Grindr Adds Transgender Inclusivity to Popular LGBTQ App
Popular LGBTQ social media app Grindr has been around since 2009. The well-known dating site recently added transgender inclusivity as an option for users looking to define themselves on the platform.
Peter Sloterdyk, Grindr's VP of Marketing, sat down with Alyssa Julya Smith in Los Angeles to talk about why they decided it was time to add the updates, and what it means for the LGBTQ community. He explains that the company received feedback from trans users about changes they could make to improve their experience on the app.
Sloterdyk explains that the app consulted with trans leaders like the National Center for Transgender Equality to make sure the addition was done right. He says the company wanted to make sure that transgender people felt included on the app, and did not feel awkward when signing on.
To launch the changes, Grindr did a video with transgender activist Jen Richards, asking users about common interactions on the app and capturing their reactions when they shared with them the new changes.
Natalie Fertig, federal cannabis policy reporter at Politico Pro, joins Cheddar News to discuss a new YouGov poll that looks at how Americans feel about marijuana and politics.
A virtual gathering in the online space, Decentraland, of Elvis Presley impersonators is looking to grab the Guinness World Record for most Elvis impersonators in one place after the record-keeping org recently approved the use of avatars as stand-ins for people.
A powerful winter storm hit the Northeast over the weekend leaving 100,000 New Yorkers in the dark as well as snowfall up to 30.9 inches in parts of Massachusetts. The nor'easter hit with blizzard conditions of wind speed and poor visibility.
After classic rocker Neil Young demanded removal of his music from Spotify over vaccine misinformation coming from The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the platform made the decision to take down Young's songs and continue supporting Rogan with whom they have an exclusive contract. The move touched off a firestorm of controversy, leading to responses from both the streaming service and the podcasting host. Evan Nierman, CEO of Red Banyan Crisis PR, joined Cheddar to break down the latest on the fracas. "I think when [Spotify] initially said, we're not going to be commenting on that, that was a silly move because guess what? They did end up commenting about it, and nine times out of 10, when an organization says they're not going to be issuing a comment, they ultimately do," Nierman noted.
The 1999 cult classic "Fight Club" has been given a very different ending in China — and this time, the authorities win. Cheddar News speaks with Joan Solsman, senior media reporter at CNET who breaks down how China is using films for political messaging.
NFT art platform TRLab recently raised $4.2 million in funding. TRLab launched just last year but says its platform focused on NFT curation and distribution is growing quickly. The company hopes to bridge traditional and digital art worlds and help artists explore NFTs as an emerging medium. TRLab co-founder and chairwoman Xin Li-Cohen and co-founder and CEO Audrey Ou joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
