Grdr: Wele to the World’s Biggt, Srit Gay Bar | Vany Fair

Contents:

• GAY BARS NEAR ME
• 'GAY BAR' TRACKS THE WAVE OF A WHOLE CULTURE — AND ONE LIFE
• GAY BARS LAS VEGAS 
• GRDR AND TR: THE DISPTIVE FLUENCE OF APPS ON GAY BARS
• GAY BAR
• FATAL STABBG OF GAY MAN AT GAS STATN BEG VTIGATED AS HATE CRIME
• BT GAY DATG APPS FOR HOOKUPS, RELATNSHIPS, AND EVERYTHG BETWEEN
• GRDR: WELE TO THE WORLD’S BIGGT, SRIT GAY BARGRDR, THE POPULAR “GEOSOCIAL WORKG” IPHONE APP FOR GAY MEN, HAS MORE THAN A LN ERS 180 UNTRI, CLUDG IRAQ, IRAN, AND HAI. IT’S BEEN LLED A “REVOLUTNARY DATG TOOL”—AND ALSO “THE SRIT GAY BAR ON EARTH THAT IS ALL OVER THE EARTH.” FROM HIS VIRTUAL BAR STOOL, THOR MATT KAPP S THE LGUA AN OF SMART-PHONE-ASSISTED GAY DATG AND WONRS WHETHER GRDR N TRANSLATE TO HETERO.BY MATT KAPPMAY 27, 2011SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEA SMART, ATTRACTIVE, CHRONILLY SGLE IEND OF ME HAD BEEN FEVERISHLY FIDGETG WH HIS IPHONE FOR HALF A DOZEN BLOCKS, SOMEHOW NAVIGATG THE CROWD SIWALKS WHOUT ONCE LIFTG HIS GAZE OM THE SCREEN. “HERE’S ONE … 1,127 FEET,” HE MUTTERED. AND THEN, “OH, 413 FEET!” SENSG MY ANNOYANCE, HE SHOWED ME HIS PHONE: DOZENS OF LTLE THUMBNAIL PICTUR OF GUYS, WH LTLE BLURBS ABOUT THEMSELV, ANIZED OM TOP TO BOTTOM ORR OF PROXIMY. SUDNLY, BEME CLEAR TO ME WHAT HIS EXCEMENT WAS ABOUT. COULD THIS C LTLE IPHONE APP BE EVERY SGLE GAY MAN’S DREAM: TO BE ABLE TO CISE ANYWHERE, ANYTIME? SHOPPG? WHY NOT! MEET ME AISLE C! KILLG TIME AT THE AIRPORT? I’M STG AT GATE 17. AT THE GYM? A NO-BRAER. EVEN AT GAY BARS: CISG WH CISG.GRDR CLAIMS S APP HAS MORE THAN A LN ERS MORE THAN 180 UNTRI, CLUDG SRI LANKA, DJIBOUTI, HAI, IRAQ, AND IRAN, PLAC WHERE BEG GAY N GET YOU KILLED. BUT NOWHERE IS GRDR MORE POPULAR THAN THE U.K., WHERE THERE ARE MORE THAN 160,000 ERS, WHICH MEANS, AFTER ADJTG FOR POPULATN, ALMOST TWICE AS MANY GAY BRS E GRDR AS GAY AMERINS DO. LONDON TOPS THE LIST OF CI, WH 62,000 GRDR ERS, WHICH THE PANY PROUDLY POTS OUT IS “1 EVERY 60 MALE LONDONERS.” USERS SPEND AN AVERAGE OF 1.3 HOURS A DAY LOGGED ON. OPENLY GAY CELEBRY JACK-OF-ALL-TRAS AND VOUT TECHNOPHILE STEPHEN FRY TRODUCED GRDR TO BRISH TELEVISN VIEWERS ON THE BBC’S H SHOW TOP GEAR, WHICH IS ABOUT THE RATHER HETEROSEXUAL SUBJECT OF RS. “THIS ONE MAY NOT BE QUE SO UP YOUR STRATA,” HE WARNED *TOP GEAR’*S HOST, JEREMY CLARKSON. “IT’S LLED GRDR.” AS FRY SHOWED OFF THE APP, CLARKSON’S CRLY SHIFTED TO ENTHIASM. “YOU N FD THE NEART CISG HOMOSEXUAL WH ONE OF THOSE?,” HE MARVELED. “IMAGE TRAFFIC JAMS!” GRDR DOWNLOADS SPIKED BY 30,000 THE DAYS AFTER FRY’S APPEARANCE ON THE SHOW.I’D TRIED PUTER-ASSISTED DATG ONLY ONCE BEFORE, WH MIXED RULTS, BUT GRDR SEEMED SO EASY—A FEW TAPS OF MY IPHONE SCREEN AND I WAS OFF TO THE RAC—THAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO RIST. FIRST I NEED A PROFILE. GRDR PROFILE PHOTOS FALL TO FOUR GENERAL TEGORI: LAZY, EARNT, ABSURD, AND SEXUALLY SUGGTIVE. THE STAPLE OF THE LAZY TEGORY IS THE LO-R, SELF-TAKEN MIRROR SHOT, WHICH TRANSLAT TO “I DON’T GIVE A SH ABOUT GRDR OR ANY OF YOU SO I’M NOT GONNA TRY VERY HARD.” IN MY EXPERIENCE, MOST PROMISCUO GAY GUYS—THE TYPE I EXPECTED TO ENUNTER ON GRDR—TEND TO PREFER TACHED, FUCK-YOU TYP AND ARE TURNED ON BY OFFPUT-ISHNS. THE PROJECTN OF APATHY IS SENTIAL TO THE LAZY STRATEGY. UNR NO CIRCUMSTANC IS EVER ACCEPTABLE TO E ACROSS AS EAGER. I PUT ON MY FAVORE T-SHIRT, AND A FEW DOZEN SHOTS LATER I HAD MY VERY OWN FUCK-YOU, LO-R MIRROR PROFILE PHOTO, THE BACK OF MY IPHONE THE FOREGROUND, MY PISSED-OFF-LOOKG MUG THE BACKGROUND.NEXT ME MY PROFILE BLURB. RARELY HAVE I EVER RE-WRTEN, EDED, AND RE-EDED SO FEW WORDS SO MANY TIM. I FALLY SETTLED ON THE PASSIVE-AGGRSIVE, FX-NONCHALANT “MAKE ME AN OFFER” AND CLUD A LK TO MY FACEBOOK PAGE (IF NOTHG ELSE, GRDR WOULD HELP ME PROMOTE MY BRAND). AS SOON AS I STARTED CISG PROFIL, I SCROLLED TO SEVERAL IENDS AND ACQUATANC. I STOPPED TO DROP EACH A LE TO LET THEM KNOW I WAS THE HOE (NOT YET HAVG REALIZED THAT IF I ULD SEE THEM, THEY ULD SEE ME). AT FIRST, GRDR FELT A B LIKE THE NEIGHBORHOOD GAY BAR, NOT “THE SRIT GAY BAR ON EARTH THAT IS ALL OVER THE EARTH,” AS BLOGGER CHOIRE SICHA PUT . THERE WASN’T A SHORTAGE OF EAKS, BUT