The head of the world’s largest LGBTQ dating app says he believes marriage is a religious rite meant only to be between one man and one woman. Grindr president Scott Chen made the stunning announcement on his personal Facebook page. And in another twist, the news was first reported by INTO, the news outlet owned by Grindr.
“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,” Chen wrote in a version translated for the INTO article. “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.”
INTO reports Chen deleted the comment, but it subsequently “reappeared.” Below is a screenshot taken Friday morning for this article:
Chen’s remarks were in response to an article he had posted, titled, “HTC Founder’s Non-Profit Backed Anti-Gay Groups Fighting Marriage Equality in Taiwan.” HTC is a Taiwan-based cell phone manufacturer.
He also wrote that marriage is a “personal issue” and asked why people wouldn’t “donate your money to places that are in dire hunger, poverty, or suffering from war,” rather than to anti-LGBT causes, as INTO noted.
“Why spend all that money to stop people who love each other from getting married? Aren’t there more important stuff in life?”
In a subsequent comment “Chen called himself a ‘huge advocate for LGBTQ+ rights since I was young.’ He also wrote: ‘I support gay marriage and I am proud that I can work for Grindr.'”
And now Chen is defending his remarks.
“The reason I said marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman is based on my own personal experience,” Chen said, as CNN reports. “I am a straight man married to a woman I love and I have two beautiful daughters I love from the marriage.”
Image via Wikimedia