OkCupid Offers More Identity Preferences for Pride Month 

Dating app OkCupid is offering more ways for LGBTQ+ users to identify themselves, and is rolling out the expanded offerings during Pride month.

OkCupid announced the move in a blog post, letting users know that by the end of June, there will be a dedicated space where LGBTQ+ users can choose from a list of over 60 identities to let other members know who they are and how they identify.

In addition to sharing their identities, users can also filter for the types of people or relationships they prefer, giving them more flexibility in their searches.

The app partnered with the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ rights organization in the U.S., as well as consultants and leaders from the queer community, to expand its offerings and create a more inclusive online dating platform.

How to select your Orientation on OkCupid

Image: OkCupid

"Allowing users to select from such a wide array of identity options will make many LGBTQ+ users feel more welcome on OkCupid, and will allow them to use the platform in a more authentic way," said Jay Brown, senior vice president of programs, research and training for Human Rights Campaign.  

OkCupid has a long history of socially progressive moves on its app to appeal to a wider and more diverse user base. In the blog post announcement, the company points out that OkCupid was the first major dating app to give users a place to highlight their pronouns, and the first to expand gender and orientation options for users. In addition, the app is the only one to include in-app questions specifically for the LGBTQ+ community as they go through the matching process.

The moves toward more inclusivity have a basis in the numbers. OkCupid has studied its user base over the years and has found that 7 in 10 think it’s important to them that their match cares about the LGBTQ+ community regardless of orientation or gender identity. Plus, a whopping 97 percent of respondents in a survey among its users said they support marriage equality.

The expanded options are set to roll out internationally, including in India, where OkCupid launched a Love is Love campaign that included a short film featuring an LGBTQ relationship. 

According to Business Insider India, millennial OkCupid users in India were recently surveyed about LGBTQ issues, and a vast majority of 93 percent thought that gay marriage should be made legal, and 98 percent said that they support queer rights and consider themselves allies of the LGBTQ community.