Grindr president says marriage is 'a holy matrimony between a man and a woman'

Tech executive defends Facebook comment and insists he does back marriage equality

Grindr is dating app for gay, bi, trans and queer people (Getty )

Scott Chen, president of the gay dating app Grindr, said he believes “marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman” in a Facebook post.

Mr Chen’s remarks have sparked criticism within the company, forcing him to clarify his position on gay marriage and LGBT+ rights.

The tech executive’s comments related to Taiwan’s recent referendum rejecting gay marriage and were first translated and reported by Into – a website owned by Grindr.

Although Mr Chen deleted his original post, written in Chinese, he responded to the article with another post written in English explaining his views.

“Some people think the marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman. And I think so too. But that’s your own business,” Mr Chen wrote.

“Some people think the purpose of the marriage is to have a child [that] carries your DNA. But again, that’s your own business.”

“The reason I said marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman is based on my own personal experience,” he added.

“I am a straight man married to a woman I love and I have two beautiful daughters I love from the marriage. This is how I feel about my marriage. Different people have their different feelings about their marriages. You can’t deny my feelings about my marriage.”

Yet the Grindr chief also insisted he supported marriage equality.

“I am a huge advocate for LGBTQ+ rights since I was young. I support gay marriage and I am proud that I can work for Grindr.”

Zach Stafford, the editor-in-chief of Into, who is also Grindr’s chief content officer, said Mr Chen’s personal views were not representative of the company.

“Grindr’s goal as a company is to help seek the full equity of all LGBT people’s rights around the world, especially when it comes to dating and love. And marriage for many is an end goal to our app,” he told The Guardian.

Mr Chen first joined Grindr as chief technology officer after the company was bought by the Chinese gaming giant Kunlun Group in January 2018. He was named as president in August.