Arts & Entertainment
Grindr president defends marriage ‘is between a man and a woman’ comment
Scott Chen says reporting on his statement was ‘unbalanced and misleading’

(Photo via Bigstock)
Grindr president Scott Chen is under fire for a Facebook comment he posted last week saying “marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman.”
Chen, who became president in August after Chinese tech company Kunlun Group acquired the dating app, posted a story about HTC president and CEO Cher Wang’s support for anti-LGBT groups in the U.S. that were against same-sex marriage in Taiwan. Into, Grindr’s digital magazine, first reported on the posts which were translated from Chinese to English.
“There are people who believe that marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman. I agree but that’s none of our business. There are also people who believe that the purpose of marriage is to create children that carry their DNA. That’s also none of our business. There are people that are simply different from you, who desperately want to get married. They have their own reasons,” Chen wrote in the since-deleted post.
He added: “Why spend all that money to stop people who love each other from getting married? Aren’t there more important stuff in life? I’ll never buy HTC products ever again, and I’ll never donate a cent to any Christian groups in Taiwan.”
Into published the story on Thursday writing on social media that Chen “does not support same-sex marriage.”
BREAKING: INTO has learned that President of Grindr does not support same-sex marriage, according to deleted social post. https://t.co/Heb7KeVDqB pic.twitter.com/0x3tvSKxAK
— INTO (@Into) November 29, 2018
Chen responded in the comments of the story calling it “unbalanced and misleading” and that he had never been approached for comment. He continued on that his comments were mistranslated and the story “hurts Into and Grindr’s reputation.”
Into updated their original story to include Chen’s statement that he believes his post was misconstrued.
“The reason I said marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman is based on my own personal experience. I am a straight man married to a woman I love and I have two beautiful daughters I love from the marriage. This is how I feel about my marriage. Different people have their different feelings about their marriages. You can’t deny my feelings about my marriage,” Chen says.“I am a huge advocate for LGBTQ+ rights since I was young. I support gay marriage and I am proud that I can work for Grindr.”
Celebrate the start of Pride month at the Queer Magic Dance Party at the Black Cat on Saturday, June 6. Doors open at 9 p.m.
There will be pole performances and demonstrations, a free photo booth with glitter bar, a queer vendor market, tarot readings by Skye Marinda Tarot, a drag performance by Sapphica, and dancing to a blend of smooth R&B, Afrobeats, hip-hop and pop by Slammer & Saba. Tickets are $20 at the door or $15 (plus fees) in advance, purchased here.
Local queer journalists will celebrate Pride this weekend at the annual NLGJA-DC Pride Happy Hour event at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.) on Saturday, June 6, 3-5 p.m. Admission is free.
Out & About
DC Front Runners Pride Run 5K set for Saturday
Annual event held at historic Congressional Cemetery
The 14th annual DC Front Runners’ Pride 5K run/walk is set for Saturday, June 6 at historic Congressional Cemetery. The race starts and ends at the cemetery (1801 E St., S.E.) and passes through scenic D.C., along the Anacostia River trail and the fields at RFK campus. Registration ends Friday at 11:59 p.m.
Runners can pick up their race packets on Saturday from 7-8:30 a.m. at Congressional Cemetery; the race begins at 9 a.m.
The fee to run the 5K in person is $65 ($35 for those under age 20). Proceeds benefit local LGBTQ nonprofits, including Thrive DC, Wanda Alston Foundation, Blade Foundation, Ainsley’s Angels, SMYAL, and Team DC. Visit DCFrontRunners.org for more information.
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