Grindr And Other Hook-Up Apps Urge Users To Report Attacks

"We hear from people over and over that they will not report violence to police because they met the person through a hook-up app."

Eleven social networking companies that facilitate dating and sexual hook-ups — including popular apps for gay men Grindr, Scruff, and Jack'd — have joined an ad campaign to reduce violent attacks on LGBT people who meet using social media.

"We hear from people over and over that they will not report violence to police because they met the person through a hook-up app," Sharon Stapel, executive director of the Anti-Violence Project (AVP), told BuzzFeed News. AVP is administering the campaign.

The ads are appearing on screens throughout New York State, with pop-ups on mobile apps and banner ads on websites, providing advice about how to avoid dangerous situations and ways to report violence to confidential sources. "The way people meet is evolving," said Stapel, "but violence is still occurring. We want to reach people where violence is occurring, and that is online."

The incidents this year include a man who allegedly sexually assaulted and robbed another man he met on Grindr in Philadelphia. In May, a man allegedly bashed another man with a hammer after meeting him through Grindr near Seattle. Most recently, a group of men allegedly robbed a man at gunpoint in a Manhattan apartment two weeks ago after meeting on Badoo.com. But many victims don't report their attacks.

"Sex itself is a stigmatized topic, which inhibits us from having productive conversations about the type of sex individuals are having via these social apps," Rentboy.com's Chief Operating Officer Hawk Kinkaid told BuzzFeed News. Kinkaid said, "When you compound this commonly shared stigma with the vulnerability necessary to expose an act of sexual assault, [reporting violence] becomes a daunting prospect for an individual."

Companies have been eager to offer large discounts on the ads, said Stapel. Others participating include Backpage, BGLlive, GROWLr, Hornet, Manhunt, MISTER, and VGL. She added, "It is in their interest to de-stigmatize online hook-ups."

Grindr provided a statement to BuzzFeed News to explain the company's participation noting, "Grindr is committed to the health and safety its users and as such is always looking to work with great organizations like the Anti-Violence Project."

Grindr reported an average of 109 clicks per week to the safety tips web page in August, according to the project's preliminary data, and Rentboy.com is providing 7,000 impressions of the ads per day.

Funded with a $35,525 grant from the New York State Department of Health, the "For a Safe Time" campaign directs users to tips about avoiding violence, such as meeting in public, and links to a confidential reporting form. The campaign also features a 24-hour bilingual telephone hotline.

Rentboy.com's Kinkaid said the Anti-Violence Project ad campaign "resonates with our audience because these are non-judgmental initiatives," and it provides "a safe space to report and seek care for acts of violence."

Likewise, "Grindr guys are used to on-demand services," according to the company's statement. "Having access to information about great initiatives through the app is no different."

Preliminary data on the project, which began in late summer and will continue through December, show the number of calls to the hotline and visits to the Anti-Violence project website have spiked. Anti-Violence Project officials told BuzzFeed News that AVP will continue to assess the results to determine whether the program is a good investment and will detail their findings in a report next year.

The project is currently limited to users in New York, but, Stapel offered, "We would love other health departments to sponsor projects like this in their state."

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