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Cosmopolitan
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
The 5 Best Dating Apps For Trans People
Welcome to Love Transcends, a special project by Cosmopolitan that celebrates the resilience, wisdom, hope, and joy of the trans community as its members navigate romantic love. Through in-depth interviews and personal essays, trans people share what it's like to date, hook up, break up, and fall in and hold onto love in the midst of sweeping anti-trans legislation and attacks on personal safeties and freedoms of expression. Click here to see the entire collection. Whether you've been swiping since the dawn of Tinder or you're brand-new to the apps, success for anyone requires knowing what you want out of the experience, picking the right platform, and, for transgender people in particular, considering a few other unique needs. 'Trans people face the challenge of being misunderstood, objectified, or harassed on dating apps,' says trans dating and relationship coach Kara Chang, adding that daters may also grapple with 'decision fatigue around when and how to disclose our trans identity.' Plus, there's the fact that, as Chang notes, many dating apps simply weren't built with trans people in mind. That makes choosing the right ones all the more important. First, look for platforms that prioritize inclusivity and safety. 'A good dating app protects you as a user, gives you the freedom to express your gender identity authentically, and has a culture that values respect and an equal user experience for all,' says Chang. Of course, as queer love coach Nathan Serrato, founder of Queer Conscious, adds, the trans dating experience is unique to each individual. What works for one dater may not work for another. But this curated selection of dating apps—recommended for trans and nonbinary users by LGBTQIA+ dating experts—is a good place to start. Grindr is best known as a dating/hookup app for gay men, but it's so much more than that. Zachary Zane, Grindr's sex and relationship expert, says the platform is inclusive of queer, trans, and nonbinary folks as well. 'On Grindr,' explains Zane, 'bisexual men are looking to date trans women. There are gay and bi trans men looking for other men. Nonbinary folks are looking for love and there are plenty of queer people on the app looking to date a trans or nonbinary person.' Plus, as one of the first and largest online dating platforms for queer users, Grindr has a long history of providing a space designed specifically with LGBTQIA+ daters in mind. That ethos extends beyond the app itself. Launched in 2015, Grindr for Equality, the brand's social impact initiative, partners with public health authorities and other activist organizations to advance LGBTQIA+ health and human rights. Download Here One of the earliest online dating platforms, OkCupid has long been a pioneer of inclusivity. Back in 2014, the app became the first in the biz to expand gender and sexual orientation options for users, and daters can now choose from over 60 labels. In 2022, OkCupid also added definitions for these labels to help better educate all users. Plus, 'the algorithm actually uses your questionnaire responses to match you with people who are genuinely compatible,' says Chang. This can lead to less mindless swiping and more meaningful connections with like-minded people who know (and love!) what you're all about. Download Here If Grindr is known as an app for gay men, HER is the most prominent app for lesbian women. But, like Grindr, HER is an inclusive platform that welcomes queer sapphics of all kinds, including nonbinary and trans people. HER also boasts a Trust and Safety team, a verification process designed to weed out fakes and scammers, and moderators to ensure all users enjoy a respectful experience. Plus, HER's website specifically mentions keeping the app transphobe-free—a helpful indicator that the platform is serious about the needs and safety of its trans users. Download Here 'Translr is one of the rare apps built for the trans community. It's a space dedicated to trans people and the people who want to date us,' says Chang. 'There is a mutual understanding among users—no need to explain our existence, just vibes and love.' The app also boasts a rigorous verification process to protect users and block fetishizers and catfish, as well as a zero-tolerance policy for harassment. Download Here While apps that are designed specifically for queer and/or trans users may provide a safer and more inclusive experience, they also tend to come with the downside of smaller dating pools. Unfortunately, 'more users can also mean more exposure to transphobia,' says Serrato. Enter: Hinge, a popular dating app that welcomes daters of all genders and sexual orientations and actively works to provide a safe and supportive experience for queer and trans users. 'As trans people, we often feel like our identities are being flattened, with people focusing primarily on our trans identity instead of our full selves,' says Moe Ari Brown, Hinge's love and connection expert. Per Brown, Hinge 'understands that trans people are more than their identities and that meaningful connections happen when everyone feels safe showing up as their full self.' The app includes more than 50 gender options and users can write in their own or not share a gender identity in their profile at all. 'This allows people to express who they are without forcing anyone to disclose any information they don't want to,' says Brown. In February, as a result of conversations with Hinge's community partner TransTech Social, the app launched Match Note, a feature designed to help users—particularly those from underrepresented groups—share important information about themselves with matches only. In testing, Brown says queer daters used Match Notes to highlight key aspects of their gender identity, lifestyle, and relationship preferences, adding that 83 percent of trans people said the feature 'improved their ability to show up as their authentic self on Hinge.' Download Here For an expanded list of resources specific to the trans community, click here.


Business Upturn
31-05-2025
- Business
- Business Upturn
You Up? Grindr's 'Right Now' Goes Global
West Hollywood, Calif., United States: Grindr, the Global Gayborhood in Your Pocket™ with more than 14.6M average monthly active users, today announced the global launch of Right Now, their newest intent-based feature designed to instantly connect people looking for immediate encounters. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Grindr's Right Now feature. Right Now is a real-time feed—separate from the app's main grid that displays profiles—where Grindr users can post text and share photos displayed for one hour, letting other like-minded users know exactly what they're looking for. 'Right Now empowers our users to find exactly what they want, when they want it – without the guesswork,' said AJ Balance, Chief Product Officer at Grindr. 'We built this intention-based feature based on feedback from our community so they can connect with like-minded people without wasting time on mismatched expectations. The response to our initial March launch was so strong we accelerated the global rollout ahead of schedule because it's clear people want this… well, right now.' Following successful pilots in Australia and Washington, D.C., and regional expansions in early 2025, Right Now is now available to all users globally on iOS and Android. Right Now can be accessed directly from a new entry button on the main grid, through the bottom navigation bar, or from the profile side drawer of the app, leading to a dedicated feed optimized for immediate engagement. At launch, depending on their location, people will receive a number of free hour-long Right Now sessions per week (refreshed every Friday), with the option to purchase more sessions after using their complimentary ones. Explore our product roadmap for a closer look at the new features coming to Grindr in 2025. About Grindr Inc. With more than 14.6 million average monthly active users, Grindr (NYSE: GRND) has grown to become the Global Gayborhood in Your Pocket™, on a mission to make a world where the lives of our global community are free, equal, and just. Available in 190 countries and territories, Grindr is often the primary way for LGBTQ+ people to connect, express themselves, and discover the world around them. Since 2015, Grindr for Equality has advanced human rights, health, and safety for millions of LGBTQ+ people in partnership with organizations around the world. Grindr has offices in West Hollywood, the Bay Area, Chicago, and New York. The Grindr app is available on the App Store and Google Play. View source version on Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same.