NEHER WERE THERE ANY GENUE CREEPS.GRDR IS DOMATED BY TWO WARRG ARCHETYP: THE SHIRTLS, ALPHA-MALE HEADLS TORSOS AND THEIR ARCHENEMI, THE FSY, UPPY FAC. THE HEADLS TORSOS SEE GRDR AS A PURE, SGLE-FUNCTN TOOL FOR FACILATG HOOKUPS, NOT A SOCIAL CENTER FOR CHATTG AND MAKG IENDS. SPARTAN WORDSMHS, THE HEADLS TORSOS ARE FLUENT JT A HANDFUL OF WORDS AND PHRAS, LIKE “HEY,” “SUP,” AND “WHO’S HOSTG?” THE FAC SEE GRDR MORE AS A MULTI-FUNCTNAL PUBLIC SQUARE AND ARE NVCED THEY HOLD THE MORAL HIGH GROUND. WHY N’T YOU HEADLS TORSOS JT MAN UP AND PAN UP TO CLU YOUR FAC? OCSNALLY A VIRTUAL BAR BRAWL BETWEEN THE HEADLS TORSOS AND THE FAC SPILLS OUT ONTO THE SIWALK. ONE FACE FIR OFF A WARNG SHOT HIS BLURB: “I’M NOT TO HEADLS TORSOS AND ‘HEY’ IS FOR HORS.” A HEADLS TORSO RPONDS BY TAGGG HIMSELF “HEADLS TORSO” AND FUMG, “I ALREADY HAVE IENDS!” THERE ARE PLENTY OF VIGILANTE CROSSG-GUARD TYP EAGER TO REFEREE. “IF YOU N’T BE A GENTLEMAN AT LEAST BE POLE,” SLDS ONE. IT’S NO WONR THAT WH ALL THE MOTN SOME GUYS ARE PERPLEXED OVER HOW TO BEHAVE OR WHAT TO WRE ON GRDR. “UM, NOT SURE WHAT TO WRE HERE,” NFS TOM, GGERLY DIPPG A TOE TO THE ULDRON.ANYONE N DOWNLOAD GRDR, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, AND NOBODY NEEDS TO SEND YOU A “IEND REQUT” BEFORE CHATTG YOU UP AND/OR SENDG YOU NUDIE PICS. THIS LACK OF A ONT GATE IS BOUND TO BACKFIRE SOONER OR LATER, PERHAPS THE WAY DID FOR EX-NGRSMAN CHRIS LEE, WHO TEMPORARILY HOLDS THE RERD FOR QUICKT PUTER-ASSISTED-DATG-RELATED CRASH AND BURN THE HISTORY OF AMERIN POLICS. IT N’T BE TOO LONG BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS UGHT GRDRG WH UNR-AGE PAG, à LA MARK FOLEY. IF YOU’RE GRDRG D.C., YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE A MUTE TO WATCH THIS SHORT VIO EXPOSé ON THE WEB SE OF SUBWAY DAILY THE WASHGTON EXAMER, STARRG THE PAPER’S THEN “YEAS & NAYS” LUMNIST, TARA PALMERI. “THEY’RE NOT ASKG, THEY’RE NOT TELLG, SOME OF THEM,” ANNOUNC PALMERI OM THE CAPOL LAWN. “INSTEAD THEY’RE NNECTG ON A SE LLED GRDR.” INSI THE WHE HOE SHE FDS “A SLEW OF MEN” WH A FEW HUNDRED FEET, SO MANY THAT “YOU N LERALLY SCROLL THROUGH AND LOAD MORE GUYS, SO SEEMS LIKE SI THE WHE HOE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A GOOD PLACE TO NNECT!” THE PICTURE IS EVEN ROSIER ONT OF THE PENTAGON, WHERE SHE FDS “PAG AND PAG OF MEN LOOKG TO NNECT.” (MEDIAE’S MICHAEL TRIPLETT RAN A TT OF HIS OWN, SIGNG ON ROUGHLY THE SAME SPOT WHERE PALMERI HAD. GIVEN THAT GRDR’S G.P.S. ACCURACY HAS A MARG OF ERROR OF ABOUT 1,600 FEET, EVEN IF SAYS THE NEART GUY IS ONLY A FEW HUNDRED FEET AWAY—SEEMGLY PLACG HIM SI THE PENTAGON—HE’S “JT AS LIKELY TO BE A SAL CLERK AT ABERCROMBIE & FCH AS HE IS AN ARMY OFFICER LOOKG FOR A LTLE DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL ACTN,” TRIPLETT NCLUD.)IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR THE FIRST GRDR-ORIGATED DATE RAPE TO BE REPORTED, WHEN A 15-YEAR-OLD VANUVER BOY WAS ALLEGEDLY SEXUALLY ASSLTED BY A 54-YEAR-OLD MAN WHOM HE’D MET UP WH AFTER CHATTG ON GRDR BACK APRIL 2010. THIS WASN’T A SE OF A PREDATOR G.P.S.-STALKG HIS PREY AND THEN ATTACKG HIM A DARK ALLEY, WHICH WH GRDR’S PROXIMY FUNCTN WOULD BE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE; WAS MORE GARN-VARIETY PUTER-ASSISTED TERGENERATNAL DATE GONE WRONG. THE SEX PART MAY NOT HAVE BEEN NSENSUAL, BUT THE CISN TO MEET UP APPARENTLY WAS. GRDR DON’T ALLOW GUYS YOUNGER THAN 17 ON THE APP, BUT DON’T ASK FOR ID, EHER (JT “TAP OK TO NFIRM THAT YOU ARE 17 OR OVER” TO BEG DOWNLOADG).MOST POPULARJENNA ORTEGA REILS AT JOHNNY DEPP DATG RUMORS BY EVE BATEYDONALD TMP SPENDS LABOR DAY WEEKEND PLANNG A REVENGE TOURBY JACK MCCORDICKCHRIS ROCK AND JOEL KNAMAN FLEE BURNG MAN FTIVAL IN WAKE OF FLOODG, DEATHBY EVE BATEYGRDR’S LIST OF 34 L, OR “PROFILE GUIL,” READS LIKE THE STUNT HANDBOOK AT A PAROCHIAL SCHOOL. GRDR DON’T JT FORBID NUDY; ALSO REQUIR A BUFFER ZONE, A NO-MAN’S LAND “ONE CH ABOVE THE PUBIC AREA.” NOR IS KOSHER TO SHOW YOUR UNDI, EVEN THE WAISTBAND, AND DON’T TRY TO SKIRT THE L BY VERG UP WH A TOWEL OR “SHEER, OR OTHERWISE SEE-THROUGH” CLOTHG. YOU N’T GRAB YOUR CROTCH OR POSE ANY OTHER SEXUALLY SUGGTIVE WAY, AND “OBSCENE GTUR” AND “PROFANY