Online dating has shifted from a niche option to one of the most popular pathways to finding romantic connections. Unfortunately, it hasn’t always led to good experiences for all. Mainstream dating platforms were largely designed to accommodate straight, cisgender, mostly white people with ‘traditional’ relationship goals. This meant limited options for gender and sexuality, and assumptions about how folks wanted to interact. In response to this, LGBTQ+ dating apps emerged, offering features that served the needs of queer individuals.
As they evolved, many queer dating platforms became trendsetters in safety and verification, offering broader identity options, positioning themselves as social networks, and embracing forward-thinking models of personal brand building. Many of these trends have been embraced by mainstream dating apps. While it would be a step too far to say that mainstream platforms have copied their queer counterparts, the influence is clear. Take a closer look at some important online dating trends that can be traced back to LGBTQ+ dating apps.
Strengthening Safety And Verification Protocols
While there has always been inherent risk involved in online dating, members of the LGBTQ+ community have faced threats, harassment, and violence on queer dating sites in much higher numbers. For example, there have been instances of men creating accounts on Grindr for the purpose of assaulting or robbing gay men. Queer folks have also been harassed and blackmailed using screen captures of in-app chats and intimate photos.
In response, LGBTQ+ dating apps began implementing policies and technologies to keep members safer. Today, most dating platforms require some form of identity verification, although that may be implemented in different ways. HER has taken this up a notch by offering a video verification process that requires new accounts to adopt a specific pose in order to stop predatory individuals from manipulating standard verification processes.
Other safety and verification protocols pioneered by queer dating apps include:
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Screenshot blocking to prevent outing and harassment
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Travel alerts for queer folks traveling to hostile areas
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Safety information and education
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Policies against racism, bullying, fetishization, and harassment
These features have been embraced by mainstream apps like Tinder, not just as a way to attract queer users, but because they also make online dating safer for straight people.
Embracing Broader Identity Relationship And Sexuality Choices
If you use mainstream dating apps, you may have noticed that your choices have expanded. Where users once had very limited, often binary, choices, they can now select from a growing array of options. Many platforms even allow users to self-identify or select more than one identity marker when it comes to sexual orientation, gender identity, and relationship type.
This can be traced back to native LGBTQ+ dating apps that were designed with a queer-first perspective rather than trying to add a few new choices to straight dating frameworks. The Taimi app is a great example of this. When it launched almost a decade ago, users were offered choices that didn’t force them into boxes. It was also one of the first apps to embrace people who practice ethical nonmonogamy. Today, these choices are no longer considered fringe or alternative. Instead, mainstream platforms have followed suit by offering more choices than ever.
Dating Apps Evolve Into Community Hubs
People once used dating apps with a pretty singular purpose - dating, sex, and romance. These days, many relationship platforms meet users’ needs to connect in other ways. Some of this can be traced back to queer apps like HER that began offering community features in 2016. App users can connect in community groups formed around shared interests. This may have inspired similar offerings like Bumble BFF.
Of course, building community isn’t limited to chatrooms and groups. It’s also:
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Community advocacy
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Education on topics like safety, health, and sexuality
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Offering resources
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Promoting local events
For many queer people, dating apps aren’t just another option for finding love. They may be the only safe place they have to go to connect with others who relate to them.
Brand Building And Monetization
In the past, dating apps focused almost entirely on one-on-one interactions. Many still do. However, apps like Hornet have become personal branding hubs for people who are interested in using these platforms to expand their reach. Some have even monetized their online presence.
Hornet Live is a feature that allows members to livestream, build an audience, and even accept gifts. Some creators can even earn featured status. Likewise, HER has an artists and creators community that creative types use to share their talents.
Unlike the other trends listed above, this one hasn’t been successfully adopted by mainstream platforms. Match Group’s Plenty of Fish launched a livestreaming feature, but found it was unsustainable after the pandemic. Straight dating app designers might benefit from researching why queer platforms have thrived in this area, when people have the option of using dedicated apps like TikTok.
Positive Changes Driven by Community Need
These trends have one thing in common. They were born from a deep understanding of users’ needs, concerns, pain points, and preferences. That isn’t just good marketing. It demonstrates the power of prioritizing people in app development.
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