Types (Niche)

Netflix is debuting Japan’s first same-sex reality TV series called The Boyfriend starting July 9th.  Japan is the only country among the world’s wealthiest democracies that hasn’t recognized same-sex marriage, so producers of the series are hoping to change mindsets.

According to The New York Times, the show will feature nine men ranging in age from 22 to 36 living in a luxury beach house outside of Tokyo, a similar setting to Japan’s most popular romantic reality show Terrace House.

The contestants will operate a coffee truck together by day and cook dinner together at night, and occasionally go offsite for dates. This is a cultural shift in perception for Japanese men, who typically aren’t expected to cook and clean, leaving those duties for women. The show wants to highlight that the men participating enjoy cooking and seem to be pretty good at it.

Dating app Grindr was ordered to pay a $5.7 million fine by a Norwegian Court, after the company was found to have violated EU regulations by sharing personal user data with third parties.

The court found that Grindr violated the GDPR by sharing sensitive data with third party advertisers, according to Agence-France Press. Norway’s data protection agency Datatilsynet found that the company had shared information such as geographical location, age, sexual orientation and health information such as HIV status with advertisers.

Grindr was accused of sharing this data between 2018 and 2020.

BLK dating app has launched a new initiative in celebration of Pride which highlights queer event curators in select cities.

The campaign “It’s Giving Space: Celebrating Queer Event Curators” will offer three compelling narratives of LGBTQ+ party collectives, according to Black Enterprise Magazine. One such collective is Party Noire in Chicago, a cultural hub which celebrates Black femmes, Queer Women of Color, and Black womanhood along the gender spectrum with a focus on trans, queer, and genderqueer Black people.

Another collective, Global Warming in Brooklyn, is dedicated to uplifting Black and Brown queer and trans people by providing safe spaces where they can dance, celebrate “and experience joy,” according to Black Enterprise. It was co-created by DJs Adair and Boston Chery.

A new study by Bumble among single LGBTQ+ Filipinos found that a whopping 85 percent said that it’s important to them to find partners who accept them for who they are without pressuring them to change.

According to Adobo Magazine, nearly half (48 percent) of respondents feel that they need to conform to certain physical or personality ideals to be accepted by the LGBTQ+ community. About 28 percent of those surveyed went on to say that they felt pressured to change or conceal their gender expression to fit in or be accepted by the LGBTQ+ community.

The survey was conducted in partnership with Pride PH, the widest national network of Philippine LGBTQ+ organizations. Over 400 people participated in the survey.

Archer rolled out a new marketing campaign during Pride Month, focusing on the issue of unsolicited photos on dating apps and what the company is doing to address it.

The new campaign tagline is “Solicited D*cks” – and the company has a little fun promoting the benefits of consent, as well as Archer’s safety features. It will include cheeky phrases like “Do we use a dick filter? Yes, yes we do.” and “Working tirelessly to weed out the dicks you don’t want from the ones you do.”

According to Little Black Book, Archer launched the ad in partnership with ad agency Tombras. It will run on billboards across New York neighborhoods, including Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, and Williamsburg, as well as digital and social channels.

Image: Tinder

Dating app Tinder has added new stickers in celebration of Pride, specifically for younger LGBTQ+ users.

The new stickers include “My First Pride,” and “I Came Out Online” to “Save Queer Spaces” and “Proud Ally.” According to Mashable, the profile stickers give new dating app users a low-pressure way to be part of the community and display their identity for Pride Month.

The My First Pride and Came Out Online stickers help first-timers to better navigate Pride Month. The idea is to easily find others attending events for the first time so they can make plans and celebrate together.

The Save Queer Spaces sticker helps connect users with others who want to preserve bars, clubs, and community centers serving the LGBTQ+ community, as these are places where they can feel safe being who they are. The Proud Ally sticker helps users show support for the LGBTQ+ community.