Grindr Launches At-Home STI Testing Initiative
In an approach to combat elevated sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates among gay, bi, trans and queer people, the social dating app Grindr rolled out a new initiative providing users the chance to order at-home STI testing kits. Ellen Jenne wrote about this very issue in a recent blog post highlighting the new service the app rolled out to address elevated rates of STI infections among gay and bisexual men who have sex with me (GBMSM) in London.
Grindr partnered with Prepster at The Love Tank to deliver this initiative. PrEPster is a program part of the broader ‘The Love Tank’ community organization, a not-for-profit community interest community (CIC) providing education and research to under-served communities. This trailblazing partnership is why the initiative of providing at-home STI testing kits to users of the Grindr app is now introduced in London.
Grindr writes that this initiative will not only help users obtain knowledge of their health status but also help the app serve as a role model for other social networking apps to also make an emphasis on sexual health matters.
The initiative has already been successful in other countries like Ireland, Georgia, New Zealand and the US. The rate of STI diagnosis among GBMSM in London is recorded to be 15 times higher compared to that of the general population. This statistic is a reason why the initiative has been introduced in London and Grindr also writes that these numbers represent true people with actual struggles relating to fear and discrimination.
In their Grindr Unwrapped for 2023, the app shared statistics about what city users explored the most to attempt a connection with another user and London ranked first. Although a statistic from the previous year, the city’s popularity for being searched the most in one year highlights the importance of introducing the initiative in London overall.
The at-home self-test kits address common fears around STI testing such as physical transportation, fear of judgment and limited clinic hours. The at-home self-test kits address physical transportation barriers in allowing users to test at the convenience of their own homes at any time and be free of any judgment they would otherwise face in a physical clinic location.
Additionally, Grindr promises to not share information it obtains from its users when collecting data to send the kits to users.
Here is how the free and confidential service works:
Access: Users access the service directly from their profile by clicking on the button “Free STI Kit”
Eligibility: After clicking the “Free STI Kit” button, users will be guided through the basic steps to confirm their eligibility for the free testing kit.
Privacy: Once confirmed, the kit will be discreetly delivered to the user’s address. Users can then collect their samples in the privacy of their own homes.
Return: After collecting samples, users can return the kit using the provided free postage.
Results: Within a couple of days of returning the kit, users receive their results via notifications through SHL’s secure platform.
Confidentiality: Throughout the entire process, from ordering to receiving results, users’ information remains strictly confidential and is never shared with Grindr.
This public health push from one of the world’s largest social dating apps provides clear access, guided steps and convenient knowledge of health status. Ordering an STI self-test kit to reduce common burdens faced from members of the GBMSM community will help individuals achieve peace of mind in their community in an attempt to lower the overall heightened STI rates among these individuals.
