LOS ANGELES — Grindr has officially announced its plan to mobilize gay men as a political bloc in the 2012 elections by delivering geo-targeted messages about equality issues to its 1.5 million U.S. users — and to call those users to action. Grindr for Equality, a social effort developed by Grindr, is this call to action, informing gay men in the United States about the issues, urging them to vote for candidates based on those issues, and getting out their vote in order to have a decisive impact on this upcoming election.
 
Grindr for Equality will work to enhance GLBT rights this election season by doing the following:

• Creating awareness regarding GLBT equality issues being voted on in November;
• Encouraging Grindr users to register to vote, providing them with sources that’ll show them nearby poll locations, and prompting them to vote when the time comes; and
• Promoting knowledge of those presidential candidates and state and local candidates who support GLBT initiatives.

 
Grindr for Equality is about rallying Grindr’s mobile user base of gay men into a nationwide force of informed citizens who vote with equality as their unified goal. Grindr for Equality will utilize Grindr’s geo-location capabilities to deliver targeted in-app messages that spur users into action and produce noticeable change in November’s elections.
 
“We must elect not only a president but representatives and senators who are supportive of our community and our equality,” said Joel Simkhai, founder and CEO of Grindr. “Local elections have national impact, so we want to use Grindr as a tool for mobilizing and connecting gay men around the country to help make a combined national impact.”
 
The outcome of this November’s national elections will be decided in several swing states. Dozens of elections will impact the direction of Congress, so Grindr for Equality’s will work to ensure the gay voice is represented in those elections. Gay men won’t be heard unless they vote – and driving them to vote this fall starts with raising awareness about GLBT issues on the ballots.
 
For example, Grindr for Equality will alert Grindr users in Minnesota to a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage that has been proposed and encourage them to contact their local representatives. Additionally, Grindr for Equality plans to assist Ohio and North Carolina advocates who are working to lift their states’ bans on same-sex marriage.
 
“All elections are won or lost on the local level,” Simkhai said. “‪There is no election or town too small to have a gay voice. We’ll use Grindr to unite gay men across the country, make that voice grow louder and have a nationwide impact.”
 
Grindr is looking to continue its involvement in the political process by tapping into its engaged community of more than 4 million users to receive from them regular updates on GLBT issues on a local, national and international scale. Individuals and like-minded groups are encouraged to send an email with basic contact information and a brief description of how the issue relates to the GLBT community and how Grindr for Equality could provide assistance. Submissions can be sent via email to equality@grindr.com, or visit Grindr.com/Equality for additional information. To download a sample image of the broadcast message Grindr for Equality plans to send this election season, visit www.Grindr.com/election2012. 
 
The Grindr app is available for free on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android and BlackBerry devices. For more information on the app, please visit Grindr.com or Grindr.com/Press.
 
About Grindr for Equality
Grindr for Equality was established by Grindr to raise awareness for GLBT issues and spur action across the globe. Launched in 2009, Grindr is the premier all-male geo-social network that uses location-based technologies to bring together a global community of more than 4 million users in 192 countries. Leveraging its geo-targeting software and massive global user base, Grindr has the capacity to provide assistance within the GLBT community and harness the power of its location-based network to contact people in specific geographic areas en masse. This has included participation in recent significant GLBT campaigns, such as the overturning of Proposition 8 and the recent passage of marriage equality in New York State. For more information about Grindr for Equality, please visit Grindr4Equality.com9