LGBTQIA+ dating app Grindr is the latest company to throw its support behind the Yes campaign for the Voice to Parliament by prompting its users about the referendum.
Grindr users in Australia have reported being shown a pop-up prompt from the company’s “Grindr for Equality” team titled “Do you support an Indigenous Voice to Parliament?”
“History is calling. This year will see a second National vote on our rights. This time it relates to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people specifically. The vote will be to enshrine Australia’s First people in the Australian constitution as the original custodians and inhabitants of Australia.”
Grindr has about 11 million monthly active users around the world, with 10% of that user base reportedly in Australia.
Grindr for Equality was launched a decade ago to “help LGBTQ people around the globe” by running local campaigns around the world. These initiatives have included everything from participating in a US effort to distribute free at-home HIV tests to spreading public health messages about monkeypox. Many of its efforts have been political. Grindr for Equality was founded with the explicit intention of “mobilising” its user base for the 2012 US presidential election.
Its users have often used the platform for political reasons, too. Some people took matters into their own hands and used the dating app to tell others to make sure they enrolled and voted in the same-sex marriage postal survey in 2017. Progressive Australian politicians have advertised on the platform during election periods, often touting their own LGBTQIA+-friendly policies.
Other tech companies like Meta and Google have stayed away from directly campaigning for political parties or causes in lieu of promoting enrolling people to vote and other indirect support.
Grindr did not respond to a request for comment.
