Tinder's Queer Made Weekend: Where Entrepreneurial Sparks Fly, Rainbows Reign Supreme
In an exclusive conversation with Deccan Chronicle, Papri Dev, Vice President of Communications for APAC at Tinder, reveals the motivations and impacts of Tinder's Queer Made Weekend, an initiative dedicated to supporting and celebrating LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs in India. Through this insightful dialogue, we explored Tinder's broader commitment to inclusivity and acceptance, the tangible effects of Queer Made Weekend on participating businesses, and future plans for this vibrant event.
What motivated Tinder to launch Queer Made Weekend, and how does it fit into the app's broader commitment to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community?
In 2021, Tinder launched Queer Made in partnership with Little Black Book and Gaysi Family, to provide a digital space for over 100+ LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs and business owners. It is a space dedicated to celebrating, supporting and amplifying businesses and products made, owned and/or run by India’s LGBTQIA+ community. The aim was to empower entrepreneurial voices, foster discovery, and inspire users in-app and online to deepen their allyship, a commitment that continues today. The initiative expanded IRL in 2022, where Tinder organized a two-day festival, Queer Made Weekend in Delhi and last year, Tinder expanded the festival to Delhi and Mumbai, with a footfall of 30k+. This year, over 30 LGBTQIA+ owned businesses from diverse categories such as Fashion, Art, Merch, Accessories etc., from across India were featured at Tinder’s Queer Made Weekend, along with 10+ artist line-ups in both cities such as Sushant Divgikar, Kofi Kofi, Anika Singh, among many more from the community.
As a strong ally of the LGBTQIA+ community, Tinder’s vision is to help users create meaningful connections and a place where people can be their authentic selves. Queer Made Weekend is an extension of that vision; an avenue for everyone to show their support to queer entrepreneurs from across different spectrums of gender, sexuality, age and location, who will showcase their work and reach new and more audiences, supporting them to continue doing what they love. Additionally, this event not only facilitates natural and meaningful connections but also aims to create a space for queer singles and allies to meet like-minded individuals and support LGBTQIA+ business owners and artists.
Picture Courtesy : DC
How does Tinder see its role in promoting inclusivity and acceptance, both within the dating app space and beyond?
Inclusivity and authenticity are core values at Tinder and drive all our efforts. Since its inception, Tinder has supported the representation of queer narratives in popular culture, especially stories of love, romance, partnership, and all the little sparks in between in all our campaigns. We work with organisations like Gaysi Family in India to run campaigns, passing the mic to organisations to help them fight misconceptions these communities face and cultivate acceptance among Tinder’s vast audiences both in-app and online. Through community initiatives like Museum of Queer Swipe Stories, LetsTalkGender.in, spearheaded by experts and organizations that work in this space, we seek to create a safe digital and IRL space for people of the community to explore dating and relationships.
This Pride month, we released a first Queer Dating Starter Pack providing quick check-ins for young first-time queer daters as they navigate their fuzzy, fiery dating firsts on Tinder. Tinder users in India will also see Swipe Cards in-app directing them to the Queer Dating Starter Pack. Building on the LetsTalkGender.in guide and glossary launched by Tinder in 2022, the new checklist is integrated into this resource to be a trusted companion, providing quick check-ins as they navigate their dating firsts on Tinder!
Tinder also introduced a series of profile stickers such as ‘Came Out Online’, ‘My First Pride’ and more, giving them more options to users to express themselves and connect with others in an authentic and relatable way. These stickers were designed by Tinder’s LGBTQIA+ staff, to help users express their identities, show support, and connect with others this Pride month. These stickers are available in the app and users can view The Pride Sticker Center and add stickers to their profile by tapping on in-app notifications.
Picture Courtesy : DC
What kind of impact has Queer Made Weekend had on the businesses and entrepreneurs who have participated in the past, and what support will they have from Tinder this year?
With each passing year, Tinder's Queer Made Weekend has grown significantly, attracting overwhelming turnout and strong support from both the community and allies. The festival has showcased a diverse array of queer-owned businesses and creative expressions, with performances by home-grown artists adding vibrancy and energy to the events.
Before Tinder’s Queer Made Weekend, cities in India had never seen such a vibrant collection of queer businesses. This year, the event was supported by partners such as DLF, Instax, Lone Wolf Co., Third Roast, and other brand partners who joined forces with Tinder. The fact that over 30K attendees participated over three days across two cities is a testament to the event’s scale and impact, making it one of the largest of its kind. The increasing number of applications streaming in shows that brands benefit from and appreciate this platform. It's also worth noting that none of the brands, regardless of their size, are charged for these stalls. We look forward to continuing the momentum and working with our partners and queer businesses.
Are there plans to expand Queer Made Weekend to other cities or countries in the future?
At present, our primary focus is on making the current events in Delhi and Mumbai as impactful and successful as possible. However, we are always exploring opportunities for expansion and are excited about the potential to bring Queer Made Weekend to other cities in India in the future.