A new resource on the app allows users’ not-so-frequently-asked questions get answered, with questions relating to LGBTQIA+ dating and identity.
Dating in our modern world is hard enough as it is. Even before the global pandemic came to sink its claws into every corner of the world, reducing us to a pair of eyes gazing out from a mask as we desperately try to suss out one’s list of close contacts and vaccination status, there were already numerous challenges to overcome. From the constant swiping that has left us spoiled for choice and unwilling to commit, to the prevalence of ghosting, breadcrumbing and [insert new dating terminology that essentially explains terrible behaviour], to enter the dating world is akin to stepping into oncoming traffic, blindfolded, with no sense of direction: you can only hope to emerge on the other side intact.
For those in the LGBTQIA+ community though, dating presents its own set of unique challenges, particularly for those who are yet to come out to their own families or are new to the dating scene altogether. Now, Hinge is looking to provide support to the LGBTQIA+ community by launching the app’s NFAQ (Not-so-Frequently Asked Questions) guide, with answers relating to LGBTQIA+ dating and identity.
Examples of questions include how to manage when you’ve misgendered someone while flirting, how demisexual people can set sexual expectations, how to affirm your gender in the early stages of dating and how to navigate dating when you’re not quite ready to come out. The resource is found in the app’s Help Centre for Hinge users, but can also be accessed via the website.
There, answers are provided both in blog and video form by a range of experts in various fields. These include the likes of emergency medicine physician Dr Darien Sutton, Be Not Afraid of Love author and artist Mimi Zhu, and former Out magazine editor Phillip Picardi.
For the question “How can I better affirm my gender in the early stages of dating,” Zhu writes: “I am transparent on the first date because the person’s reaction usually allows me to discern the trajectory of our connection. While nerve-wracking, it allows me to feel empowered in my agency in pursuing meaningful intimacy. I wear an outfit that makes me feel the most gender euphoric of the day, and I put myself before the assumed desires of another.”
“If somebody is uncomfortable with my truth, then it reveals more about them than it does about me. I prefer to get this done early, because I know how precious my time is, and how uncompromising I am about my need to be respected in my fullness.”
mimi zhu
In a press statement, Hinge love and connection expert and licensed marriage and family therapist, Moe Ari Brown, says that in a study conducted by the app prior to the launch of the NFAQ, 80 per cent of LGBTQIA+ users found it difficult to find answers to their dating questions. “For LGBTQIA+ people, our experiences are so unique that the typical answers to dating questions don’t meet our needs. NFAQ is a transformative resource that will support queer daters with creating and maintaining authentic relationships,” writes Brown.
“NFAQ is making the necessary space to not only answer LGBTQIA+ folks’ burning questions but to also cultivate an atmosphere of celebration and inclusivity on Hinge and beyond our app.”
Currently, the app allows users to select from more than 50 gender options (or write their own), while users can also include pronouns and sexual orientation within a profile. These steps are just some of the many ways Hinge is looking to make the app more queer-friendly and present a safe space for those within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Source @womenshealth.com.au: Read more at : womenalive.org
