Joel Simkhai, CEO of Grindr, has quit the company he founded after being bought out by Kunlun Group Limited, a Hong Kong-based subsidiary of the Chinese video game enterprise Beijing Kunlun Tech Company.
“I’m beyond proud of what we’ve built as a team and how Grindr has been able to make a meaningful and lasting contribution to the global community,” 40-year-old Simkhai said in a statement. “We have achieved our success because of the strength and global reach of our community.”
Related: These interracial couples are not having your racism, er, “preferences” any longer
Kunlun Group Limited is owned by Zhou Yahui, a straight Chinese billionaire whose $2 billion company focuses on gaming products. It originally purchased 62% of Grindr for $93 million back in 2016. Now, it owns the entire app.
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Simkhai continued by saying, “I look forward to Grindr and Kunlun’s continued commitment to building tolerance, equality, and respect around the world.”
It’s an ironic statement coming from a guy who has repeatedly given sexual racism a pass and still thinks writing sh*t like “No Blacks” or “No Asians” on your dating profile isn’t racist.
In 2016, Simkhai told Broadly, “To say, ‘I’m only into black guys’—is that a bad thing? I think we should allow you to say that, because that’s your preference.”
Related: This dating app is for ‘lovers of diversity’ who are sick of seeing racist trash on Grindr
In 2014, he told the Independent he’s OK with people being racist, so long as they give it a positive spin. “We encourage users to state it in a positive way,” he said, adding, “I’m not going to solve racism.”
The current chair of the board of Grindr, Yahui Zhou, will serve as interim CEO.
h/t: LGBTQNation
Ummmm Yeah
#MeToo. I’m constantly harassed by people trying to force me to have sex with someone I don’t want to. The perpetrators are Queerty and all the other gay blogs.
barkomatic
Who is trying to force you to have sex with someone you don’t want to? If you’re not interested, just don’t reply or say your just not into the guy. If he asks why, just ignore him.
Kangol
No one on Queerty wants to have sex with you or force you to have sex. Your white right-wing persecution complex suggests you need psychiatric help, though, and pronto!
Ryuun12
@Kangol
Really? Queerty doesn’t want us to have sex with people we don’t want to? Yet they always post articles claiming white people who prefer dating/having sex with other white people is racism.
Also love the fact you just assume the commenter is white. Seems racist doesn’t it?
Kangol
@Ryuun12, Ummmmm Yeah periodically posts racist comments. Maybe s/he isn’t white, but if not, s/he really doesn’t seem to like non-white people. That’s racist.
And if you’re a sockpuppet of Ummmm Yeah, you need help.
Juanjo
Kangol hit the nail right on the head. Get psychiatric help asap.
Bromancer7
Oh FFS, one more time: HAVING A PREFERENCE IS NOT RACISM.
Kieran
Oh please. Next thing you’ll be claiming that refusing to have sex with women isn’t sexual sexism.
deacon
You’re absolutely 100% correct, having a preference doesn’t make you racist, the reason for the preference does, so in turn then you are a racist?
Bromancer7
@deacon No, because “racism” is when someone actively tries to harm, oppress, or discriminate against someone due to their race with the belief their race is inferior to yours. Not being sexually attracted to someone of a particular race does not fit that definition. It does not harm them, deny them opportunities, or mean that one sees them as an inferior race.
Zambos271
#Metoo. I look at every gay blog or magazine and see nothing but white men. The bear magazines have hairy white men on their covers. I’m constantly harassed by these images forcing me to try to acknowledge that white men are the only true form of beauty and that I should strive or be lucky enough to be with one of those guys.
draven
I know it gets on your nerves. I guess more white men buy the products so they cater to them. What gets me is the typical looking black guys in fashion……male models. Most are from another country other than the USA but they come off like they are American. But they have a Jamaican or African look and normally are. The Black American male is hated just because we are the greatest beings on earth and I’m not talking about rappers or sports players. I’m talking about guys like me. Black American. I also hate the term African American. Yuck. I’m Black American. I totally get Colin K. He’s a true Black American. They hate him because he’s the truth!
blitzkid84
What the f*ck is “sexual racism” ?!? The way you guys and the internet keep coming up with these absurd buzzwords/hashtags/slogans just reeks of desperation and delusion and is a sign of modern day society’s addiction to victimhood. What I really can’t seem to wrap my head around is the fact that the GAY community of all people are pushing this agenda the hardest… this notion that if you aren’t interested or attracted to a certain someone or something than you are a bigot. This sjw/interenet/social media garbage has rotted you all’s brains! People are allowed to date or share their beds with whoever they want OR DON’T WANT and FOR WHATEVER REASON! Even if someone is being a dick, so what?! Move on. To frame this as “racism” is really desperate and is a clear indication that a lot of you don’t know what racism is. How is some random white dude on a grindr who says “not into black guys” or “no blacks” affecting the black population? If I were a bit more sensitive, Id be offended by the way you so called liberals and progressives are so quick to pitty black people, thinking that black gays must be suffering because some random white guy on a dating app or at a club or circuit party says he isn’t into black guys. I personally couldn’t care less if a white dude (or any dude) doesn’t find me attractive and quite honestly the gross majority of non white dudes I know don’t care either. This message that you guys are sending, basically saying that the only way we can respect one another and see value in one another is if we give up our personal right to decide who we want to sleep and who we don’t is very dangerous especially coming from this community.
Zambos271
It is sad. The approval of white gay men by non-white men is astonishing. I see Asians and Black guys getting all bent out of shape because of their rejection.
