To mark National Coming Out Day (October 11) and Spirit Day (October 17), GLAAD and dating platform eharmony recently published a report examining how dating apps influence LGBTQ+ individuals in expressing their identities. The report provides key insights into the experiences of LGBTQ+ daters, including transgender, nonbinary, bisexual, and women-loving-women (WLW) communities.
Key findings from the report highlight specific challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals. For example, 45% of transgender and nonbinary respondents cited concerns about being fetishized as the main reason they don’t disclose their gender identity on dating apps. Additionally, 53% of trans and nonbinary daters feel neglected by dating platforms, and 58% struggle to determine who will be accepting of their gender.
The report also reveals that bisexuality remains misunderstood, with 74% of LGBTQ+ participants agreeing that societal misconceptions persist. Among cisgender gay men and lesbians, 87% reported openness to dating bisexual individuals, yet 30% of bisexual women still feel fetishized by men on dating apps.
GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis emphasized that the study shows how dating platforms play a pivotal role in the coming out process and fostering safe spaces for LGBTQ+ users, particularly amid current cultural and legislative challenges – for example, GLAAD’s Senior Director of Entertainment, Alex Schmider, noted that media representation of transgender individuals boosts confidence within the community.
The full report covers a number of other statistics and pieces of information, covering multiple identities and communities. With more LGBTQ+ apps beginning to appear as some of the more popular platforms see user slumps or burnout, understanding those communities better could be vital for giving them the dating spaces they actually want and need.