OR CURSE WORDS” AREN’T TOLERATED. GRDR SEEMS TO BE GETTG MORE SER ABOUT ENFORCEMENT. LATELY I’VE NOTICED AN CREASE THE NUMBER OF PROFILE PICS TAKEN DOWN AND REPLACED WH “PHOTO UNR REVIEW.” “APPLE HAS VERY SPECIFIC GUIL—NO NUDY, NO PROFANY. THOSE ARE THEIR GUIL WHICH WE ABI BY,” GRDR FOUNR AND C.E.O. JOEL SIMKHAI TOLD BLOGGER ZACK ROSEN.SIMKHAI MAY BE A PROLIFIC LE WRER, BUT THE PANY SEEMS TO BE SUFFERG OM A SER SE OF WRER’S BLOCK WHEN TO ARTICULATG WHAT GRDR IS OR TENDS TO BE. ITS SLOGAN IS “GRDR. IT’S A GUY THG,” AS IF THE “GUYS” ARE GRDRG DURG BALL-GAME MERCIALS. ITS LOGO LOOKS LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN A VVILLE MASK AND SOMETHG HANNIBAL LECTER MIGHT WEAR. THE PANY’S EXPLANATN OF THE NAME GRDR STRAS CRLY. “HERE’S THE AL: THE NAME ‘GRDR’ WAS CHOSEN BEE EMBODIED THE IA OF ‘GRDG’ PEOPLE TOGETHER THE SAME WAY THAT A FFEE GRR GRDS FFEE BEANS,” THE PANY EXPLAS ON S WEB SE. “THE NAME IS ALSO PARTLY A BATN OF THE WORDS ‘GUY’ AND ‘FR.’ ” YOU’D BE HARD-PRSED TO FOOL EVEN THE DIMMT-WTED QUEEN WH SUCH CLUMSY SP.THE BLOG SE CELEBRIFI CLARED SIMKHAI RPONSIBLE FOR THE “BIGGT CHANGE GAY HOOKUPS SCE THE HANKY ,” YET SIMKHAI TIRELSLY DOWNPLAYS GRDR’S OBV SEXUAL UNRCURRENT. “FROM MY PERSPECTIVE … ’S NOT SEX. IT’S A PRECURSOR TO SEX. IT’S JT BEFORE,” SIMKHAI TOLD THE OBSERVER (U.K.) JULY 2010. “THAT’S HOW I SEE GRDR. WE WANT TO BE SEXY. WE THK SEX IS PART OF LIFE, THE BASIS OF LIFE. BUT GRDR IS SEXS RATHER THAN SEX.” HUH? TRY AS HE DO TO FSE HIS WIDGET, WHEN RNERED SIMKHAI TENDS TO RETREAT TO THE SAFETY OF A FORMULAIC DISTANCG MANVER: “I’M JT A TECHNOLOGY PROVIR,” AS HE TOLD ROSEN.I’VE READ OR HEARD VAR UTILARIAN-THEMED ANECDOT ABOUT GRDR: THE GUY WHO GOT A JOB WH AN ITALIAN ACTG TROUPE AFTER MEETG S DIRECTOR ON GRDR; THE GUY WHO GOT LOCKED OUT OF HIS APARTMENT AT THREE A.M. BUT FOUND A SUABLE PLACE TO CRASH FOR THE NIGHT THANKS TO GRDR; THE GUY WHO’S NEW TO TOWN AND GRDR TO MEET IENDS. NOT TO MENTN THE IRRISTIBLE GRDRG-ON-A-PLANE STORI. BUT FOR ME, GRDR HASN’T PROVEN VERY EFUL AS A TOOL, SORT OF LIKE THE ALLIGATOR WRENCH THE WORKSHOP. IN THE SIX MONTHS I’VE BEEN ON GRDR, ’S PROVID ME WH A FEW NEW FACEBOOK IENDS, AND I RENNECTED WH AN OLD ACQUATANCE FOR A PLEASANT SUNDAY BNCH. MOST GAS ED, GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF TIME I’VE SPENT ON GRDR. WHEN YOU BOIL DOWN, GRDR IS REALLY JT ANOTHER TIME-SUCKG TECHNO TOY, ANOTHER TRENDY DISTRACTN OF THE GADGET ERA, ALBE ONE RRYG THE FAT HOPE OF SEX OR IENDSHIP. CALL ME OLD-FASHNED, BUT I’M NOSTALGIC FOR THE PRE-MOBILE-VICE DAYS, WHEN A NIGHT OUT ON THE TOWN HELD THE PROMISE OF ADVENTURE—OR AT LEAST THE UNKNOWN.MOST POPULARJENNA ORTEGA REILS AT JOHNNY DEPP DATG RUMORS BY EVE BATEYDONALD TMP SPENDS LABOR DAY WEEKEND PLANNG A REVENGE TOURBY JACK MCCORDICKCHRIS ROCK AND JOEL KNAMAN FLEE BURNG MAN FTIVAL IN WAKE OF FLOODG, DEATHBY EVE BATEYBUT GRDR IS PROVG IRREPRSIBLE, AND THE PANY IS GROWG BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS. IN SEPTEMBER, GRDR LNCHED ON THE IPAD. IN MARCH, AFTER MUCH LAY, THE PANY FALLY ANNOUNCED—AT SOUTH BY SOUTHWT, NATURALLY—THE POSSIBLY IMMENT ARRIVAL OF A STRAIGHT VERSN OF GRDR, LLED PROJECT AMIC, “A NEW LOTN-BASED MOBILE EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE.” THE PROJECT AMIC WEB SE ALLOWS YOU TO SIGN UP FOR THE “BETA LNCH,” WHATEVER THAT MEANS. (AS I WRE THIS, ’S BEEN MORE THAN TWO MONTHS, AND I’M STILL AWAG NEWS OF THE BETA LNCH.) ONCE AGA, THE PANY IS TONGUE-TIED WHEN TO ARTICULATG A HERENT MARKETG MSAGE FOR S NEW APP. “AMIC, A LAT WORD MEANG ‘IEND,’ HIGHLIGHTS THE PROJECT’S SOCIAL EMPHASIS,” EXPLAED A PRS RELEASE. BUT IF THE STRAIGHTS N SPREAD THE NEWS AS EFFECTIVELY AS THE GAYS DID—THE PANY BOUGHT NO ADVERTISG AND RELIED ALMOST ENTIRELY ON WORD OF MOUTH TO MARKET GRDR—SIMKHAI NEEDN’T SWEAT . WILL GRDR TRANSLATE TO AMIC? “I’M NOT SURE GRDR ULD FULLY ACMODATE THE PLEXI OF MALE-FEMALE TERACTNS,” WROTE POLLY VERNON THE OBSERVER BUT AS SIMKHAI TOLD VERNON, “[G]AY MEN DON’T HAVE THE MONOPOLY ON LONELS AND ISOLATN.” NOW THERE’S A SLOGAN!MATT KAPP
• GAY NYC DANCER FATALLY STABBED WHILE VOGUG AT GAS STATN; HATE CRIME VTIGATN LNCHED
• THE 42 BT GAY BARS AMERI

