According to the dating app's claim of fame, only women can message their matches first.
The discussion of gender and sexuality has changed a lot in eight years. The app is partnering with GLAAD to change its gender options. Either person can message first if there is a match with a nonbinary person. Women are the first to make a move. Previously, Bumble BFF users could only connect with users of the same gender, but now they can connect with anyone.
This comes after a pilot version in which nonbinary users weren't able to message women first. Users were only able to decide if they wanted to date men or women. Two out of three people can be chosen by both Date and BFF users. You can specify if you're cis or genderqueer, but you only search by those three.
Expanded gender options on Bumble. Credit: Bumble
A great deal of testing and user input analysis is required for the move to enable users to match across genders. Critical feedback from customers has been taken into account in order to be as inclusive as possible. The pilot will continue to evolve and be expanded based on user feedback.
For queer users, the ethos of "women make the first move" has been smudged. A man can message first if he and another man match. The gendered rules signal a past time, according to some of its users.
The pilot in which users couldn't message women before the new announcement made some feel uneasy. The now-viral TikTok captioned, "This feels validation and also like a hate crime," after user Kay noticed they couldn't message her. Kay asked to go by their first name only for privacy reasons.
According to Kay, the statement was mostly a joke, but it was actually affirming that they are not a woman. Another non-binary user agreed with her. Not being able to message a woman was the most affirming experience they've had in a long time.
Kay didn't like not being able to send a message first. They tried to trick the system by changing their pronouns but that didn't work.
The pilot led Kay to use the app less and they think the switch to non-binary users being able to message first is a step in the right direction. They said that the "women message first" is outdated since adding gender non conforming people to the mix.
That sentiment was echoed by another person. The switch to non-binary users being able to message first will make it easier for queer people of all identities to date on the app.
Gender search options on Bumble Date and Bumble BFF. Credit: Bumble
Gerrie said that women making the first move has been a flawed motto and that when you build on that, things will be shaky. They changed their genders to get around the feature that didn't work on Date.
Gerrie said they are looking forward to using the feature and changing their settings. If the app reflected on the "women make the first move" motto it would mean more.
Gerrie knows that queer people will not find liberation in a tech company. They suggested that you could use Bumble to build a community.
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