Who’d have guessed — the founder of Scruff is just like all of us, in that he had a rough time growing up and was mercilessly teased.
It’s tempting to think “oh, I was such a unique outcast as a kid,” but the truth is that all people are outcasts, no more so when they are teenagers. In the case of Scruff founder Johnny Skandros, high school classmates gave him the usual business: harassment, an occasional fight, teachers turning a blind eye.
That’s not to say that this stuff should just be common or accepted. Of course there should be programs in place to prevent it. But teenagers are ruthless horny monsters, and if they’re not torturing each other about one aspect of sexuality they’ll find another.
Johnny reflects back on his difficult teen years in a new interview, and also reveals that his mother raised him herself because his father drifted away. Apparently his dad resented that being pregnant changed his mom’s figure… evidence that some people never grow out of being horrible.
How about we take this to the next level?
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When he came out to his mom at age 15, she was encouraging, and eventually he met friends who welcomed him, including another gay student. That kid had the honor of having a cigarette put out on his face at one point — some truly terrible treatment.
But it was in his early 30s that Johnny started looking for a way to help the gay community make connection, and that’s when Scruff was born. Once the victim of discrimination, now he’s a bridge for gay guys to connect. And also, to filter each other by race.
o.codone
Wow Queerty, you bitch slapped this guy right down to the ground. Right after you said:
“Of course there should be programs in place to prevent it”.
Damn girl.
jkthsnk
All people are outcasts?!? That’s one the most meaningless, bubble-headed things I’ve ever read.
Heywood Jablowme
“But teenagers are ruthless horny monsters, and if they’re not torturing each other about one aspect of sexuality they’ll find another.” That’s a really odd interpretation of anti-gay bullying. They do it because they’re horny?
@jkthsnk: “That’s not to say that this stuff should just be common or accepted.” Yes – even though we’re ALL outcasts, that doesn’t make it common!
Danny279
I wonder how much money this guy has made by commodifying gay sexuality and promoting loveless promiscuity. It’s interesting that Queerty’s only concern is that there is a race filter on his app. Queerty is fine with treating other people as pieces of meat to be ordered off of a menu just as long as you treat people of all races in the same dehumanizing way.
Chris
If you know how to useGrindr, it also has a way of filtering by HIV status.
Face it, the market — how he makes his money — requires these sorts of filters regardless bloggers’ pseudo-outrage.