MNEK says Grindr’s attempts to remove racism won’t work unless people change
The 'Colour' singer believes some peopel see people of colour as a sexual fantasy
By Steve Brown
MNEK believes Grindr’s attempts to remove racism and discrimination from the app won’t work.
The 23-year-old singer/musician – who is openly gay – claims discrimination and racism on the hook-up app won’t go away until people change their own attitudes, despite Grindr revealing it’s launching Kindr this September.
Speaking to Pink News, he said: “It doesn’t change the fact that there are people out there who see black people or people of colour as accessories to their sexual fantasies, which is harmful to someone’s relationship with sex, or casual sex, or intimacy, because they just have this wall that has just been created by other people and their ignorance.
“The change starts in the people – the apps are going to be what the apps are. Grindr can do everything they can to help lessen the impact these things have but it does come from the people.”
The singer – who recently released the song ‘Colour’ with Hailee Steinfeld – also said the heteronormative ideals from pop stars can make those who “straddles the line” look wrong.
“We face a lot of just criticism and people look at us with a different lens, just because it is something different, something they’re not used to.
“They’re used to seeing quite heteronormative ideals from pop stars, male and female, and so when it’s someone who straddles the line or does something different, yeah, it can be looked at as wrong, which it isn’t, of course.”