Report: Racism in the Gay Community causes Stress and Withdrawal from the Community

In a wonderful article by Matthew Rodriquez called, “Here’s One Brutal Truth Every White Gay Man Needs to Hear,” he talks about the racism he's experienced on the gay dating apps.

Also in the article, he points out a 2015 study that give us the harsh truth how gays of color are treated online

Matthew reports:

Sexual racism, which the authors called "largely indistinguishable from generic forms of racism," leads men of color to "disconnect" from apps and, by extension, the larger community. According to the study, 84% of gay and bisexual men of color experienced racism in the gay community, and 77% of those men experienced stress as a result.

"Our findings highlight that sexual racism — as an expression of racism generally — is an ongoing issue for men who seek out other men online, and that men engage in a range of strategies for mitigating the negative effects of racial prejudice in this domain," the researchers wrote.

In 2016, we;re still dealing with this mess.

Get Ready for Hanky, a new Gay App for A-list (White & Fit) Guys

Another gay app will be crowding our spaces. This one is called, Hanky and according to it's press release, it's special.

Hanky wants to eliminate the trolls: in order to join Hanky you need an invite code from a friend and validate your phone number, or sign up with your Facebook account. If you do not have an invite code at least three current members will have to vote you in.

Legitimate users of traditional apps are being subjected to internet ridicule by trolls (often using fake identities), who send abusive messages or who post screenshots of private conversations on Twitter.

Jonas Cronfeld, co­founder of Hanky says: “We will probably never have 5 million members like some of these other apps because so many get turned away. But we’ll choose quality over quantity any day. Sure, big numbers are nice, but none of our competitors have got the actual experience right ­ something we will never compromise on. Our users are nicer and more sexy.”

Basically, you can vote out guys you think are ugly and unattractive. So if you're husky, Asian, Black, Muslim anything that's probably not 'fit' and white, you're out of luck. Yeah, I'm jumping the shark, however, I can't see nothing but issues rising from this app.

New Infographic reveals interesting results on Gay Dating Apps

GrabHim.net conducted a nationwide survey of nearly 4,000 gay men to gage their behavior on Gay Apps. Below are the results, some are surprising, some are not.

Good Bye, Gay App

After 2 years on the gay app, Bear 411, I have decided to leave it... Actually, run far from it. Folks, I am convinced that these apps are nothing good. I've only joined this one, but I couldn't imagine being on multiple ones. Why? Because you will get the same results, nothing.

That's what I got from this app, nothing. Well, I got some things from it:

• A guy who confessed that he was a serial dater and liar
• A guy who wanted to have sex with me because we're both from the south
• Seeing my ex on the site
• A bunch of guys who still live with their parents
• Men over the age of 40 who are still in the closet
• A guy who started out great, but later tried to sell me life insurance
• Two guys who were so bad at sex, they should be put of their misery
• A bunch of flakes
• Several guys who wanted to see my Black Dick
• Over 239 guys who wanted to bottom for me
• A few guys who said they wanted to date, but really want to have arm candy
• And one indecent proposal... I don't need a Sugar Daddy

I did meet 2 guys that I will keep, but they rest of them... Bye! 

If Guys acted in Real Life the way they do on Gay Apps

This is why I stay away from apps

Interesting Quote: Cody Freeman

Feeling alone in a big city, walking from building to building without making a connection, I desperately wanted to meet like-minded individuals, but I found myself resorting to these apps to do that.

But instead of advancing the gay agenda of inclusion, I found the apps to perpetuate what people scorn about LGBT: promiscuity, impersonal behavior, and sexually motivated conversations. This is not the fault of the LGBT community, but these depersonalized conversations are what lead to depersonalized relationships. When an introduction to gay culture is through a sex-based app, it perpetuates the sex-based stereotype.

This is from a good article in TIME, check it out

Study: Hook-Up Apps may put at Risk for STIs

If you like Grindr, A4A, Growlr and MISTER, you might want to check this out.

A study by the Los Angeles LGBT Center revealed gay/bisexual men who used these hook-up apps for sex have a higher risk of contracting STIs.

Queerty has the scoop:

For the study, 7,184 men were tested for STI and provided information about their recreational drug use and social networking methods to find potential sexual partners. One-third (34 percent) of the respondents met sexual partners in person only; a slightly smaller proportion (30 percent) used a combination of person-to-person or online dating; and a slightly larger proportion (36 percent) used smartphone apps and/or a combination of previously mentioned methods.
According to the authors, smartphone apps were favored by younger, well-educated men under the age of 40 and by men of white or Asian ethnic backgrounds.

App users were also more likely to use recreational drugs, including cocaine and Ecstasy. There is most definitely not an app for that.

And here’s the kicker:
Guys who use apps to hook up were 25 percent more likely to be infected with gonorrhea and 37 percent more likely to be infected with chlamydia. However, there was no difference in their likelihood of infection with either HIV or syphilis.
“Technology is redefining sex on demand; prevention programs must learn how to effectively exploit the same technology, and keep pace with changing contemporary risk factors for STI and HIV transmission,” researchers write.
As someone who’s recently heard a healthcare provider at a gay clinic reductively refer to gonorrhea as “oh it’s just like getting a cold these days,” this does raise some interesting questions about the cavalier attitudes towards treatable STI in the gay community.

Not cute, I'm sticking with OK Cupid.

10 Reasons why Gay Apps are not People of Color Friendly

So far, I really struggle with Gay 'dating' apps. I think these apps bring out the worst in us and limits our perceptions of men down to shallow labels and bathroom pics.

But what really gets me is how men of color are perceived and treated. On these apps, we witness some of the harshest views and attitudes from our community. Let me share some the top issues some of us have experienced.

1. Being ignored for weeks on this apps
2. Only being contacted to fulfill a fantasy or a dare
3. Men only seeing you as the stereotype. EX: You can say your are a bottom, but your messages from a bunch of guys wanting you to be their top
4. Men will not allow you to be anything outside of their ignorant perceptions 
5. You are not considered relationship material, just an one night stand
6. Your dick size is an automatic deal breaker even before you discuss it
7. You are sometimes considered the last resort
8. If you are educated or have an opinion you are labeled as too dramatic 
9. Your body type never fits the status quo
10. It is assumed that you are carrying some STD. Sometimes, you are asked if you been tested before anything sexual comes up

I'm hoping things will change, but I'm not so sure that it will.