GAY BARS NEAR ME

Gay Club. Gay News.

If you’re lookg for a fun and clive place to socialize and meet new people, gay bars are a great optn.

The bars are safe spac where members of the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and tersex (LGBTI) muny n e together and celebrate their inti whout fear of discrimatn or judgement. Fortunately, there are likely many gay bars loted near you, no matter where you live. To fd gay bars your area, you n do a quick onle search or check out popular gay-iendly webs and apps such as Grdr, Her, and Gay Ci.

'GAY BAR' TRACKS THE WAVE OF A WHOLE CULTURE — AND ONE LIFE

The rourc n help you fd the perfect gay bar for you, whether you’re lookg for a laid-back neighborhood spot or a high-energy dance club.

When you vis a gay bar for the first time, remember to be rpectful of the space and the people around you. Many gay bars are safe havens for the LGBTI muny, and ’s important to be nsirate of others and follow the l of the tablishment. One of the bt thgs about gay bars is the vibrant and welg atmosphere.

GAY BARS LAS VEGAS 

Whether you’re lookg to make new iends, fd a date, or simply have a good time, gay bars are a fantastic optn. In ncln, if you’re lookg for a fun and clive place to socialize and meet new people, gay bars are a great optn.

Wh a ltle rearch, you n easily fd gay bars near you and explore the vibrant world of the LGBTI muny. The Bt Sk Care Products for Gay Men. Gay Bar: Why We Went Out, Jeremy Atherton L.

GRDR AND TR: THE DISPTIVE FLUENCE OF APPS ON GAY BARS

"We go out to get some, " wr Jeremy Atherton L his new book, Gay Bar. Gay Bar b memoir, history and cricism; 's a difficult book to p down, but that's what mak so readable and so endlsly fascatg. Atherton L's book starts off a crowd room a gay bar where he's gone cisg wh his partner, whom he refers to throughout the book wh the Leonard Cohen-spired nickname Famo Blue Raat.

That kd of gay bar — all kds of gay bars, really — are danger of closg, Atherton L wr, due to the populary of datg apps and risg property sts. He's ambivalent about the velopment, wrg, "I had to nsir whether gay bars promised a sense of belongg then lured to a trap. In a gay bar, am I penned to mory stat, swallowg drks that nourish my opprsn — have gay bars kept me my place?

GAY BAR

" The prospect of losg gay bars leads him to reflect on their prence his life. He wr betifully about his llege days Los Angel, where he went to his first one, though he n't rell the name, wryly notg, "Of urse I n't remember my first gay bar — I was dnk. " He's also spired to dig to the past: "Enough time has passed that gay bars, once a surge, have bee monumental their own way.

