Grindr President Faces Backlash Over Same-Sex Marriage Comments

3rd December 2018 Dominic Whitlock

Grindr president Scott Chen has been forced to defend himself after appearing to reveal that he does not support same-sex marriage.

Chen published a post on Facebook which criticised right-wing groups in Taiwan for introducing three referendums that ultimately blocked same-sex marriage.

However, early in the post, which has since been deleted, Chen wrote: “Some people think the marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman. And I think so too. But that’s your own business.”

The odd remark was first reported by INTO magazine, an online lifestyle publication which is owned by Grindr.

Chen criticised the article for being published without notifying him first, but Zach Stafford, the editor in chief of INTO, said they requested a quote and never received a response.

The Grindr president commented on INTO’s article claiming Facebook’s automatic translation from Chinese to English mis-represented the point he was making.

He explained: “The reason I said marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman is based on my own personal experience.

“I am a straight man married to a woman I love and I have two beautiful daughters I love from the marriage. This is how I feel about my marriage.”

Unsurprisingly, the quote has not been well received in the LGBTQ community. Manhunt reposted the New York Times article on Twitter and asked: “Wonder if THIS is what they meant by ‘be kindr’”.

Scruff CEO Eric Silverberg wrote on his LinkedIn page: “[It’s] become clear that the personal beliefs of tech leaders matter more than ever – the leaders of big tech need to be held to higher standards.

“It’s time we move our swipes and likes to online communities led by individuals capable of standing behind their beliefs and actions, and who are aware of the moral impact of the business decisions they make.”