18 Percent Of Grindr Users Are Still In The Closet, Six Percent Will Never Come Out

From: Queerty

Grindr has become a legendary meeting spot for the headless torsos of the world in the five short years since its launch in 2009, but did you know that almost a quarter of those headless torsos are still hiding in the closet? Of that 18 percent, six percent say they never plan to come out at all.

The shocking (or not shocking at all?) statistics were released by Grindr this week. In the spirit of Pride season, the company polled a sample of its 1.4 million daily users to find out how many were out of the closet, why those who are out decided to come out, and who were the first people they shared the big news with.

Among some of the most noticeable trends in the report, millennials are coming out in their younger teen years, most initial “coming outs” happen among friends versus family, a large majority of workers are still hesitant about coming out in the workplace, and those folks in the closet refuse to come out mostly because they fear discrimination. Most disturbingly, 53 percent of respondents have had sex with females in their lives.

Echelon breaks it down beautifully:

When asked the age Grindr users decided to come out of the closet, users in their thirties and forties came out in their twenties (44 percent and 32 percent, respectively). However, 50 percent of users in their twenties came out when they were still teenagers, showing the growing progression and acceptance of LGBT youth. With more than 5 million active monthly users worldwide, Grindr has become a resource for men even before they come out. The survey revealed that nearly a third of respondents were using Grindr before they came out.

…

Grindr’s survey also put to test the saying that blood is thicker than water. Apparently not in regards to coming out – 72 percent of respondents said the first person they told was a friend, while only 22 percent told a family member first.

When it comes to how out Grindr users are, a large majority (96 percent) came out to friends and 81 percent have come out to family, but only 68 percent have come out at work.

…

So, why did Grindr users decide to come out of the closet? Sixty-one percent said it was time for them to be true to themselves. This is refreshing, considering 12 percent of respondents were out-ed by someone. Grindr conducted the survey on June 16, 2014 and more than 3,000 users responded; other interesting findings from the survey include:

More than half of respondents – 53 percent – have had a sexual encounter with a woman.

Seventy-five percent had their first gay sexual experience when they were teenagers.

Over a third – 36 percent – have had less than 10 sexual partners.

Seems like Grindr may also be a great place for gay Christians.