President of gay dating app Grindr says marriage is 'between man and woman'

Grindr has revolutionised the gay dating world.

After decades of secret meetings behind closed doors to avoid persecution, the hook up and dating app has brought millions of gay men together, while also paving the way for apps like Tinder.

But the president of Grindr, Scott Chen, has caused controversy by writing on Facebook that he believes that “marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman”.

Chen became Grindr’s president after it was bought by a Chinese corporation. In the post, which has now been deleted, he criticised Christian groups for opposing marriage equality.

Some people think the marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman. And I think so too. But that’s your own business

Some people think the purpose of the marriage is to have a child carries your DNA. But again, that’s your own business.

Into, an LGBT+ news and commentary site owned by Grindr, reported on Chen’s remarks.

He offered a response to the article, which stated his views are based on his “personal experience”, saying:

The reason I said marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman is based on my own personal experience.

I am a straight man married to a woman I love and I have two beautiful daughters I love from the marriage.

This is how I feel about my marriage. Different people have their different feelings about their marriages. You can’t deny my feelings about my marriage.

Zach Stafford, editor of Into, responded to the remarks. He told The Guardian:

Grindr’s goal as a company is to help seek the full equity of all LGBT people’s rights around the world, especially when it comes to dating and love. And marriage for many is an end goal to our app.

Naturally, given the fact that Grindr is an app intended for gay men and countless have met their husband’s using it, people are less than thrilled with Chen’s comments.

Steve Taylor, LGBT+ activist and communications director at EuroPride, met his partner on Grindr. Ahead of the pair's wedding next year, he expressed disappointment at Chen's comments.

Love’s a human right, whether the person you love is of the same gender or different. There are enough reactionary, small-minded bigots opposing equal marriage without supposed ‘straight allies’ adding to their numbers.

Scott Chen needs to get with the times, especially considering how much money he’s made from bringing people together, whether that was for an hour or for a lifetime.

H/T: The Guardian

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