Everybody’s Business

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Grindr to pay out £26million settlement in lawsuit over sharing HIV status info

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Grindr has agreed to pay a £26million settlement in a UK lawsuit brought by thousands of users who allege the app shared highly sensitive personal data, including their HIV status, with advertising companies. The settlement, reports The Guardian, ends a two-year legal battle after Austen Hays filed a claim at the High Court of England and Wales in April 2024 on behalf of Grindr users, alleging breaching privacy laws during a period of time up to the start of 2020. Austen Hays represented 12,000 people in the case, who will receive an average compensation of £2,167 each if the settlement is distributed equally. Grindr said […]

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The ‘CEO of Everything Gay’ on How He Manages 68 Businesses and 6 Boyfriends

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Tristan Schukraft started his first business when he was 21, selling Razor scooters out of his pickup truck to help finance his idea for an e-ticketing platform for the airline industry. Now, he boasts a portfolio of 68 businesses, which he says have led him to become a “billionaire.” Schukraft has become widely known as the “CEO of Everything Gay.” He is the CEO of MISTR, a major LGBTQ telehealth platform expanding access to PrEP and STI testing, and he owns Tryst Hospitality, a family of luxury gay hotels with destinations in iconic LGBTQ destinations like San Juan and Puerto Vallarta. And last […]

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Gay Hookup Culture and the Internet: A History from 1994 Until Now

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Before the internet went mainstream in 1994, gay men looking for their next hookup would cruise in parks, rest stops and bathhouses. For more meaningful connection, they’d use phone lines, send letters and even place ads in the newspaper. But over the last 32 years, the internet has transformed cruising and hookup culture. Websites, chat rooms and apps now dominate, with the online gay hookup and dating industry valued at $1.5 billion as of 2024. Here, we will highlight the impact 20 notable sites and apps have had on gay cruising culture. 1994 Mark Elderkin and his husband, Jeff Bennett, found Gay.com. A few years later, […]

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Meta Ordered To Pay $942M In New Mexico Lawsuit

The Wall Street Journal reports: A New Mexico judge ordered Meta Platforms to pay more than $900 million and limit the time young people in the state can spend on its apps, significantly increasing the cost of the landmark child safety verdict against the Facebook and Instagram parent. The judge said Thursday that Meta must create a new $567 million abatement fund in addition to paying $375 million in civil penalties that a jury previously ordered. The company must also enact certain safety features such as limiting the amount of time underage users in the state spend on Facebook and Instagram, […]

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Fashion brand Unique Vintage drops Harry Potter collab after backlash

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Retro fashion company Unique Vintage has dropped a planned Harry Pottercollaboration – with a portion of proceeds going to an LGBTQ+ charity – after backlash from customers. The brand, which releases an annual Pride collection and represents itself as a queer-friendly vendor, received negative feedback online after announcing the new Harry Potter-inspired products. In an ad showcasing the products, Unique Vintage shared: “Each purchase unlocks a 5% donation to GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy organisation.” Following the backlash, Unique Vintage emailed customers and shared a statement on their social media pages announcing that they will stop promoting the collaboration. “Unique […]

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BOYCOTT: Taylor Farms, a MAGA Lettuce Supplier Asked WH To Stop Recall

The Wall Street Journal reports: Representatives for produce giant Taylor Farms contacted the White House with an urgent plea: the company wanted to delay announcing a recall tied to one of the largest foodborne illness outbreaks in U.S. history. The call, during which the company asked for more proof and more time before being linked to the outbreak, illustrates how one of the country’s largest produce suppliers sought to limit its exposure to a public-relations nightmare, while grappling with a costly and complicated recall. Over the past several weeks, health officials have been scrambling to contain the outbreak of cyclospora, which can […]

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Black Ulta manager says she was fired after reporting anti-trans, racist remarks

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A Black transgender woman who worked as a sales manager at an Ulta Beauty store in California says she was fired after complaining that a supervisor had made disparaging remarks about people of color and transgender people. Deja Majors has now filed a discrimination lawsuit against the beauty retailer, alleging that Ulta and a former manager subjected her to a hostile work environment, retaliated against her and ultimately terminated her because of her race and gender identity. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. Majors alleges that her former employer violated California’s Fair Employment […]

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Is Goose, the Grindr alternative, using fake AI-generated dates to lure gay men?

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Is a new dating app marketed as an alternative to Grindr tricking gay men with fake potential dates? According to Wired, the answer is yes. An investigation by WIRED found that many of the faces used to promote Goose were linked to low-usage accounts with abnormal follower-to-following ratios. Moreover, some appeared to be connected to Instagram accounts likely generated by artificial intelligence. The Advocate’s sibling publication, Out, previously reported that Goose was created by out gay model, actor, and beauty entrepreneur Derek Chadwick and pitched as a social-first, “anti-algorithm” alternative to Grindr, Sniffies, and other hookup-focused apps. Instead of swiping, Goose lets users “wave” at one another; if both people […]

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Meta Seeks Exemption From California Child-Harm Bill

Politico reports: Social media giant Meta is pushing California state lawmakers to shield it from pending legislation that would increase legal penalties in child-harm cases. Lobbyists for Meta have approached Senate Judiciary Chair and Santa Ana Democrat Tom Umberg with draft amendments that would create a pathway for social media companies to gain an exemption from the legislation, AB 2. The bill from Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, a Long Beach Democrat, threatens fines of up to $1 million per child for platforms found liable for harming kids through negligent product design. It’s set for a Tuesday hearing in Umberg’s committee. Meta’s plea […]

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BOYCOTT: Fox Corp To Acquire Streamer Roku For $22 Billion

The Associated Press reports: Fox Corp. has agreed to buy the streaming pioneer Roku in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $22 billion, including debt. Media reports had surfaced on Friday that Roku was looking at its strategic options, including a possible sale. Speculation was rampant as to which companies might be interested in an acquisition. Aside from Fox, names being tossed about as potential buyers included Netflix, Amazon, Comcast and Disney. The deal will give Fox access to more than 100 million global households, along with the Roku channel and its first-party data. Fox oversees a massive sports, news and […]

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