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Grindr Releases HIV Test Locator in India

Grindr has added an HIV test locating programme to their app in India. The service is the first of its kind in the country.

The release is the work of Grindr’s outreach programme, Grindr for Equality.

The gay dating app has partnered with the Varta Trust, one of India’s largest LGBTQ+ organisations, to produce the locator. It will allow their 10,000 Indian users to find trusted HIV tests in 30 towns and cities.

The database is constantly being updated and more locations are being added all the time.

On PinkNews, Jack Harrison-Quintana, the the Executive Director of Grindr for Equality said: “This is a historic partnership that will greatly enable and empower the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community in India to identify queer-friendly providers and receive the care and support they deserve.”

The founder of the Varta Trust, Pawan Dhall, explained that the app tackles an important issue for the LGBTQ+ community in India.

Dhall told PinkNews: “Queer people in India still find it difficult to quickly locate health and legal services, including online.

“Added to that is the question of the service provider being queer sensitive.

“So, even now, if you’re queer and you want a reliable HIV test in India, you’d have to ask a doctor, someone in the know, or know what to search for online. This locator can help reduce these obstacles significantly.”

In 2017, the Indian Government passed a bill ensuring equal rights for those suffering with HIV/AIDS. There will now be criminal charges for anyone who is found guilty of discrimination towards sufferers.

Grindr has previously been criticised for sharing its users’ HIV statuses with a third-party software company. This new development will be a positive step for the GBTQ platform in the area of user safety.

Read more here.

Dominic Whitlock

Dominic is the Editor for Global Dating Insights. Originally from Devon, England he achieved a BA in English Language & Linguistics from The University of Reading. He enjoys a variety of sports and has a further passion for film and music.

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