If you’re a gay Olympian (or just a gay person who is going to the Beijing Olympics), I have some bad news for you – China has removed LGBTQ dating app Grindr from the iPhone App Store. Apparently they are cracking down on what they deem illegal content before the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Don’t even think about downloading it from other app stores either – the gay dating app has also been removed from various Android app stores run by the likes of Huawei and Tencent. Honestly surprised it was in any of their app stores to begin with…
As per Forbes, here’s why they claim the app is being removed:
Last week, the Cyberspace Administration of China launched a month-long campaign that will target content that violates the country’s internet laws as part of what it calls an effort to cultivate a “healthy” environment for Chinese New Year. While the agency does not list portrayal of homosexuality and other gay themes under its list of illegal content, Beijing has increasingly shown intolerance towards LGBTQ groups and has even banned what it labels an “effeminate men” from TV.
Will they reinstate Grindr following the conclusion of the Beijing Olympics? Impossible to say at this point. I guess all the gay dudes and gals are just going to have to use their gaydars to identity who wants to shag and who doesn’t. That’s probably an easier task during the summer Olympics where you can basically wear what you want, but in the winter when everyone’s wrapped up warm, it’s going to be more difficult to tell who’s gay and who isn’t. Oh well, I’m sure they’ll find a way.
To watch a guy try to explain what Grindr is to Judge Judy, click HERE. Classic.
