Its a preference not a requirement. I don't actively or objectively look for black or asian men to meet on the app but I have met with men of both ethnicities multiple times and probably most likely will in the future. Is that racist of me? I personally don't believe that it is I've been told it's not by people from both groups. I just think it's nonsensical to have this discussion when you can just choose to leave the category blank and be allowed to operate an account, when it comes to the filter if you don't want to use it then don't use it. No one will or should force you to use the filter or select an ethnicity on your profile/account. If you don't like that someone has listed their preference on the matter then don't engage or initiate contact with them it's pretty simple as a concept. As long as there is choice. Is that not freedom of choice? Wouldn't that also give you a choice if someone chooses to list their preference or not a better idea of whom they are and if you disagree with the fact that they listed those preferences you can choose to opt out of interaction online or in the physical world. Bottom line don't limit choice as long as no one is being hurt by this or having their choices limited or human rights violated. I hate racism! But it's not illegal to be racist as an individual, maybe it should be though, but even then how could that even enforced. It is illegal to have racist policies as a business, corporation, landlord, online apps ect, as it should be. I just don't think that this filter or listing as a category is racist. Its a preference. My ethnicity is important to me and my preference is not a requirement Wich is why it's a preference. To the peoples whose is meant as a requirement I don't know what to tell you, yea your probably a racist and sick in the head.

Comon who said its racisam if you looking only for same races
Im white and only into white what its wrong about
DAAAM RESTORE ETHNICITY FILTER

Removing this filter but leaving others, still promote discrimination, which is why you removed this filter in the first place. I that line of thinking, the age filter promotes age discrimination just like body type promotes weight discrimination. That is not the case. This is a sex app. The ethnicity filter helps find guys that are sexual preference. Not to discriminate against others.

In response to the below: I 100% agree as an African American myself. I happen to be attracted largely to those outside my own race for many complex reasons that I wont go into here. I appreciate the move by grindr to support the Black Lives Matter movement and also address the levels of discrimination amongst the LGBTQ community (there's a LOT!).

However, we must balance all of the above with the extreme challenges of the LGBTQ community in "finding" partners whether sexual or LTR. We don't have the luxury of as easily bumping into gazillions of potential partners in the grocery store, soccer practice, at the cleaners or wherever straight people do.......our only option, especially during Covid, is online. At my age, "knowing myself", I know who I'm attracted to and who I'm not which does not make anyone racist. In fact, being an International Relations major myself.....I love differences of culture! and most of my friends are of different backgrounds. One of the reasons I live in South Florida....multiculturalism. With all of the above said......it is all too challenging for members of the LGBTQ community to find partners. Having to scroll through more profiles than needed is more of a disservice to our community than an aid. Again, I appreciate the social awareness- there are other meaningful ways to support worthy causes and movements. Just don't make it more challenging for "us".....the LGBTQ community to find our ideal partners based on normal preferences.

This is in addition to another's post below:
I’m super duper white and for the last 20 years, I’ve consistently and without variation found men of other ethnicities vastly more attractive than my fellow gringos.

The ethnicity filter is simply a way of making searches more efficient, removing the guys to whom it is highly unlikely I will be attracted.

For what it’s worth, when I set the ethnicity filter in the past, I checked every option EXCEPT white. If anything, it helps increase the likelihood that a man of color will hear from me!

And for white guys who only like white guys....it’s not racist any more than black guys or Latino gents who say they only prefer others of the same ethnicity. Our personal preferences are complex and rooted in some pretty heavy & deep psychology. Removing this filter was a nice gesture to the BLM movement, applause for attempting to be politically correct. But all it does is slow down users’ ability to use the service, and therefore its value to them.

Please bring back the ethnicity filter. Gesture done, mission accomplished, millions of gay men & Trans folks & everything adjacent & in between had our lives inconvenienced slightly but consistently for several months because Corporate felt pressured to do something, and this was the obvious choice. Statement made, mission accomplished. Now just quietly flip it back on. Don’t make a press release about it, just do it. Like 3 people will care, but another several hundred thousand will be thankful. I, for one, would consider paying more for a subscription that included this feature—it is that important to me.

Agreed

Some of us prefer to date or be intimate within our own race. Please make this a free option.

It would be amazing if you could do a ethnicity or religious background search! All the people I know always talk about that filter and that it was such a good thing!

I was surprised recently that the profiles showing up were so different from my regular choices. I didn’t realize the filter had been changed, till I checked my settings.
I have been an active user for about 8 years, and an Xtra (paying) member at least 1/2 that time, Grindr has been my favorite gay app.
I also participated in one of the “office opinion poll interviews” about 2 years ago.
The ethnicity filter has been significant for me as my preference is basically everything OTHER THAN WHITE.
It seems like it works well in many ways, both for guys who have ethnic preferences, and for ethnicities who prefer hooking up with their own race.
If this policy were extended, then weight, or height, or age, or sex preference, could all be considered forms of discrimination, couldn’t they? If the policy started removing those preferences, before too long there would be no appropriate stats, so no need for profiles.
For those who don’t like the filter, they have access to a “not specified” filter, if they don’t want to be “labeled” ((my guess would be they are, by far, the “minority”,[not to be racist] if a members’s poll were taken))
Or, why not create a filter, FOR THOSE OFFENDED by the ethnic choices, that blocks being viewed by any profile the expresses racial preferences. Then let’s see how they feel about 2/3 of the people on Grindr NOT VIEWING THEM.
If this will continue as
I was surprised recently that the profiles showing up were so different from my regular choices. I didn’t realize the filter had been changed till I checked my settings. I have been an active user for about 8 years, and an Xtra (paying) member at least 1/2 that time, Grindr has been my favorite gay app.
I also participated in one of the “office opinion poll interviews” about 2 years ago.
The ethnicity filter has been significant for me as my preference is basically everything OTHER THAN MY SAME.
It seems like it works well in many ways, both for guys who have ethnic preferences, and for ethnicities who prefer hooking up with their own race.
If this policy were extended, then weight, or height, or age could be
For those who don’t like the filter (my guess would be they are in the “minority”, not to be racist. They have access to a “not specified” filter.
Or, why not create a filter, for those offended by the ethnic choices, that blocks being viewed by any profile the expresses racial preferences. Then let’s see how they feel about 2/3 of the people on Grindr not viewing them.

