Types (Niche)

Following similar moves by OkCupid and Tinder, Grindr has unveiled new options for users who identify as transgender and gender non-conforming. Options for gender now include "cis man," "trans man," "non-binary," "non-conforming," "queer," and "crossdresser." Users can also specify a custom identity if theirs doesn’t appear on the list.

The changes coincide with the end of this year’s Transgender Awareness Week, and are the result of a survey of current trans users, as well as a consultation with the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Along with the expanded options for gender identity, the app and website have been updated to include gender neutral terms, and users can now choose from pronouns such as "he/him/his", "she/her/hers" and "they/them/theirs." Users whose preferred pronouns are not listed may write in their own.

Image: ABC

Sick and tired of the relentless positivity of people trying to put their best foot forward on dating apps? Brendan Alper has the solution - now with Mark Cuban’s blessing, Shark Tank stardom, and a six-digit investment.

Alper is the brains behind Hater, an unusual take on digital dating that matches users based on things they can’t stand. Instead of mutual likes, Hater searches for mutual dislikes, prompting singles to bond over their most despised people, places, things, and concepts.

Following a successful public debut around Valentine’s Day in 2017, Alper appeared this month on ABC’s hit show Shark Tank to take Hater to the next level.

Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and CEO of female-friendly dating app Bumble, was just named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list, and is featured on its December 2017 cover. This is no small feat – her dating app has amassed a large following with 70% year-on-year growth, according to the article, and has 22 million registered users. In comparison Tinder has 46 million registered users and last year saw growth at 10%.

The company is also being eyed by Match Group, owner of dating app rival Tinder, and is said to be in talks for over a billion dollars as an asking price. Herd turned down the company’s original offer of $450 million, according to recent reports.

Henry Badenhorst, founder of the groundbreaking dating site Gaydar, has died in his native South Africa at age 51 following a fall from a tower block. His tragic passing comes a decade after his co-founder and former partner Gary Frisch fell to his death in a similar fashion in London.

According to BuzzFeed News, Badenhorst fell from the 23rd floor of the Michaelangelo Towers, a hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg, on 11 November 2017. Initial reports suggest he took his own life, though the exact details surrounding his death remain unclear.

“Eighteen years ago, Henry and his partner Gary revolutionised the way that gay men meet and in doing so created a safer environment for LGBT people everywhere,” said Gaydar’s current managing director, Rob Curtis. “We are shocked and saddened to hear of Henry’s passing and send our sincerest sympathies to Henry’s friends and family.”

The duo launched Gaydar in 1999, after a friend complained that he was too busy to find a partner.

Tired of swiping right and exchanging flirty emojis, only to be ghosted before you’ve ever met in person?

Craig Cole was disillusioned with the lack of face-to-face meetings in online dating, so he created Doppler Social App to get singles out from behind their screens and on dates IRL.

“In my experience, once I swipe right and match with someone, I immediately either connect with them through the phone and it fizzles out over two weeks, or we continue talking and make plans to meet up that never come to fruition,” Cole wrote for Built In Los Angeles. “We spend so much time ‘talking’ over text and through apps, that we never actually make time to meet each other in person. We are constantly canceling plans and flaking out on our friends or potential dates. I was tired of the disconnect." 

Cheating. Adultery. Stepping out. Having an affair. Two-timing. Infidelity. Extracurricular activities.

We have a number of words for it, and an equally plentiful number of excuses for doing it. A new survey from Ashley Madison, the infamous online dating service that caters to extramarital encounters and claims more than 56 million members worldwide, has uncovered the most common reasons people cheat on their partners.

Ashley Madison teamed up with YourTango to ask 1,300 male and female respondents about how and why they partake in their illicit affairs. You may think the answer is simple - one too many drinks, and suddenly otherwise-attached strangers are hooking up in a grungy bar bathroom - but in fact, the act is often more premeditated than that.