HER Dating App Takes Bold Stand Against Transphobia

28 Apr HER Dating App Takes Bold Stand Against Transphobia

Posted at 14:45h in Blog by Aby Hawker

To mark Lesbian Visibility Day (April 26th) HER, the FLINTA (Female, Lesbian, Intersex, Trans and Agender) dating and community app made its stance on transphobia abundantly clear.

In a blog post CEO and Founder, Robyn Exton, announced that the brand was “snatching back the term “lesbian” from the clutches of TERFs and bigots who’ve tried to hijack it to fuel their transphobia and hatred.” An alert was then sent out to subscribers inviting those who were not aligned with its values to leave.

A message for transphobes: Time to delete HER. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

The communication was echoed in the brand’s social media posts, which at the time of writing had resulted in HER App’s Twitter account being suspended (a tactic often resulting from a ‘pile on’ by gender critical, or anti trans activists). In a move which suggests the brand has no intention of backing down, the marketing team took to Instagram to announce the development.

HER App’s “all in” approach makes a refreshing change from the performative allyship we’ve seen from so many brands lately, the most recent being Bud Lite which, upon receiving the inevitable backlash in response to featuring trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney on one of its cans, put out a lacklustre response, after staying silent for days.

As political parties in the UK and the United States alike continue to stoke the culture wars placing the trans “debate” firmly at the centre of their strategic approach, brands need to either step up and show their solidarity, or step off this hot potato.

Brands that use trans identities to demonstrate just how diverse and inclusive they are, but then run for the hills at the first sign of trouble, will not only harm the community but end up coming across as insincere and inauthentic – at a time when being true to these values is more important to consumers than ever before.

The HER App describes itself as “an ever-growing, safe space to be your authentic self and find your people…because the only way to make connections is by feeling safe enough to be ourselves…without fear.” Clearly, the brand has found that its ability to create this safe space has been negatively impacted by those who hold transphobic views and so it has taken steps to tackle the issue head on, not only accepting that it will lose customers, but openly inviting them to leave.

It’s too early to say how this move will impact the brand’s user base but one thing is for sure, dating on the HER App will be far safer for gender nonconforming people without those who choose hate, subscribing to the app.

If you would like help navigating this space or you just want to improve your knowledge around trans inclusion and awareness get in touch: info@transmissionpr.com.