Grindr announced it will remove the ethnicity preference filter from the app in its next release in solidarity withBlack Lives Matter .- The filter, which allowed users to search for people based on
race , has been criticized for perpetuatingracism and bias among its users. - Researchers have found that black men are often ignored on
queer dating apps, leading to increased anxiety, depression, and other ramifications. - However, some users of color have criticized the removal of the filter because it makes finding other people of color more difficult.
Grindr announced plans to remove its ethnicity preference filter — a function that has been criticized in the past for perpetuating racism by allowing white people to filter out app users of color — in its next release in solidarity with Black Lives Matter.
"We stand in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the hundreds of thousands of queer people of color who log in to our app every day," Grindr wrote in a Twitter post on June 1. "We will not be silent, and we will not be inactive."
—Grindr (@Grindr) June 1, 2020
In line with its "zero-tolerance policy for racism and hate speech," the app will no longer offer the filter, which allowed users to filter out people based on race and ethnicity.
"Racism has no place in our community," Grindr representatives wrote in a statement to Insider. "To help do our part, we have decided to remove the ethnicity filter from the Grindr app. Once the filter is removed, users will no longer be able to filter profiles by ethnicity. We thank all of those that have provided feedback. We listened and we will continue to fight racism on Grindr."
Other dating apps like Hinge also have been criticized for having ethnicity and race filters in the past.
Researchers have found that black men are ignored on Grindr, Scruff, and other queer dating apps, potentially leading to increased anxiety, depression, and other mental health ramifications.
Ryan Wade, a University of Illinois social work professor, and Gary Harper, a University of Michigan
Grindr will also donate to the Martha P. Johnson Institute and Black Lives Matter as part of its latest initiative.
Some people of color have criticized the filter's removal because it makes finding other people of color more difficult
Certain people of color have voiced concern that removing the filter will make it more difficult to find other people of color on the app, who they choose to date because of cultural understanding, shared identity, and the racism they face when dating white people.
"Some [people of color] have told me that they used the ethnicity filter to find people like themselves, perhaps not to date but for shared experiences and cultural understanding," Ben Hunte, LGBT correspondent for the BBC, wrote. "In February, at a queer club night for Black and Asian people, one party-goer showed me how black men did not appear on his Grindr until the white men had been filtered out."
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