Zambos271
Correction: the need for the approval of white gay men is astonishing.
deacon
If you think it’s just about whites being attracted to men of color then you’re totally missing the point and no matter if someone tries to explain it to you you’ll never get because you don’t want to get it and that’s cool. The only difference between a lot of gay white men and homophobic Str8 white men is the gender they have sex with, each one uses their white male privilege as and excuse to not acknowledge racism.
blitzkid84
Nobody missed any points here. If you disagree, fine. That doesn’t mean someone missed the point. “Sexual racism” is a bullsh… made up term and I disagree that some guy saying no blacks or no Asians on his dating profile makes you a victim of racism. Both of those things were declared in this post I disagreed with them and explained why. No points missed.
Vince
I’m just glad we’ve come this far to be bickering about BS like this. Reminds me of that old cigarette commercial. You’ve come a long ways baby.
sfhairy
There is no sexual racism, there is sexual preference. Queerty, you promote the mostly whites only when that’s the only type of body you post as a thirst trap. Check your self queerty, before you wreck yourself.
Vince
Too bad we can’t post gifs or pics. Anyways, yes. Queerty yelling sexual racism is worthy of the “pot calling the kettle black” award.
troyntexas
I’m a gay black male who only sleeps with other blk males…am I racist? I could care less and am not one bit offended by “no blacks” on profiles. And I don’t think that makes the poster racist either. It’s as if there’s a movement to force (mainly) white guys into guilt sex with other races. I don’t get it. And to my sad blk brothers who take offense because some white dude doesn’t want to bed them… you’re pathetic.
Zambos271
See my comments above.
draven
Sexual racist are people that know they will never get the total package of a desired ethnic group so they come off like that. Kinda creepy and corny and so 1950’s. I can talk to any guy I want too. Black, White, Asian, Latin, etc. etc. etc. ppl should not let creepy ppl make them feel indifferent or less than. Naw that’s not cool. Everyone bleeds the same color blood and poops and pees! Check! Mic ? drop!
draven
The internet sucks. I only use it to read about stuff. Watch free porn and online shop. I never use creepy sites like Facebook, Instagram, Jack’d, A4A, Twitter, etc. waste of time. I’m in a relationship and I don’t cheat. If I was single I would just go outside and say hi to the most interesting guy I see that sparks my interest. Simple as that. And I’m sure I would have a good time. I wouldn’t evtgo to a bar or nightclub. Folks you can do better than the creepy internet. Spark your creativity and see what you can come up with other than the internet. Leave the internet crap to the loser straight ppl. Hahahahahahah
Paco
Some white guys can be cute. Even though the majority aren’t really anywhere near my type, I would never put “no whites” in a hookup profile. That would be unnecessarily rude and I might miss out on one of the few I do find attractive.
Blackceo
Its very telling how uptight and bothered the dominant culture becomes when their status at the top of the food chain is threatened. Thats how we got Trump. Nevermind that many of those same people who still support Trump will see their taxes rise and lose their healthcare and many other services they count on from gov’t, but as long as Brown/Black people and the gays suffer then its all good.
Kangol
Yep. Talk about snowflakes!
jhon_siders
Who ?
Knight
Hardly a news flash: jews, and most notoriously israeli jews are some of the most racist people on the planet. White israeli jews often discriminate against Arab and Ethiopian jews (hospitals used to throw away donated blood from Ethiopian jews as it wasn’t “kosher” https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/01/25/israel-dumps-blood-from-ethiopians/6200327c-dcf4-48ef-9125-379033f388cc/?utm_term=.8f8d9f7ae85b ).
Not a surprise Schlomo created his own de-facto virtual Israel through Grindr. Then again it’s free, so…what you should complain? Oy!
mhoffman953
@Knight
“White israeli jews often discriminate against Arab and Ethiopian jews ”
Careful, some Jews don’t identify as “white”, even though they have white skin. Seems crazy but it’s true. Not saying I believe it to be true but it’s many Jews believe
Bob LaBlah
Hey Knight, did you hear about this?
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/hasidic-leader-racially-charged-brooklyn-beating-found-guilty-article-1.2803721
Knight
Mhoff – I get it. some do, some don’t. I guarantee that if you walk up to any goldilocks looking jew in Brooklyn and ask him if he’s white, he would absolutely say yes. But as there are definitely non-white jews in the world, it just depends on how they choose to identify. It’s a non-issue to me.
Bob I absolutely remember that. And not sure if this news made a big deal in the US when it happened, but sadly, a few years back a 15-year-old Palestinian boy was burnt to death by a ‘gang” of white israeli jews (2 of whom were teens). What the media seldom revealed, was that the boy, Mohammed Kdeir, was also gay http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/04/middleeast/israeli-teens-sentenced-palestinian-death/index.html
Because, you know….burning alive a 15-year-old palestinian kid could be forgiven. But burning alive a GAY 15-year-old palestinian kid would probably make a few people uncomfortable…
Buzz the Bear
C’mon people. We like what we like sexually. I like having sex with gay men because I’M GAY. I don”t enjoy sex with women because I”M GAY. My preference (not my sexual orientation-there’s a difference) is for BEARS, CHUBS, DADDY-TYPES. I simply don’t really enjoy sex with hairless, young twinks. I make no exceptions for RACE.
That said, just because I like sex with BEARISH men, it doesn’t mean I don’t like other body-types as friends. I have a skinny twink-type friend who is always there for me when I need help, a dinner mate or just to pick me up when I’m having a bad day. Ditto for women. I know many funny, intelligent, kind & caring women whose company I enjoy–out of bed. I even have straight men friends fergawdsake!
The point is, in case you didn’t get it, when you dislike/hate another group of people because of their race, religion, skin color, sexual orientation, body-type, gender, skin color, nationality or disability, then you are missing out on real life and in many cases a quality experience. If you’re going to cruise sexual social media sites, you’re probably not looking for anything but encounters. I find my “friends” and “sex partners” in different places usually.