Given the ubiquity and power of today’s online networks, it’s become a cliche to describe the race between Obama and Romney as a social media election. But few social networks have become as explicitly engaged as the 4 million person strong gay network Grindr in pursuing the human rights of its members. As Grindr’s CEO Joel Simkhai told me at Disrupt, that’s because gay men don’t have equality in America. Thus Simkhai has launched Grindr For Equality – an initiative designed to educate gays about relevant issues in the upcoming election.
“It’s not about the parties,” Simkhai explained Grindr For Equality to me. Instead, Simkhai insisted, it’s all about informing Grindr members about politicians’ positions on issues like gay marriage. That’s all very well, of course. But, as I asked Simkhai, who should gay people vote for in November? Would it be President Obama or President Romney who would most pursue legal equality for the gay community in America?
Joel Simkhai is founder & CEO of Grindr, the worlds largest all-male mobile location based social network. Joel was born in Tel Aviv in 1976, and at the age of three he emigrated from Israel with his family to New York, where he was raised. In 1998, he attended Tufts University, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in a double major of International Relations and Economics. Joel then went on to work in several different fields, from finance to a...
Since launching in March 2009, Grindr has become a global sensation and surpassed 6 million users in 192 countries. Since launching on Apple iOS devices, Grindr versions have been created for iPad, Android and select BlackBerry models as well as enhanced subscription-based upgrade, Grindr Xtra. On a daily basis, Grindr counts some 10,000 new users who log on approximately eight times per day and spend an average of 1.5 hours each day using the app. For more information about...
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