIV.
The human fetal tissue came from elective abortions. Although legal, anti-abortion groups oppose the research.
According to a report in Science, the The Department of Health and Human Services forbid National Institute of Health (NIH) scientists from applying for any more fetal tissue to help with their studies.
This impacted on two NIH laboratories. One of them, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID) Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton, Montana, was studying new treatments for HIV.
A spokesperson for NIH confirmed to Science that it had requested researchers, ‘pause procurements of fetal tissue,’ pending a review.
RML was carrying out a promising study into a treatment that could prevent HIV establishing latent reservoirs in the body.
Even when HIV is treated and brought down to undetectable levels, a small amount of the virus can remain hidden and latent within certain cells. The virus can multiply if people stop taking their medication.
Eliminating these hidden reservoirs of virus has become a key target amongst scientists who wish to find a cure for HIV.
However, in late September, an email sent from a researcher at RML to the bioscience contractor that sourced the fetal tissue, said it would not be able to proceed.
In the email to Advanced Bioscience Resources in California, the researcher said: ‘[Department of Health and Human Services] has directed me to discontinue procuring fetal tissue from ABR, the only source for us. I think that they are the only provider of fetal tissue for scientists in the nation who don’t have direct access to aborted fetal tissue. This effectively stops all of our research to discover a cure for HIV.’
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did not respond to Science’s request for comment.
It follows news from last week that HHS appeared to be winding down a contract with the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) for fetal tissue research.
One agency collaborating on the RML research is the Gladstone Center for HIV Cure Research in San Francisco, California. Its director, Warner Greene, told Science, ‘We were all poised to go and then the bombshell was dropped. The decision completely knocked our collaboration off the rails. We were devastated.’
GSN has approached NIAID and the Department of Health and Human Services.
UPDATE: 11.12.18
A spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a statement to GSN the pause on fetal tissue use is to allow it conduct an audit over the procedures being followed.
‘In September, HHS issued a statement announcing an audit would be conducted of all acquisitions involving human fetal tissue to ensure conformity with procurement and human fetal tissue research laws and regulations.
‘In addition, HHS has initiated a comprehensive review of all research involving fetal tissue to ensure consistency with statutes and regulations governing such research, and to ensure the adequacy of procedures and oversight of this research in light of the serious considerations involved.’
The first openly gay Chairman of California’s Democratic Party, Eric C. Bauman, has stepped down from his position to allow the party to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
On Friday, Daraka Larimore-Hall, the second vice-chair of the party, filed paperwork requesting Bauman’s removal and prompting the investigation.
Larimore-Hall says he has spoken to two victims, plus a witness Bauman allegedly intimidated. The victims were party staff members.
In his letter, Larimore-Hall stated, ‘I believe the victims. Their stories illustrate a clear and escalating pattern of Chairman Bauman’s horrific and dehumanizing behavior.
‘This is unacceptable for a political organization dedicated to feminism, human rights and just working working conditions. Our activists and voters look to us as a force for social change, and we must embody the values we fight for in society.’
He did not reveal any details about the alleged incidents.
Bauman became chair of the California Democratic Party in May 2017. It is the largest State Democratic Party in the US. Previous to that, Bauman was vice chair from 2009-2017. His professional background prior to this was in nursing. He lives in North Hollywood with his husband.
After Larimore-Hall’s letter became public, several other California Democrats asked for Bauman to step down. These included Rep. Ro Khanna (of California’s 17th congressional district). Khanna tweeted: The allegations of sexual assault that @DarakaKenric is filing against @EricBauman are shocking.’
He suggested Bauman should be replaced with Stanford Profession Michele Dauber, ‘one of the nation’s foremost scholars on sexual harassment & led the Persky recall campaign,’ said Khanna. ‘We need a bold feminist to lead for 2020.’
On Saturday night, Bauman issued the following statement in response to the allegations.
‘I take seriously any allegation brought forward by anyone who believes they have been caused pain. To that end, a prompt, thorough and independent investigation of the allegations has been undertaken by a respected outside investigator, ensuring these individuals making the charges are treated with respect and free from any concerns of retaliation.
‘I look forward to putting these allegations behind us and moving forward as unified Democrats.’
Malcolm Kenyatta was among the many LGBTI candidates celebrating success in the US midterm elections yesterday.
Kenyatta, 27, won the 181st District of Pennsylvania in the states house. He is the second openly gay Representative, joining fellow Democrat Brian Sims. Sims has been in office since 2012 and yesterday enjoyed re-election.
