Racist Grindr - privilidge or prference

[brnbk]

Grindr announced last week that citizens inhabitants of the United States would get free HIV kits but no such program has been announced for Canada or Mexico. Does Grindr not think that people in other parts of America, let alone the world and ones which have similar infection rates as the US deserve HIV kits as well or is this privilege only for the US.

 

[topblkmale]

How is this racist? Mexico as well as Canada are multi-racial countries.

Xenophobic might be the better term as well as a link to the actual program announcement.

(this topic might be better if moved to the health or politics forums)

[ellentonboy]

@brnbk - quick question.  Have you reached out to management of Grindr and asked them why only certain countries are being offered these free kits?  I am just curious as to their response, and if they are willing to offer these kits to all their subscribers. I think it's a valid question.  You might get them to expand the option to everyone.

[Guest]

Maybe they just havent rolled the programs out there, yet? 

[austin_submale]

It may require different governmental approvals to do something like that in those countries.  There are legalities involved in shipping medical products internationally.  I doubt that Grindr is being racist or even xenophobic.  There is probably some logistical or legal reason why the program is currently only in the US.  It seems unfair to smear their name with possibly false accusations if all the facts aren't known...

 

 

 

[Guest]

I notice Scruff has a search hashtag for "blackonly", but they don't have a "whiteonly" hashtag.

Not that I would ever use that, because I like black men, but sometimes see that when cruising some black guy's profiles.

Out of respect for the preferences of others, they should accommodate everyone or none at all in that regard.

[BergenGuy]

3 hours ago, austin_submale said:

There is probably some logistical or legal reason why the program is currently only in the US.  It seems unfair to smear their name with possibly false accusations if all the facts aren't known...

You're exactly right.  We don't know the facts.  I doubt that Grindr is buying the tests and distributing them on its own.  It is probably working with a manufacturer who is covering much of the cost.  Maybe the manufacturer is doing this as part of a US marketing effort, or the tests haven't received approval outside the US.  Or, the program is fully or partially funded with US grant money that has restrictions.  And, as you pointed out, international shipment of medical products has its own complications.  One can't blame Grindr for not wanting to research and conform to the importation requirements of dozens of countries.

[austin_submale]

3 minutes ago, BergenGuy said:

You're exactly right.  We don't know the facts.  I doubt that Grindr is buying the tests and distributing them on its own.  It is probably working with a manufacturer who is covering much of the cost.  Maybe the manufacturer is doing this as part of a US marketing effort, or the tests haven't received approval outside the US.  Or, the program is fully or partially funded with US grant money that has restrictions.  And, as you pointed out, international shipment of medical products has its own complications.  One can't blame Grindr for not wanting to research and conform to the importation requirements of dozens of countries.

You make some good points.  Tests being approved in other countries is one of those kinds of legal issues that complicates this kind of thing.  And you could very well be right about Grindr working with a manufacturer or maybe some other organization who may not operate in other countries.  This would be a very huge cost for Grindr if they weren't working with someone else.

 

[BergenGuy]

3 hours ago, Muscledadbod said:

I notice Scruff has a search hashtag for "blackonly", but they don't have a "whiteonly" hashtag.

I hadn't paid much attention to the hashtag feature until you mentioned.  It appears that people can create their own hashtags.  So, if someone wants a "whiteonly" hashtag, presumably they create one (unless there's a Scruff policy against it).  I didn't actually try it, so maybe I'm mistaken.

[brnbk]

3 hours ago, austin_submale said:

 It seems unfair to smear their name with possibly false accusations if all the facts aren't known...

 

I was just asking questions and I don't believe any of my questions where unfair...

AIDS is a serious problem, and gays on grindr - in Canada & Mexico are as horny as the guys in the USA -  with the same risk of contracting HIV as their US counterparts. 

1 minute ago, austin_submale said:

Grindr working with a manufacturer or maybe some other organization who may not operate in other countries.  This would be a very huge cost for Grindr if they weren't working with someone else.

 

 Grindr operates and collects subscriptions in other countries as well, and is known internationally as a 'gay brand'. Surely, it is not unreasonable to expect them to think of the global gay community and its needs as well …. which also brings us to the second question: Who is the someone else Grind is working with... and what kind of data will be shared with these partners. 

 

 

[thejadoman]

4 minutes ago, brnbk said:

I was just asking questions and I don't believe any of my questions where unfair...

