Current Affairs

Grindr comes Out4Marriage and urges a million users to LobbyALord for equal marriage

Jun 01 2013
Written by Joseph McCormick

The world’s largest gay dating app Grindr has come Out4Marriage, urging over a million UK users to lobby peers in the House of Lords ahead of next week’s debate around the Marriage (same sex couples) Bill.

Grindr sent a message, urging its UK members to Lobby a Lord, using the new site up by equal marriage campaign group Out4Marriage.

The website, LobbyALord, was launched today by equal marriage campaign group Out4Marriage, and allows users to either lobby a randomly picked peer ahead of next week’s debate, or search and identify peers based on their equal marriage or LGBT rights stance.

As part of the Grindr for Equality programme, Joel Simkhai Grindr’s creator and CEO, offered his support the moves for marriage equality in England and Wales by pairing up with the digital marriage equality group Out4Marriage.

James-J Walsh, Director Campaigns said “Grindr’s contribution to our efforts to sure up votes ahead of the second reading vote next week have come at a critical time. Using their unparalleled reach we hope to get more ordinary people talking to the Peers, and telling them why marriage equality for them is so important.

“Many of Grindr’s users won’t be at the point in their life where they’re looking to settle down and get married yet, but one day they may want to and it’s therefore vital they have their say now to ensure that possibility is open to them in the future.

“We would urge anyone regardless of their age, or whether their currently in a relationship to talk to a Peer about why they want to see marriage equality, if they don’t do it today they may never have the option of getting married”.

Next week’s House of Lords vote on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill will now take place on Tuesday in the daytime, after supporters warned voting in the early hours could put the bill at risk.

On Wednesday, Baroness Thornton warned against allowing next week’s House of Lords second reading debate on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill to drag on into the late hours.

With at least 86 peers having requested to speak on Monday, the vote could have happened as late as 3am.

A government source said: “The government wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise the equal marriage bill and it’s disingenuous to pretend it would. If we need to have the vote in the Lords the next day because second reading is likely to run past peers bedtimes, then that’s fine.”