" That history clus the famo 1969 uprisg at the Stonewall Inn New York, but Atherton L also div to other, lser-known bars, cludg on that endured police raids meant to put gay people their place. Throughout the book, Atherton L scrib the gay bars that he equented, and his scriptns of the tablishments are endlsly evotive. " Atherton L explor topics like archecture and urban geography, as they relate to gay bars, betifully; he wr wh a real knowledge that's more than jt tellectual dilettantism.

FATAL STABBG OF GAY MAN AT GAS STATN BEG VTIGATED AS HATE CRIME

About the changg looks of bars before the turn of the century, he observ, "A new type of gay bar began to appear London's Soho the neti — airy, glossy, ntental. The gay bars were born that way. They were nceived specifilly to take gay men's money.

" Along the way, Atherton L dips to other topics related to the gay muny: the appropriatn of gay culture by straight people, mic, drkg, and the valu of the younger generatn of LGBTQ people.

BT GAY DATG APPS FOR HOOKUPS, RELATNSHIPS, AND EVERYTHG BETWEEN

Gay Bar is a book that's beyond imprsive, and Atherton L's wrg is both extremely telligent and rehgly unpretent. And while succeeds on many levels, perhaps the most remarkable one is Atherton L's nstant qutng of himself, and the realizatns of how he's changed sce he walked to his first gay bar years ago: "Maybe, I thought, I'm a dis ball.

Sce 2006, the UK pal has lost more than half s gay bars and clubs, fallg om 125 to 53 jt over a , acrdg to rearch om the Urban Laboratory at Universy College by risg mercial rents and 2007’s smokg ban, LGBT venu are now facg an addnal prsure: datg apps, such as Grdr and Scff, which have elimated the need to meet first bars or men, particular, have been quick to adopt the new technology. A recent survey om, the matchmakg webse, suggted that 70 per cent of gay relatnships start onle, pared wh 50 per cent for heterosexual Royal Vxhall Tavern, south London’s olst survivg gay venue, faced an uncerta future two years ago as velopers eyed s prime lotn; is suated one of the pal’s real tate hotspots.