Kenyatta, of North Philadelphia, is also the first black, gay man elected to statewide office in Pennsylvania. Following his success, he told News One, ‘As I said to my team and supporters last night, this was a victory for all those who believe we should raise wages, send our kids to fully funded schools, and keep seniors in their homes.
‘I’m grateful to North Philly for this resounding and historic win. I’m ready to get to work.’
He tweeted a photo, saying: ‘NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!
I’m so humbled to be the next State Representative for the 181st District of Pennsylvania. Together we made history!’
Kenyatta overcome homophobic campaigning during his campaign to achieve success. On the day of the primaries in May, he discovered flyers plastered around his neighborhood featuring a photo of him and his now ex-husband on their wedding day. Across the flyers was written the message: ‘SAY NO’ to ‘MALCOM KENYATTA.’
However, the last-minute attempt to stir up anti-gay hate failed.
Kenyatta not only won his primary, but he yesterday cruised to success, taking over 95% of the vote. He polled 20,722 votes, against Republican opponent Milton Street’s 1,014. Kenyatta replaces his older cousin: Democrat W. Curtis Thomas, who held the seat since 1989 but chose to retire.
Elsewhere in Pennsylvania, LGBTI candidates for the House of Representatives had mixed results. Although Kenyatta and Sims were successful, Kristin Seale (D) narrowly failed to dislodge Representative Christopher Quinn in the 168th District, and Daniel Smith Jnr (D) failed to take the 12th District.
Commissioners in Orange County, Florida, have approved $10million (€8.8million) in funding towards a Pulse Museum and memorial. The project will commemorate the lives lost at LGBTI nightclub, Pulse, in June 2016.
The approved funding will come through hotel tax revenue. Orange County commissioners unanimously agreed the payments Tuesday. They will be spread over three years.
Barbara Poma, the owner of the Pulse nightclub and founder of onePULSE Foundation, welcomed the news.
She said afterwards the museum and memorial will be historic landmarks, and hence deserving of funding from the tourism tax.
‘We are not the first tragedy in our country. You don’t go to 9/11 to think it’s a tourist attraction. You go there to make pilgrimage and pay our respect and to bear witness, and that’s exactly what the Pulse sites will be.’
Pulse tragedy
Gunman Omar Mateen attacked Pulse nightclub on 12 June 2016. The LGBTI club in Orlando was hosting one of its regular Latin nights. In total, 49 people were killed and 53 people were injured – predominantly LGBTI. At the time, it was the deadliest mass shooting by a sole gunman in US history.
Mateen was shot and killed in a stand-off with police.
The OnePULSE Foundation tweeted about news of the funding.
‘We are grateful to have been awarded Tourism Development Tax funding by @OrangeCoFL Board of County Commissioners for land acquisition & design for the #Pulse Museum. Thank you to our community for making this possible.’
The funding will go towards the acquisition of land and the designing of the museum and memorial. Further funding will be needed to see the projects through to completion.
Nine potential sites have been earmarked as locations for the museum and memorial.
The proposed sites for the future, permanent Pulse memorial and museum (Image: onePULSE Foundation)
An interim memorial opened in May. It has been visited by over 41,000 people since that time, according the One Pulse Foundation.
Health care experts have been informed of a US man contracting HIV despite being on PrEP. He’s thought to be the first man in California – and only the third in the US – to contract HIV while adhering to a daily PrEP regime.
PrEP is medication that mimimizes the chances of someone acquiring HIV, even if they do not use condoms.
News of the case was presented at the annual IDWeek conference in San Francisco, which concluded over the weekend. The conference is run by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
The man was HIV negative when he began taking PrEP in San Francisco in late 2016. He continued to diagnose HIV negative when testing at three, six and ten months. Blood tests also demonstrated he continued to take his medication consistently.
HIV positive after being on PrEP for a year
After just over a year on PrEP, he received a HIV positive diagnosis in early 2018. He was immediately placed on HIV drugs and has maintained a suppressed viral load since that time.
Doctors were able to accurately diagnose the exact strain of HIV he picked up. It’s one identified with people who have taken HIV medication in the past but no longer take it. It was then revealed that the patient’s main male partner was HIV positive but no longer taking medication.
The partner was tested and found to have a high viral load of the resistant-strain. He has resumed taking medication.
Researchers say it was the fact the patient came into contact with a resistant strain that led to him acquiring the virus. They believe he stuck to his PrEP regime well. They could tell this from analyzing his hair, which he happened to grow long.
Dr Robert Grant, of the University of California San Francisco, said, ‘[The patient’s] long hair allowed us to test by centimeters, which allowed us to go back and read drug levels from six months ago.’