AIDS is a serious problem, and gays on grindr - in Canada & Mexico are as horny as the guys in the USA -  with the same risk of contracting HIV as their US counterparts. 

 Grindr operates and collects subscriptions in other countries as well, and is known internationally as a 'gay brand'. Surely, it is not unreasonable to expect them to think of the global gay community and its needs as well …. which also brings us to the second question: Who is the someone else Grind is working with... and what kind of data will be shared with these partners. 

 

 

It somewhat is unreasonable to expect them to basically do the job of healthcare providers. 

Looking on Grindr's website, they have a link to global testing resources, so they do think about people in other countries, and the link to order an at home test kit is very clearly a partner with Grindr, and not Grindr supplying the tests themselves.

It was a Google search away.

[think before following links] https://help.grindr.com/hc/en-us/articles/230933567-HIV-testing

[ErosWired]

Follow the money. There’s no such thing as a ‘free’ HIV kit. Someone has to manufacture them, someone has to ship them, someone has to collect them, and someone has to run the lab that tests them, none of those people do their work for free, so someone, somewhere down the line, pays. Because it’s a public health initiative, the one who pays may be the government…which means the taxpayer.

Americans pay taxes in order to receive the benefits their government provides for them as citizens. From time to time, their tax dollars also are spent in the aid of other nations, but this is always because the government has determined that the taxpayer will significantly benefit the outcome of that expenditure. As a general rule, Americans, while on the whole generous, are not wild about the idea of paying for things they get nothing out of.

Lawmakers in particular like to make a political points off of claims that public money is being spent wastefully helping non-Americans. As a result, those administering the programs must be especially conscious about the way funds are disbursed.

If Grindr is operating as a conduit for distribution of HIV kits provided by government agencies or NGOs using federal funding, I guarantee you there are restrictions on sending those kits outside US borders. It has nothing to do with race, ethnicity, nationalism or xenophobia - it has to do with laws that ensure that tax dollars get spent on taxpayers.

This analysis is, of course, based on the assumption that Grindr is indeed drawing upon such a governmental program. If so, however, then if Canadians and Mexicans want Grindr to offer equal service to them, it would seem that their first call should be not ti Grindr, but to their government representatives to determine whether those national governments are providing free kits for distribution…and if not, why the hell not.

[austin_submale]

1 hour ago, brnbk said:

I was just asking questions and I don't believe any of my questions where unfair...

AIDS is a serious problem, and gays on grindr - in Canada & Mexico are as horny as the guys in the USA -  with the same risk of contracting HIV as their US counterparts. 

 Grindr operates and collects subscriptions in other countries as well, and is known internationally as a 'gay brand'. Surely, it is not unreasonable to expect them to think of the global gay community and its needs as well …. which also brings us to the second question: Who is the someone else Grind is working with... and what kind of data will be shared with these partners. 

 

 

You were doing more than just asking questions.  You were making insinuations.  When the first word in the title of your post is "Racist", that's just inflammatory.  That's unfair.  You don't know the whole story, but I think you maybe just have some axe to grind with Grindr.  As for what data is shared, there is probably a link somewhere on there with their privacy and data collection/sharing policies.  Most sites and apps have them if you care to look.  Other people have offered a lot of much more reasonable explanations but you seem bent on defaming Grindr.  Why?  What's your real beef with them?  Surely it isn't just that you want a free test kit?  Come to think of it, don't Canada and Mexico both already have government sponsored "Universal" free health care anyway?  Why would Grindr need to be involved if Canadian and Mexican citizens are already getting free health care?

 

[ErikRaw]

both Canada and Mexico have free medical for their citizens, whereas the USA is pay-to-live.

so maybe there is no need in those countries for a free test because it is already free?

[badubydo]

Not sure how you equate Grindr distributing hiv tests kits in America, a multi-ethnic country as "racist." 

 

Its getting sad that everything we don't like is "fascism, or racism, or xenophobia"  Are we, as adults, past the point of having an actual conversation or doing research into why a company is doing something, we may not agree with, and to the point of just throwing around racism, fascism or xenophobia now? 

 

Each country has different laws. Just because Grindr is doing this in USA doesnt mean they have the rights, or access to do it on Mexico or Canada.... (Which Canada btw, had a social healthcare system) so not sure why Grindr would need to distribute tests there.