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November 14, 2014
128248935

We See You and Welcome You

Yeni Sleidi/ 8 Comments/ 1767852

Sexuality and gender aren’t black and white, and the LGBTQ community has made great strides in pushing that point. But some people didn’t get the memo.

Despite a growing demand for visibility, mainstream dating sites still don’t include queer and transgender as options. And why is that? Let’s be real. It’s because they’re businesses, and the people who run them have money on their minds. They think that by adding options that aren’t widely understood or accepted, they’ll risk scaring off their main contributors: cisgender and straight users. So even though most of them allow you to identify as gay, they refuse to go the extra step to accommodate their other marginalized members. Therefore, people who can’t properly identify themselves have to settle for choices that are “close enough.” But that’s not good enough.

I’m a queer woman, and because I know how frustrating it is to be misrepresented, I made sure that Mesh doesn’t put anyone in a box. We regret that it’s taken so long for someone to do it, but we’re proud to be the first to allow our queer and transgender members to be true to themselves. It was an easy decision, because we have your best interest in mind. And we know that the spectrum extends far beyond five letters, so this is just a start.

At Mesh, we practice what we preach. We know that your identity is inherent, and we respect it. You don’t need to wear a disguise, because we welcome you just the way you are.

And here’s a message to those other sites: you can wrap yourself up in a rainbow flag and sing along to Macklemore’s “Same Love,” but if you’re strategic about whom you choose to acknowledge, you’re not really an ally, you’re just an opportunist.

We welcome you

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gender inclusive LGBTQ online dating sexuality
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Written by Yeni Sleidi

Co-founder and social community manager at Mesh.

View all articles by Yeni Sleidi

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8 Comments

Leave a comment
  1. shentoncarrington
    April 14, 2014 at 02:18 pm

    Well said. Wish you well with this. Hope it flies.

    Reply
    1. Guest
      April 15, 2014 at 09:04 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
    2. Yeni Sleidi
      April 15, 2014 at 09:07 pm

      Thanks, Shenton!

      Reply
  2. Jiyu
    April 25, 2014 at 04:54 pm

    What about ace options? Or are dating sites still for sexuals only?

    Reply
    1. Yeni Sleidi
      April 29, 2014 at 02:48 pm

      Hey, Jiyu. Like I wrote in my article, adding queer and transgender as identification options is just a start. As we grow, we’ll continue to do things that will improve everyone’s experience on Mesh.

      Reply
  3. pizza what
    October 04, 2014 at 02:55 pm

    Do you offer an option for asexuality? I don’t think that I fit under the “queer” umbrella.

    Reply
    1. pizza what
      October 04, 2014 at 03:07 pm

      Sorry, I just noticed the comment from 5 months earlier. Can you announce it when you add it or something? It’s the only thing that’s holding me back from joining.

      Reply
      1. Yeni Sleidi
        October 04, 2014 at 03:11 pm

        We want you to feel comfortable, so we’ll definitely let you know when it becomes an option!

        Reply

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