Grindr President Says Marriage Is Between A Man And A Woman, Sparks Backlash Within Gay Dating App Company

The president of popular gay dating app Grindr, Scott Chen, recently declared his personal feelings and opinions about marriage in a Facebook post. His comments, in which he declares, “marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman,” has sparked a backlash within the company, reported the Guardian.

Scott Chen became president of the Los Angeles based company after Joel Simkhai, Grindr’s founder, announced that he was stepping down from his role as CEO earlier this year. Kunlun Group, a Chinese technology firm, took over the company and Chen, formerly chief technology officer, recently became the app’s president.

In the Facebook post, which has since been deleted, Chen criticizes Christian groups fighting against marriage equality, but then contradicts himself by commenting that his own personal beliefs go against gay marriage.

“Some people think the marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman. And I think so too. But that’s your own business. Some people think the purpose of the marriage is to have a child carries your DNA. But again, that’s your own business.”

The post was publicized by digital magazine Into, owned by Grindr. The publication also took further steps to report the comments to its parent company. Zach Stafford, the editor of Into and Grindr’s chief content officer, explained the severity of Chen’s comments and Into’s motives for reporting him.

“Grindr’s goal as a company is to help seek the full equity of all LGBT people’s rights around the world, especially when it comes to dating and love. And marriage for many is an end goal to our app.”

After Chen’s post was criticized, he wrote a follow-up message further explaining his stance on the issue.

“The reason I said marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman is based on my own personal experience. I am a straight man married to a woman I love and I have two beautiful daughters I love from the marriage. This is how I feel about my marriage. Different people have their different feelings about their marriages. You can’t deny my feelings about my marriage. I am a huge advocate for LGBTQ+ rights since I was young. I support gay marriage and I am proud that I can work for Grindr.”

The original Facebook post came in response to a recent gay marriage debate in Taiwan. Voters ultimately rejected same-sex marriage in a referendum organized by Christian groups. If the legalization of gay marriage had passed, Taiwan would have become the first country in Asia to allow gay couples to share child custody and insurance benefits.