Online dating apps are having a moment – and not in a good way. Between The Great Bumble Fumble of 2024 (in which the once-popular app launched a series of tone-deaf advertisements) and heterosexual women going viral on TikTok for sharing their negative experiences with dating apps , there’s no shortage of criticism around the current state of digital courtship. But for those of us who identify under the 2SLGBTQIA+ rainbow, digital dating can provide a much-needed lifeline.
New data released by Tinder reveals that for many 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, who represent the fastest-growing group on the app globally, dating apps are widely considered essential tools for growth, community building, and self-discovery within the broader queer community. According to Tinder, 2 in 3 Canadian 2SLGBTQIA+ Tinder users (61%) aged 18-34 agreed that online platforms provide a comfortable space for app users to express their authentic sexuality and gender identity. Additionally, 2 in 3 Canadian 2SLGBTQIA+ users (69%) aged 18-34 agree or strongly agree that dating apps help them learn about the kinds of people they like.
While Tinder’s research targeted those in the 18-24-year-old category, much of this rings true for me as a bisexual woman in her 40s. I’m the first to criticize dating apps, but when I came out as bisexual at age 37, dating apps provided an accessible way for me to dip my toes in the queer dating pool. I’d aged out of the bar scene, so meeting new people without shelling .
