I would like to suggest that Grindr develop a feature that can detect and prevent harmful, insulting, and degrading messages, particularly those targeting someone's physical appearance. Words such as "maot," "chaka," "ugly," "pinakamaot," and other offensive expressions may seem like simple words to the person sending them, but they can deeply hurt the person receiving them.
Grindr is a platform where people connect, interact, and meet others. However, having personal preferences or not being attracted to someone does not give anyone the right to insult, humiliate, or body-shame another person. Receiving unsolicited messages calling someone ugly can damage their self-esteem, affect their confidence, and create an uncomfortable and hostile environment. Not everyone has the same physical appearance, and nobody deserves to be treated as less valuable because they do not meet another person's standards of attractiveness.
The proposed feature should use AI technology to recognize offensive language in different languages, including English, Filipino, and Bisaya. Before sending a potentially harmful message, the app should display a warning reminding the sender that their words may hurt someone. It should also provide an easy reporting option for users who experience repeated harassment or verbal abuse.
The purpose is not to force people to find everyone attractive. It is to remind users that having preferences is a right, but disrespecting another person's dignity is not.
Being on Grindr should be about connection, not humiliation. Rejection is understandable, but body-shaming should never be normalized.