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Entity explores why we can't get LGBTQ+ dating apps right

Daters in the LGBTQ+ community are ready to chuck the whole concept of dating apps thanks to the pathetic options available to them.

Among those frustrated with the “oversaturated” yet ineffective market is Colton A., a 24-year-old server from Los Angeles, who tells ENTITY, “What ever happened to just looking around? Do I need an app to tell me who’s in this coffee shop?”

His frustrations are echoed by Helayne Kushner, a 26-year-old social media manager from New York – now in a monogamous relationship – who says such apps can be particularly daunting for a bisexual or queer-identifying woman.

via giphy

This makes sense when you factor in that a 2015 Gallup poll estimated only 3.8 percent of Americans identify as LGBT. And the most popular non-hetero apps, such as Grindr, tend to cater to men.

Helayne points out Tinder as an issue, since girls “would NOT reach out,” and tells ENTITY she has found herself routinely swiping to the end of the app whenever going on to look for women.

She also takes issue with the lack of gender options which she says have “steered away a fair amount of the community.” Tinder has since tried to fix the inclusivity issue, adding 37 gender options in Nov. 2016 along with a drop down that allows you to type in your preference.

Entity asks why people still can't get LBGTQ+ dating apps right

via Tinder

OkCupid can also be annoying, as even if you select the option “I don’t want to see or be seen by straight people,” you can still get uninvited messages, such as men who say they “love queer women.” Cringe.

More niche apps like Her – which markets itself as the “biggest (and best!) app for lesbian, bisexual and queer people worldwide” – struggle with complicated user experiences and by focusing too much on one segment of the population.

Helayne also says that Her’s influencer marketing needs work. “Most of the ‘Instagram celesbians’ were actually already in relationships… so how would you know how great this dating app was?”

via The Ellen DeGeneres Show

This seems to be a common problem, as even though many dating apps claim to cater to the LGBTQ+ community – see Her, Wing Ma’am, Tinder, OkCupid, etc. – no one seems to be able to get it quite right.

Issues with identity, user experience and the actual number of users plague even the most promising apps.

So any new contenders inevitably find themselves being met with skepticism as to whether or not they will actually connect with the community.

READ MORE: Is Dating the New Dungeons & Dragons? (VIDEO)

All that aside, Aussies Diana Kalkoul and Neda Robat-Meily are now throwing their hats into the ring to try to make the process of LGBTQ+ dating easier with new app, Winkd. The app, built by two queer women, promises to be one “where LGBTQ people are not an afterthought.”

Like most dating apps, it is location-based, though Winkd has users check into a specific location – such as a bar, concert or park – where they can check out other people using the app and anonymously “wink” at them if they are interested.

via giphy

If it’s a match – and all names and ages are kept private until a match occurs – users are given 20 minutes to plan for any future interaction. After that, the window is over and the chat vanishes.

“Most dating platforms and apps use a very traditional method of communicating -there is a bunch of small talk, heaps of distance between users and not everyone’s intentions for being on the app are very clear,” Diana and Neda tell ENTITY, by e-mail. They are proud of the app’s timed element because they believe it will prevent “ghosting,” though potential app users such as Colton worry about its safety.

“If I see you’re here and we don’t match, but I see you on your phone, what’s to stop me from approaching you anyway, possibly angrily?” he asks.

Helayne, however, sees it as a positive, comparing it to Grindr with a “premise that is more friendly-dating than casual sex.”

READ MORE: LGBTQ Power! 3 Reasons to Be Proud of Pride

She says, “I think it would work especially well at queer parties where so many people are too intimated to talk to new people, so it would promote conversation at a place where people who aren’t popular in ‘the scene’ could feel more comfortable reaching out.”

And the creators don’t believe it to be an issue, saying the premise is basically “mimicking real life behavior with an app.”  They add, “If you went up to someone and said ‘hi’ and they were unresponsive, you have no authority to be irate.” They are, however, working on a reporting process to block users. 

Additionally, the app promises “no more fear of rejection!” since it helps you to find out if someone is interested in you before you ever speak to them. The idea is “to bring back the traditional way people used to meet – in clubs, in real life – and leverage the technology we have today to remove that awkward first step of talking to someone and validating whether or not they are interested in talking to you,” the creators explain.

via Winkd

via Winkd

And in the name of inclusion, potential matches “won’t specifically be able to see what your preference is – human, male, female – you just show up if your preferences match,” Diana and Neda say. “We wanted to eliminate biases and help people find people and figure out the rest in person.”

Winkd – which is launching during the Mardis Gras Festival season in Sydney – certainly appears to be a contender in the saturated yet unsuccessful dating app market for LGBTQ+. But whether or not it will finally connect with the community remains to be seen.

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