GRDR: WELE TO THE WORLD’S BIGGT, SRIT GAY BARGRDR, THE POPULAR “GEOSOCIAL WORKG” IPHONE APP FOR GAY MEN, HAS MORE THAN A LN ERS 180 UNTRI, CLUDG IRAQ, IRAN, AND HAI. IT’S BEEN LLED A “REVOLUTNARY DATG TOOL”—AND ALSO “THE SRIT GAY BAR ON EARTH THAT IS ALL OVER THE EARTH.” FROM HIS VIRTUAL BAR STOOL, THOR MATT KAPP S THE LGUA AN OF SMART-PHONE-ASSISTED GAY DATG AND WONRS WHETHER GRDR N TRANSLATE TO HETERO.BY MATT KAPPMAY 27, 2011SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEA SMART, ATTRACTIVE, CHRONILLY SGLE IEND OF ME HAD BEEN FEVERISHLY FIDGETG WH HIS IPHONE FOR HALF A DOZEN BLOCKS, SOMEHOW NAVIGATG THE CROWD SIWALKS WHOUT ONCE LIFTG HIS GAZE OM THE SCREEN. “HERE’S ONE … 1,127 FEET,” HE MUTTERED. AND THEN, “OH, 413 FEET!” SENSG MY ANNOYANCE, HE SHOWED ME HIS PHONE: DOZENS OF LTLE THUMBNAIL PICTUR OF GUYS, WH LTLE BLURBS ABOUT THEMSELV, ANIZED OM TOP TO BOTTOM ORR OF PROXIMY. SUDNLY, BEME CLEAR TO ME WHAT HIS EXCEMENT WAS ABOUT. COULD THIS C LTLE IPHONE APP BE EVERY SGLE GAY MAN’S DREAM: TO BE ABLE TO CISE ANYWHERE, ANYTIME? SHOPPG? WHY NOT! MEET ME AISLE C! KILLG TIME AT THE AIRPORT? I’M STG AT GATE 17. AT THE GYM? A NO-BRAER. EVEN AT GAY BARS: CISG WH CISG.GRDR CLAIMS S APP HAS MORE THAN A LN ERS MORE THAN 180 UNTRI, CLUDG SRI LANKA, DJIBOUTI, HAI, IRAQ, AND IRAN, PLAC WHERE BEG GAY N GET YOU KILLED. BUT NOWHERE IS GRDR MORE POPULAR THAN THE U.K., WHERE THERE ARE MORE THAN 160,000 ERS, WHICH MEANS, AFTER ADJTG FOR POPULATN, ALMOST TWICE AS MANY GAY BRS E GRDR AS GAY AMERINS DO. LONDON TOPS THE LIST OF CI, WH 62,000 GRDR ERS, WHICH THE PANY PROUDLY POTS OUT IS “1 EVERY 60 MALE LONDONERS.” USERS SPEND AN AVERAGE OF 1.3 HOURS A DAY LOGGED ON. OPENLY GAY CELEBRY JACK-OF-ALL-TRAS AND VOUT TECHNOPHILE STEPHEN FRY TRODUCED GRDR TO BRISH TELEVISN VIEWERS ON THE BBC’S H SHOW TOP GEAR, WHICH IS ABOUT THE RATHER HETEROSEXUAL SUBJECT OF RS. “THIS ONE MAY NOT BE QUE SO UP YOUR STRATA,” HE WARNED *TOP GEAR’*S HOST, JEREMY CLARKSON. “IT’S LLED GRDR.” AS FRY SHOWED OFF THE APP, CLARKSON’S CRLY SHIFTED TO ENTHIASM. “YOU N FD THE NEART CISG HOMOSEXUAL WH ONE OF THOSE?,” HE MARVELED. “IMAGE TRAFFIC JAMS!” GRDR DOWNLOADS SPIKED BY 30,000 THE DAYS AFTER FRY’S APPEARANCE ON THE SHOW.I’D TRIED PUTER-ASSISTED DATG ONLY ONCE BEFORE, WH MIXED RULTS, BUT GRDR SEEMED SO EASY—A FEW TAPS OF MY IPHONE SCREEN AND I WAS OFF TO THE RAC—THAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO RIST. FIRST I NEED A PROFILE. GRDR PROFILE PHOTOS FALL TO FOUR GENERAL TEGORI: LAZY, EARNT, ABSURD, AND SEXUALLY SUGGTIVE. THE STAPLE OF THE LAZY TEGORY IS THE LO-R, SELF-TAKEN MIRROR SHOT, WHICH TRANSLAT TO “I DON’T GIVE A SH ABOUT GRDR OR ANY OF YOU SO I’M NOT GONNA TRY VERY HARD.” IN MY EXPERIENCE, MOST PROMISCUO GAY GUYS—THE TYPE I EXPECTED TO ENUNTER ON GRDR—TEND TO PREFER TACHED, FUCK-YOU TYP AND ARE TURNED ON BY OFFPUT-ISHNS. THE PROJECTN OF APATHY IS SENTIAL TO THE LAZY STRATEGY. UNR NO CIRCUMSTANC IS EVER ACCEPTABLE TO E ACROSS AS EAGER. I PUT ON MY FAVORE T-SHIRT, AND A FEW DOZEN SHOTS LATER I HAD MY VERY OWN FUCK-YOU, LO-R MIRROR PROFILE PHOTO, THE BACK OF MY IPHONE THE FOREGROUND, MY PISSED-OFF-LOOKG MUG THE BACKGROUND.NEXT ME MY PROFILE BLURB. RARELY HAVE I EVER RE-WRTEN, EDED, AND RE-EDED SO FEW WORDS SO MANY TIM. I FALLY SETTLED ON THE PASSIVE-AGGRSIVE, FX-NONCHALANT “MAKE ME AN OFFER” AND CLUD A LK TO MY FACEBOOK PAGE (IF NOTHG ELSE, GRDR WOULD HELP ME PROMOTE MY BRAND). AS SOON AS I STARTED CISG PROFIL, I SCROLLED TO SEVERAL IENDS AND ACQUATANC. I STOPPED TO DROP EACH A LE TO LET THEM KNOW I WAS THE HOE (NOT YET HAVG REALIZED THAT IF I ULD SEE THEM, THEY ULD SEE ME). AT FIRST, GRDR FELT A B LIKE THE NEIGHBORHOOD GAY BAR, NOT “THE SRIT GAY BAR ON EARTH THAT IS ALL OVER THE EARTH,” AS BLOGGER CHOIRE SICHA PUT . THERE WASN’T A SHORTAGE OF EAKS, BUT NEHER WERE THERE ANY GENUE CREEPS.GRDR IS DOMATED BY TWO WARRG ARCHETYP: THE SHIRTLS, ALPHA-MALE HEADLS TORSOS AND THEIR ARCHENEMI, THE FSY, UPPY FAC. THE HEADLS TORSOS SEE GRDR AS A PURE, SGLE-FUNCTN TOOL FOR FACILATG HOOKUPS, NOT A SOCIAL CENTER FOR CHATTG AND MAKG IENDS. SPARTAN WORDSMHS, THE HEADLS TORSOS ARE FLUENT JT A HANDFUL OF WORDS AND PHRAS, LIKE “HEY,” “SUP,” AND “WHO’S HOSTG?” THE FAC SEE GRDR MORE AS A MULTI-FUNCTNAL PUBLIC SQUARE AND ARE NVCED THEY HOLD THE MORAL HIGH GROUND. WHY N’T YOU HEADLS TORSOS JT MAN UP AND PAN UP TO CLU YOUR FAC? OCSNALLY A VIRTUAL BAR BRAWL BETWEEN THE HEADLS TORSOS AND THE FAC SPILLS OUT ONTO THE SIWALK. ONE FACE FIR OFF A WARNG SHOT HIS BLURB: “I’M NOT TO HEADLS TORSOS AND ‘HEY’ IS FOR HORS.” A HEADLS TORSO RPONDS BY TAGGG HIMSELF “HEADLS TORSO” AND FUMG, “I ALREADY HAVE IENDS!” THERE ARE PLENTY OF VIGILANTE CROSSG-GUARD TYP EAGER TO REFEREE. “IF YOU N’T BE A GENTLEMAN AT LEAST BE POLE,” SLDS ONE. IT’S NO WONR THAT WH ALL THE MOTN SOME GUYS ARE PERPLEXED OVER HOW TO BEHAVE OR WHAT TO WRE ON GRDR. “UM, NOT SURE WHAT TO WRE HERE,” NFS TOM, GGERLY DIPPG A TOE TO THE ULDRON.ANYONE N DOWNLOAD GRDR, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, AND NOBODY NEEDS TO SEND YOU A “IEND REQUT” BEFORE CHATTG YOU UP AND/OR SENDG YOU NUDIE PICS. THIS LACK OF A ONT GATE IS BOUND TO BACKFIRE SOONER OR LATER, PERHAPS THE WAY DID FOR EX-NGRSMAN CHRIS LEE, WHO TEMPORARILY HOLDS THE RERD FOR QUICKT PUTER-ASSISTED-DATG-RELATED CRASH AND BURN THE HISTORY OF AMERIN POLICS. IT N’T BE TOO LONG BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS UGHT GRDRG WH UNR-AGE PAG, à LA MARK FOLEY. IF YOU’RE GRDRG D.C., YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE A MUTE TO WATCH THIS SHORT VIO EXPOSé ON THE WEB SE OF SUBWAY DAILY THE WASHGTON EXAMER, STARRG THE PAPER’S THEN “YEAS & NAYS” LUMNIST, TARA PALMERI. “THEY’RE NOT ASKG, THEY’RE NOT TELLG, SOME OF THEM,” ANNOUNC PALMERI OM THE CAPOL LAWN. “INSTEAD THEY’RE NNECTG ON A SE LLED GRDR.” INSI THE WHE HOE SHE FDS “A SLEW OF MEN” WH A FEW HUNDRED FEET, SO MANY THAT “YOU N LERALLY SCROLL THROUGH AND LOAD MORE GUYS, SO SEEMS LIKE SI THE WHE HOE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A GOOD PLACE TO NNECT!” THE PICTURE IS EVEN ROSIER ONT OF THE PENTAGON, WHERE SHE FDS “PAG AND PAG OF MEN LOOKG TO NNECT.” (MEDIAE’S MICHAEL TRIPLETT RAN A TT OF HIS OWN, SIGNG ON ROUGHLY THE SAME SPOT WHERE PALMERI HAD. GIVEN THAT GRDR’S G.P.S. ACCURACY HAS A MARG OF ERROR OF ABOUT 1,600 FEET, EVEN IF SAYS THE NEART GUY IS ONLY A FEW HUNDRED FEET AWAY—SEEMGLY PLACG HIM SI THE PENTAGON—HE’S “JT AS LIKELY TO BE A SAL CLERK AT ABERCROMBIE & FCH AS HE IS AN ARMY OFFICER LOOKG FOR A LTLE DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL ACTN,” TRIPLETT NCLUD.)IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR THE FIRST GRDR-ORIGATED DATE RAPE TO BE REPORTED, WHEN A 15-YEAR-OLD VANUVER BOY WAS ALLEGEDLY SEXUALLY ASSLTED BY A 54-YEAR-OLD MAN WHOM HE’D MET UP WH AFTER CHATTG ON GRDR BACK APRIL 2010. THIS WASN’T A SE OF A PREDATOR G.P.S.