Who can forget Laverne Cox in her role as Sophia Burset in the Netflix hit Orange is the New Black. For her role, she received an Emmy nomination and has continued to be a public figure in transgender rights advocacy. She even produced a documentary, “Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word.”
Then there’s Elliot Page, star of “Juno” and “The Umbrella Academy,” who publicly declared his trans identity in 2020. Page uses his stature to raise public awareness of trans issues, such as access to gender-affirming treatment, and continues to be an advocate for trans rights and equality.
These are just two of over 30 celebrities who are openly trans (we can’t forget Caitlyn Jenner and Chaz Bono of course) and who continue to be advocates for legal and social inclusion of this population.
Celebrities are one thing. They are pretty safe and secure. The world of the average trans navigating his or her life in today’s political and social environment is not so grand, safe, or secure. Employment, housing, healthcare, and even their education are impacted. Worst of all, they aren’t safe, facing more abuse and violence than any other LGBTQ+ segment. And God forbid they seek love on the streets - they could end up in the hospital if not at the Pearly Gates.
Enter Online Dating
Online dating has been around since 1995, with the rather primitive but consequential launch of Match. Since that time, thousands of online dating apps have come to be, serving all sorts of populations - heteros, LGBTQ+, seniors, farmers, specific religious groups, even clowns. In short, online dating apps come in all shapes and sizes. And they also come in all varieties of quality, just like any consumer product. What’s more, today’s consumers want speed and efficiency, and that translates to their dating behaviors too.
Safety is the Key for Transgenders
There are levels of safety on dating apps:
Email or phone number: Newcomers give one of these and then a code is sent to confirm. This only confirms that someone has that phone or email address.
Photo/Liveness: Users submit photos or short videos and facial recognition software confirms that the two are the same. It’s better but doesn’t tell much more than that.
Optional Verification: Users can opt to prove their identities with government-issued IDs. For those who opt for this, identity is confirmed.
Mandatory Verification: Every member must pass the identity check, usually live selfie video and facial recognition, before they can become active. This is “tight” verification.
Why Transgenders Find Online Dating Beneficial
For the trans community, the alternative of digital dating is pretty attractive. If they use safe and reputable online dating apps, they have the chance to look for the types of relationships they seek in a safe space and explore possible partners before deciding to move forward in a real life relationship.
It allows people to go at their own pace and to spend time getting to know someone really well. And they can connect with multiple possibles at the same time and compare for the most compatible.
The biggest piece here, though, is finding those apps that are safe and reputable - some of which we will describe here.
HER
This app was founded in 2015 by a lesbian for all queer women, including transgenders, and for anyone who seeks relationships with them. It has also expanded to include trans men too. Good for them! Today it has about 15 million members, most of whom are in North America, the UK, and Australia. The dating pool for transgenders in America is large
Relative to safety, HER does have a solid ID verification process which includes live video selfies and facial recognition, synced with photos, and a moderation team that continues to monitor public behavior of all users.
Verification is optional but those who opt for it have a “badge” on their profile pages. Transgenders who want safety will opt for this and only connect with others who do too.
Personal information is encrypted and securely stored.
Taimi
This is not a specific trans dating app. It is a huge mainstream LGBTQ+ inclusive one with well over 29 million members, most of whom are in the US. It is so large that its transgender membership ranges in the hundreds of thousands and honors those who are looking for any type of relationship.
In terms of safety, identity verification is optional but does include the newly popular live selfie and facial recognition tech. Trans men and women should opt for it and, again, only connect with others who do the same.
Personal information of all users is encrypted and held behind SSL tech and firewalls.
Tinder
Another huge mainstream dating app that’s been around since 2012. It completed the addition of all LGBTQ+ gender identities in 2016, including trans men and women. It is most famous for introducing the swiping feature for users to accept or reject the potentials it presented.
In terms of safety, Tinder has several measures in place.
Identity verification, though optional, includes photo verification to confirm user identity and places a badge on profiles of those who have opted in. Biometric verification is already being used in some places and will probably roll out globally in the next few years.
The app has a panic button which users can tap when on a date. This alerts local authorities and brings them on.
User personal information is encrypted so it cannot be accessed by anyone else.
Hinge
Another mainstream app that includes all genders, including trans, that’s been around since 2012. Transgenders need to know that it is focused only on long-term relationships, so anyone looking for more casual relationships should look somewhere else.
Identity verification includes specific instructions to activate a user’s camera and take a selfie. This is then checked and results in a “selfie verified badge” on the user’s profile. It is optional, but trans users should opt for it and, as usual, only connect with others who do likewise. (same old story).
Personal information is encrypted and securely held.
After Date Debriefing: Here’s a unique feature. When users tell Hinge they are going on a date, Hinge contacts them after the date to see how things went. Just a nice personalized touch, don’t you think?
New Kids on the Block
There are two very new online dating apps that support the trans community - Fiorray and Gettit. Both launched this year but already have rave reviews from users to far, especially in terms of safety and security.
Fiorry
Fiorry has a mandatory identification verification that involves both the common selfie videos and recognition, but also does a fully manual verification check too. This takes a while, but is probably worth it for trans who want full safety as they connect with others. Fiorry does support all types of relationship goals, encrypts personal info, and has a published code of conduct.
Gettit
Identification verification is mandatory for everyone who joins. It is the user’s responsibility to verify who they are, and the app takes their documentation and verifies it.
Safety in Matching: Gettit is location-based, and users are shown a grid of those compatibles who are active in real time. The user’s location is “fuzzed out” until they decide to reveal it to someone they have chosen from the grid.
And yes, personal info is encrypted.
There is a fee to join: yep, a whopping $0.99 cents a month. It’s small but brings in some cash. There’s a premium subscription at $9.99/month with more perks. Users should check out the app for the details.
We’ve Come to the End of the Road…
This one, at least. There are other online dating apps that include trans men and women, but this is the end of our road. These should give anyone looking to get into online dating safely a good start. Go forth and date!