Previous cases of men becoming HIV positive while on PrEP
There have been five previous reports on men acquiring HIV while on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). The first two occurred in Toronto and New York in 2016.
In 2017, there were three more cases. One involved a man in North Carolina, one in Australia, and a fifth a man in Amsterdam.
The first four cases are believed to be due to the person on PrEP having sex with someone with a high viral load of a rare, resistant strain of HIV.
The fifth case is not believed to be linked to a drug-resistant strain of HIV. The Amsterdam man had an ‘unusually high number’ of sexual partners – averaging 50-70 a month – and several other sexual infections. Researchers have speculated he may have repeatedly exposed himself to HIV, which took a hold in his body after a slight dip in Truvada levels.
‘Greater than 99% effective’
Health experts say despite these rare cases, PrEP remains highly effective. The medication is taken by more than 350,000 people worldwide.
Dr Grant said, ‘We know PrEP is greater than 99% effective. There are some cases where HIV will break through. We only have a handful of cases now, and next year, we’ll probably have a handful more. Fortunately, these cases are caught early, treated, and suppressed quickly. The person goes from taking one pill a day to one pill a day. The biggest difference is stigma.’
Matthew Hodson, Chief Executive of HIV information organization NAM, agrees.
‘We estimate that PrEP is more than 99% effective at preventing HIV. By comparison, a recent meta-analysis of the efficacy of condoms found that they prevented nine out of ten cases, this was a better result than previous analyses.
‘PrEP is still better than condoms at preventing HIV. PrEP failure makes news. Condom failure doesn’t.
He said that in the UK, 93% of people diagnosed with HIV have suppressed the virus to a point where it cannot be passed on ‘in any circumstance.’ This is regardless of whether it’s a drug-resistant strain or not.
‘It’s vital to acknowledge that PrEP, just like other safer sex strategies isn’t 100% effective. It is also vital not to let isolated cases obscure how effective it is. PrEP has played a significant role in bringing down new HIV infections in London, Sydney, New York, San Francisco and other cities around the world.’
Britain’s High Court today ruled to overturn pharmaceutical company Gilead Science’s patent extension on Truvada. The HIV medication is also used for PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis). When taken as advised, this stops HIV negative people acquiring HIV.
PrEP is not yet available on the NHS in England and Wales. The NHS is currently conducting a trial to test its cost efficiency. It is still in the process of recruiting around 10,000 high-risk participants for the ongoing trial.
Opponents of the NHS supplying Truvda say the medication is expensive. They point to the fact branded Truvada could cost the NHS up to £350 per month per person.
Supporters of PrEP say this is a price worth paying given its effectiveness. They argue the NHS has to pay more to provide a lifetime of HIV treatment to someone with HIV.
Currently, the NHS is only allowed to supply branded Truvada from Gilead.
Truvada was due to come off patent in July 2017, but Gilead extended its exclusivity until 2020 by a supplementary protection certificate (SPC). This prohibited smaller pharma companies from selling generic versions of the drug in the UK.
Generic versions could cost from around 80-90% cheaper, depending on the manufacturer. The NHS is often able to negotiate cheap deals because it buys in bulk.
The High Court today ruled against Gilead Sciences. The court’s decision follows a similar ruling in Ireland last year. There, those with HIV and or seeking Post-Exposure Prophylaxis treatment can use Truvada. Ireland does not yet offer Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis.
‘This represents a huge cost saving’
Many HIV and sexual health advocates welcomed today’s decision.
Deborah Gold, chief executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust) said: ‘We welcome this court decision, which overturns the patent extension for Truvada.
‘The decision will mean that unbranded versions of the drug can be legally prescribed. This represents a huge cost saving to buying a drug that would save public money, even at full price.
‘We continue to urge the NHS in England to commission PrEP by April 2019, as the current trial is not reaching everyone at risk. Indeed some have acquired HIV after being turned away from clinics whose trial places are full.
‘With the generic, unbranded version of the drug available at a fraction of the cost, the pressure increases on NHS England to begin routine commissioning, and make PrEP available to all who need it, urgently.’
‘I would urge NHS England to seize this moment’
Matthew Hodson, Chief Executive of HIV information organization NAM, also welcomed the judgement.
‘PrEP was already cost effective for people at high risk of HIV at Gilead’s price. This ruling should mean that much cheaper generic versions can be purchased by the NHS, ultimately saving even more money.
‘I would urge NHS England to seize this moment and swiftly rollout PrEP to all those who need it. This can be done in parallel to the existing trial.
‘PrEP has contributed to the significant declines that we have recently seen in HIV diagnoses among gay and bisexual men.’
