Are we really OVER GRINDR? And do not pretend you don’t know what it is! When it was launched back in 2009, it was one of the first geosocial apps for gay men, and it and has since become the largest and most popular gay mobile app in the world. As of September 2023, Grindr has approximately 13.5 million monthly active users.
As you all know (!) the app allows users to create a personal profile and use their GPS position to place them on a cascade, where they can browse other profiles sorted by distance and be viewed by nearby and faraway users depending on one’s filter settings. Selecting a profile photo in the grid view will display that user’s full profile and photos, as well as the option to chat, send a “tap,” send pictures, video call, and share one’s precise location.
The platform is not for everybody looking for Mr. Right…. or more accurately Mr. Right Now …. including actor and model Derek Chadwick. BUT what makes him different is that, unlike the bulk of users who just bitch about the downside of using GRINDR, this very enterprising gay man (who’s not exactly a sore sight on our eyes) created a brand new queer dating app.
He has announced the development of GOOSE, and he describes his platform as “social-first” and “anti-algorithm,” seeking to differentiate itself from apps like Grindr and Sniffies that are more associated with casual encounters.
Goose will require users to apply for membership, creating a curated community. Instead of swiping, users “wave” to show interest, and mutual waves establish a connection. The app plans to include a live map for proximity-based discovery and allow scrolling beyond local areas. Users will be able to upload photos, videos, and updates rather than relying on rigid profile declarations. Features such as disappearing chats and screenshot protection are also mentioned, though details are still limited.
Here’s the lowdown ….so far.
Goose is not yet something you can download from either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store — but beware, there are a lot of other apps on those platforms titled “Goose!” Also, while no launch date has been announced, the platform does have its own Instagram account, where you can access the app and which already has more than 12,500 followers without even existing yet.
According to an email from Goose reported by Mashable, the app aims to be an “anti-algorithm gay dating and lifestyle platform,” that is specifically designed “for the boys.”
The report says the Goose app will offer gay men interested in online dating an alternative to Grindr, Sniffies, and other hookup apps, by being “intentionally social-first.” To achieve that, the plan is to create what the email called a “curated community” whose members have to apply to join. Some might compare that to the experience of dating on Raya, which, as recently as April had prospective users waiting years to join, according to Wired.
“It’s encouraging men to date how they actually live, sans swiping, born from the mind of someone who’s been there, and wanted better,” the email promises.
MEANWHILE in London (so often ahead of the game when it comes to meeting men) there’s another men’s group that just came on to Queerguru’s radar. We should stress that this is NOT A DATING SITE (but we are aware of the number of our readers who really want to widen their social circles without getting undressed )
Tom Stroud and Dan Shrigley, have just founded The Shoulder to Shoulder (S2S) men’s community which they say has formed to come together to fight loneliness among London men, with thousands of members across the city from a range of backgrounds – including sexuality and gender identity. Stroud said recently: “It started with a realisation Dan and I had: why is it so hard for men to make friends as adults? Why does it feel weird asking another guy out for a coffee?”
The group started on WhatsApp, before they set up a regular walk where men could connect with each other. “Over time, something happened that we didn’t expect,” Stroud says. “Men started showing up in their hundreds, because they were desperate for connection and the feeling of belonging to something bigger than themselves.”
Stroud adds: “The isolation problem is real and it’s everywhere. Men are lonelier than ever, and the world isn’t really set up to help them do anything about it. Nobody teaches you how to make deep friendships after your twenties. Nobody tells you it’s okay to need people. You’re just supposed to get on with it. What we do instead is offer something those spaces never actually deliver. Real friendship. Real belonging. An environment where you can drop the mask and just be a person.”
The group now has around 2,000 members, with 25 to 30 events each month, allowing men to form new friendships. S2S welcomes gay and trans men with open arms, despite being made up predominantly of straight men. (It has more than 100 members who are gay, bisexual or trans,) and it’s because of that that they will be marching at Pride in London.
“S2S marching in Pride is about recognising that helping men become more open, more connected, more emotionally honest has to include every type of man. And if the values we’ve created as a group are really going to resonate, they have to work for everyone, regardless of background, ethnicity, religious belief or sexual orientation.
| https://shoulder.mn.co/ |
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