Man plans to sue Grindr for allowing ‘no Asians’ on profiles
Image: Image: Grindr.
Sinakhone Keodara is organising a class action lawsuit against gay hookup app Grindr for allowing profile text that causes Asian men to feel “degraded”.
Keodara is the CEO of the Asian Entertainment Television company, a subscription streaming service centred around film and television centring Asian people, Gay Star News reported.
He put the call out on Twitter for paying users of the app to get in contact about feeling “offended, humiliated, degraded and dehumanized by Grindr allowing gay white men to write in their profiles “No Asians,” “Not interested in Asians,” or “I don’t find Asians attractive.
“This is complete bullshit and I’m suing Grindr for being a breeding ground that perpetuates racism against gay Asian mean,” his tweet read.
“Now, in order to join my lawsuit, these gay Asian men Grinder users must be paying customers and they can’t join if they’re using the free app.
“I’m planning to bring a national, class-action lawsuit against gay hookup app Grindr for racial discrimination and I’m looking for co-plantiffs across all 50 states.
“Please spread my call for co-plaintiffs to all your gay Asian men in your life.”
Keodara said he wanted Grindr to take action against discriminatory language in user profiles on the app.
“I’d like for Grindr to monitor and censor users who post racist, anti-Asian, anti-Black sentiments in their profiles the way it censors words that allude to drug paraphernalia, drug use, sex acts and nudity,” he told GSN.
“They should start by updating their profile guideline to as it relates to race to state: ‘You can’t post racist, bigoted ‘preference’ in your profile. We won’t tolerate it and you will be banned permanently.'”
Gay Asian men bringing a national class action lawsuit against @Grindr for race discriminations. @DanielMagOnline @TheGayUK @WEHOville @RealWeHoTimes @GayUKNews @MenMagazineGay @instinctmag @GaySYDAustralia @gaystarnews#GrindrClassActionLawsuit #Gaysians #Race #Discrimination pic.twitter.com/U8xfmskRGn
— Sinakhone Keodara (@frogseatmoon) July 9, 2018
Keodara dismissed the idea that statements like ‘no Asians’ is just a preference.
“Singling out and invalidating an entire race is not expressing a preference; it’s spewing anti-Asian sentiments and it’s racist.”
Keodara has since said that the class action is expanding to include black men who encounter similar language on the app.
“Gay Asian men, and black as we’re expanding the class to include black gay men, shouldn’t have to pay for our own oppression
“Why should I have to fork over $14.99 a month to use the service only to be degraded, humiliated and dehumanized for my race while I’m trying to get my rocks off?”
Grindr’s majority owner is Chinese company Beijing Kunlun Tech after the app’s original developer, Joel Simkhai, sold a controlling stake to the company in 2016.
The intersection of sexual preferences and racism is a regular topic of discussion in the gay community, with a popular Facebook group for ‘muscle bears’ called out earlier this week for blocking African and Asian men from joining.
While on tour in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year, queer rapper Le1f called out Grindr racism after being abused with racial slurs on the app, saying he frequently encounters “blatant racism” while visiting Australia.
Further reading: ‘Swiping Left to Sexual Racism in Australia’s Gay Community’
If I were Asian & especially from or in China, I’d be more worried about the Chinese ownership of Grindr. Chinese companies in the PRC are part of the state and as such the Chinese Grindr member details, photo’s and chats would inevitably be available to the Chinese authorities.
Asian = hot if big n hairy n chubby.
African American = hot if big n hairy n chubby.
Caucasain= hot if big n hairy n chubby.
The rest = hot if big n hairy n chubby.
My god do I have to worry now about offending those people that I just don’t find attractive? My profile just states what I like, it doesn’t single out the ones that I don’t think things will work out with. This guy is looking to be offended and is paying for it! That says it all.
How ridiculous and counter productive this is. I would rather not waste my time chasing someone who didn’t like whatever type or colour I am. It is a two edged sword – forcing Grindr to omit likes and dislikes however silly they may be only means more people will be turning up to dates to be instantly rejected. This is only a grab for cash which will frustrate users and probably cost Grindr customers which means less on the hunt. It also harms those who are not closed to other specific types because their profiles will look just like everybody elses…another service ruined by PC.
I hope this will target Asian and other POC who use the apps to stop expressing their internalised racism and white worshipping which emblodens sexual racism on the apps.
YAS BITCH DRAG THEM TAKE HER COINS!!!!!