If this will continue as a filter, then I too want a refund for 11/12ths of my Xtra membership was just renewed, Oct. 20th. If I had known, one month ago, that this was going to be a policy, I would NOT HAVE renewed my membership❗️
I will be fine as a free, probably infrequent user.
The other apps all still allow the option for ethnicity. My guess is that many of us opposed to this filter will probably be using the other apps more, and Grindr can become the app only for white boys, or those who are only attracted to white boys.
I think I’ve fairly distinctly expressed my opinion against having this filter.

Judging by the number of comments on this thread incites the “I’m not racist but...”

Being Asian myself, I understand the intention to remove the ethnicity filter is good. But it actually makes it harder to be “matched” as people who were looking for a certain minority race can’t find them now. It actually decreases the chance of being matched for people who are non-white and make their user experience worse. If another user dislikes a certain race, he will dislike it with or without the filter.

AS YOU ALL CAN SEE GRINDR IS BASICALLY IGNORING THE HANDS THAT FEED THEM!!! Ive already been approved by apple for my refund 👍

We would love to see this filter back...

We all have a preference whether White, Hispanic, or African American, and that doesn’t make anyone racist.

Please restore the ethnicity filter. As a paying customer, I will cancel my membership shall the filter not be restored.

I’m white but not physically attracted to other white guys. I like brown or black guys. Filter makes easy to find what I’m into. Maybe Gryndr removed feature to avoid being sued by some extremist that thinks the filter is racist, it is not. I suggest we all demand a refund from Apple store or Google store as this unilateral removal of feature is a breach of consumer & app developer good faith agreement by removing features you paid for. Gryndr will care if they lose enough money... with all the comments asking to restore the ethnicity filter it baffles my why Gryndr has not restored it by now ?!? Zzzz Zzzz clock is ticking.

If the election didn't show us how racist America is you guys in these comments surely Shows how races you guys are shaking my head if you want to date within your On race that's fine just go join a site that has that option on create you one Cause here on grindr is for all people.

I wanted to reflect on the ignorance of this statement. Nobody is discounting that racism exists in this country but choosing who you want to date, have sex with or other is exactly as I said it is a choice. If I date somebody of my own race that does not make me or anybody else a racist. For some of us we like the filter because it allows us to specify a certain group that we are attracted to. In my situation, I am a white guy who prefers Latino Guys. The ethnicity filter allowed me to look for Latino guys. I am sorry if that makes me a racist in somebody elses eyes but forcing me to pay for a service, then taking it away is theft which is a crime. Forcing me to look at all just because somebody has a left wing notion to force all to think the same as you is a bullying tactic. Bottom line, I do not care what color you are. If I think you are good looking and if I think you are a good person, chances are I am interested but admitting I do have a special place for Latino guys and chances are if you are not Latino, I am not interested. So short term answer for me is discontinue paying for a service and I have started to block all guys who are not my preference. Call me a racist if you want. I don't care

Racism is when you treat people other than your own race differently in a derogatory manner.

Just because you are attracted to certain looks (whatever colour Or shapes), does not make you a racist.

To put simply, if you do not like chilli spicy foods, does it make you a “foodcism” just simply because you do not like spicy foods? It’s still not going to change the fact that you will not enjoy eating spicy foods even you force yourself into it (if any u might get a stinger If you know what I mean).

Back to basic: all you need is to respect individual choices. There is no need to be rude to one another even you are not attracted to the other party.
One can still decline any unsolicited offers respectfully. It is simply called being mature-minded.

If you cannot accept rejection, you should not be on the app as you are not mature enough to respect other’s preferences. Nothing to do with racism.

Removing this feature has not aided in less racism! Instead now I have to work harder to scroll through thousands of profiles in order find still the “ethnicity” Im currently interested in pursuing! Why in the hell would you all not listen to your paid members and simply put it back!!! PUT THE SHIT BACK!!!!! Or risk losing more and more members

If the election didn't show us how racist America is you guys in these comments surely Shows how races you guys are shaking my head if you want to date within your On race that's fine just go join a site that has that option on create you one Cause here on grindr is for all people

I'm gay Bottom
And you ?

I am one of the people who like people of black, because you take away only the option of looking in countries in Africa such as Dakar, Senegal and yet you continue to leave other countries? That is racism on the part of grindr, that I cannot choose if I want people from another ethnic group? It's incredible