Dating app Grindr launches voting push for gay men

By Jennifer Martinez - 09/06/12 12:56 PM ET

Grindr, the location-based mobile dating app for gay men, launched an effort this week that's designed to rally the voting bloc of American gay men and get them to the polls in November.

Called "Grindr for Equality," the effort harnesses Grindr's GPS technology to send targeted messages to its users on their mobile phones about issues important to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community that are being voted on in their area, and also encourage users to vote for candidates who are supportive of GLBT initiatives.

In a blog post published on its website, Grindr said the effort will include a push to send messages to Grindr users based in swing states and rally them to vote. The app will also notify users about poll locations in their area and send reminder messages about voting.

“We must elect not only a president but representatives and senators who are supportive of our community and our equality,” Joel Simkhai, founder and CEO of Grindr, said in the blog post. “Local elections have national impact, so we want to use Grindr as a tool for mobilizing and connecting gay men around the country to help make a combined national impact.”

As an example of its push to reach out to users on the local level, the company said in its blog post that it plans to warn its Minnesota users about a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and encourage them to contact their representatives about it.

While Google, Twitter, Facebook and other social Web companies have rolled out initiatives to spur people to vote and start discussions about political issues and candidates online, they've largely stayed away from using their platforms to encourage people to vote a certain way on a social issue like gay rights. However, Google, Facebook and other tech companies have publicly showed their support for LGBT rights, most recently at this summer's Pride events, and a diverse workforce. Google also took a stand against California's Proposition 8 in the 2008 election, which banned same-sex marriage in the state.