-STALKG HIS PREY AND THEN ATTACKG HIM A DARK ALLEY, WHICH WH GRDR’S PROXIMY FUNCTN WOULD BE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE; WAS MORE GARN-VARIETY PUTER-ASSISTED TERGENERATNAL DATE GONE WRONG. THE SEX PART MAY NOT HAVE BEEN NSENSUAL, BUT THE CISN TO MEET UP APPARENTLY WAS. GRDR DON’T ALLOW GUYS YOUNGER THAN 17 ON THE APP, BUT DON’T ASK FOR ID, EHER (JT “TAP OK TO NFIRM THAT YOU ARE 17 OR OVER” TO BEG DOWNLOADG).MOST POPULARJENNA ORTEGA REILS AT JOHNNY DEPP DATG RUMORS BY EVE BATEYDONALD TMP SPENDS LABOR DAY WEEKEND PLANNG A REVENGE TOURBY JACK MCCORDICKCHRIS ROCK AND JOEL KNAMAN FLEE BURNG MAN FTIVAL IN WAKE OF FLOODG, DEATHBY EVE BATEYGRDR’S LIST OF 34 L, OR “PROFILE GUIL,” READS LIKE THE STUNT HANDBOOK AT A PAROCHIAL SCHOOL. GRDR DON’T JT FORBID NUDY; ALSO REQUIR A BUFFER ZONE, A NO-MAN’S LAND “ONE CH ABOVE THE PUBIC AREA.” NOR IS KOSHER TO SHOW YOUR UNDI, EVEN THE WAISTBAND, AND DON’T TRY TO SKIRT THE L BY VERG UP WH A TOWEL OR “SHEER, OR OTHERWISE SEE-THROUGH” CLOTHG. YOU N’T GRAB YOUR CROTCH OR POSE ANY OTHER SEXUALLY SUGGTIVE WAY, AND “OBSCENE GTUR” AND “PROFANY OR CURSE WORDS” AREN’T TOLERATED. GRDR SEEMS TO BE GETTG MORE SER ABOUT ENFORCEMENT. LATELY I’VE NOTICED AN CREASE THE NUMBER OF PROFILE PICS TAKEN DOWN AND REPLACED WH “PHOTO UNR REVIEW.” “APPLE HAS VERY SPECIFIC GUIL—NO NUDY, NO PROFANY. THOSE ARE THEIR GUIL WHICH WE ABI BY,” GRDR FOUNR AND C.E.O. JOEL SIMKHAI TOLD BLOGGER ZACK ROSEN.SIMKHAI MAY BE A PROLIFIC LE WRER, BUT THE PANY SEEMS TO BE SUFFERG OM A SER SE OF WRER’S BLOCK WHEN TO ARTICULATG WHAT GRDR IS OR TENDS TO BE. ITS SLOGAN IS “GRDR. IT’S A GUY THG,” AS IF THE “GUYS” ARE GRDRG DURG BALL-GAME MERCIALS. ITS LOGO LOOKS LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN A VVILLE MASK AND SOMETHG HANNIBAL LECTER MIGHT WEAR. THE PANY’S EXPLANATN OF THE NAME GRDR STRAS CRLY. “HERE’S THE AL: THE NAME ‘GRDR’ WAS CHOSEN BEE EMBODIED THE IA OF ‘GRDG’ PEOPLE TOGETHER THE SAME WAY THAT A FFEE GRR GRDS FFEE BEANS,” THE PANY EXPLAS ON S WEB SE. “THE NAME IS ALSO PARTLY A BATN OF THE WORDS ‘GUY’ AND ‘FR.’ ” YOU’D BE HARD-PRSED TO FOOL EVEN THE DIMMT-WTED QUEEN WH SUCH CLUMSY SP.THE BLOG SE CELEBRIFI CLARED SIMKHAI RPONSIBLE FOR THE “BIGGT CHANGE GAY HOOKUPS SCE THE HANKY ,” YET SIMKHAI TIRELSLY DOWNPLAYS GRDR’S OBV SEXUAL UNRCURRENT. “FROM MY PERSPECTIVE … ’S NOT SEX. IT’S A PRECURSOR TO SEX. IT’S JT BEFORE,” SIMKHAI TOLD THE OBSERVER (U.K.) JULY 2010. “THAT’S HOW I SEE GRDR. WE WANT TO BE SEXY. WE THK SEX IS PART OF LIFE, THE BASIS OF LIFE. BUT GRDR IS SEXS RATHER THAN SEX.” HUH? TRY AS HE DO TO FSE HIS WIDGET, WHEN RNERED SIMKHAI TENDS TO RETREAT TO THE SAFETY OF A FORMULAIC DISTANCG MANVER: “I’M JT A TECHNOLOGY PROVIR,” AS HE TOLD ROSEN.I’VE READ OR HEARD VAR UTILARIAN-THEMED ANECDOT ABOUT GRDR: THE GUY WHO GOT A JOB WH AN ITALIAN ACTG TROUPE AFTER MEETG S DIRECTOR ON GRDR; THE GUY WHO GOT LOCKED OUT OF HIS APARTMENT AT THREE A.M. BUT FOUND A SUABLE PLACE TO CRASH FOR THE NIGHT THANKS TO GRDR; THE GUY WHO’S NEW TO TOWN AND GRDR TO MEET IENDS. NOT TO MENTN THE IRRISTIBLE GRDRG-ON-A-PLANE STORI. BUT FOR ME, GRDR HASN’T PROVEN VERY EFUL AS A TOOL, SORT OF LIKE THE ALLIGATOR WRENCH THE WORKSHOP. IN THE SIX MONTHS I’VE BEEN ON GRDR, ’S PROVID ME WH A FEW NEW FACEBOOK IENDS, AND I RENNECTED WH AN OLD ACQUATANCE FOR A PLEASANT SUNDAY BNCH. MOST GAS ED, GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF TIME I’VE SPENT ON GRDR. WHEN YOU BOIL DOWN, GRDR IS REALLY JT ANOTHER TIME-SUCKG TECHNO TOY, ANOTHER TRENDY DISTRACTN OF THE GADGET ERA, ALBE ONE RRYG THE FAT HOPE OF SEX OR IENDSHIP. CALL ME OLD-FASHNED, BUT I’M NOSTALGIC FOR THE PRE-MOBILE-VICE DAYS, WHEN A NIGHT OUT ON THE TOWN HELD THE PROMISE OF ADVENTURE—OR AT LEAST THE UNKNOWN.MOST POPULARJENNA ORTEGA REILS AT JOHNNY DEPP DATG RUMORS BY EVE BATEYDONALD TMP SPENDS LABOR DAY WEEKEND PLANNG A REVENGE TOURBY JACK MCCORDICKCHRIS ROCK AND JOEL KNAMAN FLEE BURNG MAN FTIVAL IN WAKE OF FLOODG, DEATHBY EVE BATEYBUT GRDR IS PROVG IRREPRSIBLE, AND THE PANY IS GROWG BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS. IN SEPTEMBER, GRDR LNCHED ON THE IPAD. IN MARCH, AFTER MUCH LAY, THE PANY FALLY ANNOUNCED—AT SOUTH BY SOUTHWT, NATURALLY—THE POSSIBLY IMMENT ARRIVAL OF A STRAIGHT VERSN OF GRDR, LLED PROJECT AMIC, “A NEW LOTN-BASED MOBILE EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE.” THE PROJECT AMIC WEB SE ALLOWS YOU TO SIGN UP FOR THE “BETA LNCH,” WHATEVER THAT MEANS. (AS I WRE THIS, ’S BEEN MORE THAN TWO MONTHS, AND I’M STILL AWAG NEWS OF THE BETA LNCH.) ONCE AGA, THE PANY IS TONGUE-TIED WHEN TO ARTICULATG A HERENT MARKETG MSAGE FOR S NEW APP. “AMIC, A LAT WORD MEANG ‘IEND,’ HIGHLIGHTS THE PROJECT’S SOCIAL EMPHASIS,” EXPLAED A PRS RELEASE. BUT IF THE STRAIGHTS N SPREAD THE NEWS AS EFFECTIVELY AS THE GAYS DID—THE PANY BOUGHT NO ADVERTISG AND RELIED ALMOST ENTIRELY ON WORD OF MOUTH TO MARKET GRDR—SIMKHAI NEEDN’T SWEAT . WILL GRDR TRANSLATE TO AMIC? “I’M NOT SURE GRDR ULD FULLY ACMODATE THE PLEXI OF MALE-FEMALE TERACTNS,” WROTE POLLY VERNON THE OBSERVER BUT AS SIMKHAI TOLD VERNON, “[G]AY MEN DON’T HAVE THE MONOPOLY ON LONELS AND ISOLATN.” NOW THERE’S A SLOGAN!MATT KAPP

