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.”
The annual CAMP Rehoboth fundraiser, SUNFESTIVAL, was held over Labor Day weekend in Rehoboth Beach, Del. The festival included a massive dance party at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center on Sunday.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)



































Arts & Entertainment
Nominate your favorites for the Blade’s 25th annual Best Of LGBTQ DC Awards
Submit your picks now; top 5 vote getters move to the finals
Nominate your favorites in our Best of LGBTQ DC categories through Sept. 24. The top 5 nominees from each category will become finalists with voting starting Sept. 28. Our 2026 Best of LGBTQ DC winners will be announced at the Best of LGBTQ DC Awards Party on Thursday, Oct. 22 and our special issue will come out on Friday, Oct. 23. One vote per email address per day. Good luck!
CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE OR USE THE FORM BELOW!
Out & About
Blade Foundation to host fundraiser in Rehoboth on Sept. 12
Mayor-elect Stewart, state Rep. Snyder-Hall to give remarks
The Washington Blade Foundation will host a fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 12 in Rehoboth Beach featuring remarks from Rehoboth’s Mayor-elect Susan Stewart and Delaware state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall.
The Foundation funds fellowships for aspiring queer journalists and enterprise journalism projects.
The event will be held at a private home in Rehoboth. Tickets are $100 and include open bar from Diego’s, catered appetizers from the Blue Moon, entertainment, guest speakers, and an auction. Tickets are available here.
-
Movies3 days ago‘Here the Whole Time’ delivers queer coming-of-age comedy
-
Out & About2 days agoBlade Foundation to host fundraiser in Rehoboth on Sept. 12
-
Theater2 days agoActress takes on bisexual ‘Ma’ Rainey in new Round House production
-
Books2 days agoNew book examines fashionista Audrey Smaltz’s fabulous life
