I sent the below email to Grindr
tl;dr expand the Last Tested field so it includes more information to (1) avoid inaccurate interpretations, (2) curb the increasing rate of STIs, and (3) decrease healthcare costs

Hi Grindr,

Long-time paying user and current medical student here. Let me preface this outreach by saying that I don’t have complete insight into the topics discussed below; just enough to start a conversation. If I speak out of turn or any details are incorrect, feel free to clock me! And I also want to acknowledge the awesome changes that Grindr has already made to the platform for the sake of public health.

Alrighty, I recently added the date of my last STI screen in my bio, with results and treatment details included. Grindr already has “Last Tested” as an optional, built-in field, but I wonder if someone could interpret that to mean only HIV testing since it appears directly below the “HIV Status” field. Moreover, when a medical provider orders an STI screen, they don’t always include HIV and sometimes not syphilis as well. Or they may only order specific tests for one pathogen depending on the patient’s medical history. So the field, in its current form, leaves important details open to interpretation.

With STI rates through the roof and resistant strains rapidly developing, the medical community recently doubled the dose of antibacterials - azithromycin and ceftriaxone - needed to cure chlamydia and gonorrhea. If this solution were to continue, dosing would reach a limit. This dilemma would unearth the bigger issue that we don’t have many more pharmacological lines of defense against these pathogens and, sadly, pharmaceutical companies aren’t motivated to invest R&D into new STI drugs because there’s relatively less profit to be made in this vertical.

I believe the queer community could take more responsibility in curbing the rising rate of STIs by being more open and proactive about infections with their partners. Many folks don’t feel the need to inform all their partners because their interaction was so brief and the pathogens are perceived as easily curable. Others may not share out of embarrassment or shame, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of! And - as we’ve seen with the HIV epidemic and COVID pandemic - bacteria and viruses naturally mutate to survive and we don’t know what could grip our or any community next. I think Grindr could help in this effort to be more open and proactive about infections by expanding the “Last Tested” field.

The field could be tapped to open a drop down menu or lightbox with separate line items for each pathogen: gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, trichomoniasis, and HIV. The information in adjacent columns could include the last test date, results, and treatment date (if necessary) for each. If Grindr wanted to get more granular, the results could include the location as well: throat, dick, and ass (I didn’t feel the need to use medical terms here). With this much detail, users could get a better idea of their risk level. And medical providers could order less and more targeted testing, as needless testing is a prevalent cause of unnecessary medical costs, which inflates insurance companies’ profits. These details would, of course, be optional. But I predict it would be a helpful way for users to inform their partners of any infections with little effort, no matter the nature of their encounter.

Lastly, I have no insight into Grindr’s operating procedures and finances, but there’s possible funding streams for the development and execution of this effort via the CDC or other research bodies. I would be happy to help Grindr navigate this process. Or simply find out if it’s a viable option.

Just a thought! And thank you for your consideration. Please reach out with any questions or to discuss further.

Thanks!