Grindr, the American gay male connections application – with lesbian and straight versions on the way, just marked its first birthday. There was a party to celebrate it in many cities, including Sydney, but there is now something missing. Instead of greeting their second year with characteristic brashness, the site declared a ban on photo images of pubic hair, sexually explicit imagery and anything revealing the beast below the waist.
In future, all users must comply with the strict new guidelines or their images and text will face, at worst removal, at least, cropping. This is not a solitary venture on Grindr’s part. It is an integral component of the company’s attempt to abide by the PG-13 or family-friendly standards implemented by Apple for all iPhone applications. The new rules are very specific – read explicit.
“No bare skin below the waistline (hip bone area) or above the upper thighs can be shown,” … “Pants and shorts must be worn normally, buttoned, and not pulled or hanging down.” The users are also not permitted to post “images that show suggestive or overly sexual poses,” and “contain sex props and toys, including the use of fruits/vegetables.”
The new rules also take into consideration profiles. Barred are all references to sexual acts or to the participating organs. Users cannot refer to any intention or desire to take part in unsafe sex. However, they can continue to send explicitly sexual messages to each other containing images of pubic hair, genitalia, etc, via private messages.
