Why Doesn’t the Trans Community Have a Proper Dating App Yet?
August 11, 2016Tinder has brought about the dawn of the “Dating Apocalypse,” declared the headline on a Vanity Fair article last September. The piece, which used interviews with members of the ever-maligned millennial generation to conclude that—surprise!—it’s easier than ever to hook up in the smartphone age, was just one of an endless stream of thinkpieces declaring dating apps the harbinger of the end of human romance.
For many cisgender people, it truly is easier to date, hook up, and otherwise couple than ever. But for those who are trans or gender nonconforming, dating online is much trickier.
Navigating popular dating apps while trans can often feel like diving into shark-infested waters. Last year, reports emerged that transgender Tinder users were being “reported” to the service as gender-nonconforming and banned. In June, nearly a year later, Tinder CEO Sean Rad announced the app will unveil a better experience for gender nonconforming users within the next few months, albeit with scant details as to exactly what they have in store.