Did the LGBTQ+-focused dating app Grindr threaten to "reveal every Republican legislator and party official who secretly uses" it, if "Florida doesn't stop passing homophobic and transphobic laws"? No, that's not true: The original wording for the allegation comes from the Twitter account of a satirical website. Grindr also told Lead Stories that it values the privacy of its users.
The claim appeared in a post on Instagram published on March 23, 2023, with the description "Oh please do! 😂." The image in the post says:
BREAKING: The gay dating app Grindr says if Florida doesn't stop passing homophobic and transphobic laws, they'll reveal every Republican legislator and party official who secretly uses the app.
This is what the social media post looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Mon Mar 27 16:02:50 2023 UTC)
The social media post originally appeared as a tweet on the Twitter account of the satirical website The Halfway Post. This is what the site's "About" page says:
Based out of St. Louis, The Halfway Post publishes America's most halfway true satirical news and Dada journalism. When it comes to the hypocrisy, hubris, and egomania of contemporary conservatism in America, I tell the quiet part out loud.
The description for The Halfway Post's Twitter account further spells out its intent:
Dada news. Halfway true comedy and satire by @DashMacIntyre. I don't report the facts, I improve them.
The screenshot of the tweet by The Halfway Post used on Instagram doesn't include any of the disclaimers that would normally tip off readers as to its satirical nature.
In a March 24, 2023, email, Grindr spokesperson Patrick Lenihan provided this response to Kaiyah Clarke of Lead Stories:
This claim is false. Grindr protects the privacy of all its users. Anti-LGBTQ legislation is abominable and cruel, and we vehemently condemn any laws that restrict, deny, or abolish the rights of LGBTQ people.
Other Lead Stories fact checks involving The Halfway Post can be found here.
