Kenya’s largest LGBTQ+ organization GALCK+ is partnering with dating app Grindr to provide users with important information about their rights. GALCK+ is Kenya’s coalition of 16 LGBTQ rights groups “built on acceptance, inclusion and empowerment,” according to their website. The team announced their partnership in early August as a part of the Grindr for Equality initiative.
Grindr for Equality includes wide-ranging initiatives that impact communities large and small on issues that matter to them the most: safety, sexual health, advocacy, and more. Grindr believes right now is the time to mobilize, inform, and empower queer communities around the world.
In July, Grindr announced a partnership with IntraHealth Namibia, a non-profit health care provider based in the capital Windhoek. Through their partnership Grindr is providing Namibia’s app users with crucial information on sexual and mental health and safety according to the Washington Blade.
In Kenya, Grindr users have access to an in-app ‘Know Your Rights’ safety page which not only offers information on current rights issues, but also on free therapy, handling extortion, and more. Another in-app tab titled “Do I have rights?” includes sexual health and safety resources.
In Kenya, LGBTQ+ rights are on tight lockdown, with gay sex and same-sex union being considered illegal offenses. However, the government has also shown tolerance of the LGBTQ+ community, giving asylum to queer people from more strict African countries like Uganda, according to the BBC.
In February of 2023, a small victory for the community came in the form of a court ruling. Kenya’s Supreme Court ruled that the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) could not be lawfully refused registration as an official organization. Despite this, most progress for the rights of LGBTQ+ Kenyans remains to implemented.
Grindr’s initiatives to arm LGBTQ+ Kenyans with information and resources on their own personal and sexual health and relationships is a catalyst for unity across countries where oppression of queer identities is harsh.