Dating app Grindr today launched its new ‘Kindr’ initiative. The project arrives in response to complaints from some users after experiencing racist, body-shaming or stigmatizing language.
Grindr announced Kindr a few weeks ago, but provided scant details as to what the project would entail.
Today, it released the first of a series of videos in which it addresses the debate around online behaviour. It also unveiled new user community guidelines. These state profiles face moderation if they list what they disliked based on racial group or gender expression
The first video features app users explaining why stating what you’re not looking for – in relation to racial groups – is problematic.
It starts by stating some blatantly racist language users have heard online (‘Go back to Mexico’, ‘People like you are the reason Ebola exist’), before moving on to the ‘covert racism’ of profile preferences.
One man explains how reading exclusionary messages online feels like walking down a street and seeing shop signs welcoming only one kind of customer.
‘Racism is you thinking I’m not going to be smarter than you when you first meet me,’ says one black contributor, Rakeem Cunningham.
Rakeem Cunningham (Photo: Grindr)
‘Or when black people are articulate and other people go, “Oh, you’re so well spoken!” Like, that’s the stuff that bothers me, and that’s the stuff I think needs to be addressed. I think the racism that’s not overt but that’s covert is the main problem.’
An Asian contributor, Joel Kim Booster, says that he began to wonder if there was something wrong with him, or if there was something he should be ashamed about when interacting with guys online. ‘It opened my eyes to a hierarchy that I wasn’t participating in before.’
Why not just stay quiet instead of needlessly offending someone?
‘If you don’t put “No Asians” in your profile, that doesn’t mean you have to fuck Asians now. It just means I don’t have to see it,’ he says.
‘It is not racist to not be attracted to me personally,’ he adds. ‘But for you to say “I know what every Asian guy looks like and I know for a fact that I would not be attracted to any of them…” Like that comes from a racist place because you don’t know what we all look like. That’s ugly.
‘We have only so much in our profiles to get across whatever the fuck we want to get across to all the other guys on this app, and you’re going to take space to narrow it by what you don’t want. Just tell me what you do like. If you tell me you like the fucking Jonas Brothers, I know I’m not for you.’
Former Queer Eye alum Jai Rodriguez also takes part. He points out, ‘You don’t know what the person on the other side of the phone is going through. You have no idea what they’re experience is or what else they have going on. Or what that comment might do to them.’
Many talk about the impact of language.
‘No matter what battle you’re going through, you don’t have to break other people in order to feel good,’ says contributor Jasmine Aksornkij. ‘You don’t have to hurt other people in order to make you feel uplifted.
The video ends with the campaign’s tagline: ‘It’s time to play nice.’
‘Responsibility to not only protect our users, but also to set the standard’
‘Sexual racism, transphobia, fat and femme shaming and further forms of othering such as stigmatization of HIV positive individuals are pervasive problems in the LGBTQ community,’ said Landen Zumwalt, head of communications at Grindr, in a press statement.
‘These community issues get brought onto our platform, and as a leader in the gay dating space, Grindr has a responsibility to not only protect our users, but also to set the standard for the broader community that we serve.
‘Online discrimination has reached epidemic proportions affecting not only Grindr but other social networks. Our ‘Kindr’ initiative is a rallying call for Grindr and our community to take a stand against sexual racism and all forms of othering.
‘Together, we will work to maintain a welcoming and inclusive environment and end the need for people to include exclusionary statements on profiles.’
New community guidelines and moderation
Grindr says it will be rolling out more videos over the next five weeks. It has also updated its community guidelines. In these, it says that moderators will act if they see people making statements such as ‘No Asians’ in their profile descriptions.
‘We have a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, harassment, and abusive behavior. We want you to be yourself, but not at the expense of someone else. Anyone found bullying, threatening, or defaming another user will be banned.
‘We will also remove any discriminatory statements displayed on profiles. You’re free to express your preferences, but we’d rather hear about what you’re into, not what you aren’t.
‘Profile language that is used to openly discriminate against other users’ traits and characteristics (“No fats, no fems, no Asians”) will no longer be tolerated and will be subject to review by our moderation team.’
Other apps take action
Grindr is not the only dating app acting to moderate racist language and stigmatizing behavior. Last week, Chappy launched its own ‘zero tolerance for abuse’ campaign. Scruff also announced earlier this month that it would make its ‘ethnicity’ field optional.
Grindr was launched in 2009 and now claims to have 3.8million daily active users. It was sold in its entirety to Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech last year. Grindr remains headquartered in Hollywood, California, but The company is considering an initial public offering.
