Ironically, even though white gay men respond to messages in general less frequently than gay men of color they fail to attract the highest rate of responses to the messages they send. On OkCupid white gay men respond to messages from all races at an average rate of 41.4%, but gay men of color respond to messages from all races at an average rate of 49.3%. White gay men also respond less frequently to messages in general than gay men of color. They respond to messages from other white men 44% of the time but respond only 37.3% of the time to men of color.
![black gay men in action black gay men in action](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/06/19/USAT/e0cb1486-b336-47f0-810b-6fc2d94b663c-attack.jpeg)
Based on data published by OkTrends, a blog produced by OkCupid, white gay men respond more often to OkCupid messages from other white men than from men of color. Queer men of color have fewer options in online dating than queer white men.ĭata suggests these stories are not uncommon or unique. These are just a few stories that illustrate the effects of racism within online dating communities comprising mostly gay men. For instance, one white man asked him, “Do you wanna make a white man your slave?” Another white man refused to believe he was Black, citing his “Chinese-looking eyes.” And the attention he does receive for identifying as Black isn’t favorable – it’s frequently unsolicited and racialized. He waits until he meets someone to reveal his real name and racial/ethnic identity because men sometimes stop talking to him when they find out he’s partly Indian.Īnother person I know is Black but has self-identified as mixed-race on Grindr because he gets little attention when he identifies himself as Black.
![black gay men in action black gay men in action](https://wonderclub.com/images/LEGSHOW/LEGSHOW200112.jpg)
But in online dating profiles he uses a common English first name and an Italian surname.
![black gay men in action black gay men in action](https://c.files.bbci.co.uk/15CB2/production/_110666298_jake1.jpg)
One queer man of color I know is half-Indian and half-Italian with a common Indian name. I’ve met a few people who have experienced problems with online dating. Systems of oppression based on race sometimes pressure queer men of color to lie about or hide their racial/ethnic identity in online dating spaces like Grindr in order to get positive romantic and sexual attention. In the world of gay online dating, your race affects your romantic and sexual connections, whether your potential partners realize it or not. Wonky Wednesday: Racism in Gay Online Dating