“There is no need to go to a gay bar to meet people when the easy e of Grdr, Tr etc giv you immediate accs to meet somebody at an agreed lotn away om a meetg a bar or club. But while the activists celebrated, the listg do not remove the unfavourable enomics of nng an gay venue.

GAY NYC DANCER FATALLY STABBED WHILE VOGUG AT GAS STATN; HATE CRIME VTIGATN LNCHED

He has jt returned om India, where homosexualy is legal but same-sex relatnships are not. ”This was the pot of the gay scene the first place.

But wh discrimatn and stigma creasg many wtern natns, specifilly gay venu and neighbourhoods are fast losg their appeal. “Not many wept for the gay snas that saw a major cle when exprsns of same-sex affectn public were legalised, and when gay bars emerged on the high street om the unrground, ” says Oriyan Prizant, an analyst at behavural sights agency Canvas8. “The same procs is happeng now wh the creased fort self-exprsn — gay men particular now ngregate socially elsewhere.

“We were tired of the stigma associated wh onle gay datg and the brazen, outward prejudic that went unmorated, leavg so many feelg exclud, ” Mr Rogers is still a way to meet people, but offers the choice between meetg for a potential relatnship or sual hookups. The embarrassment of meetg onle has largely dissipated and wh “gay venu closg at an alarmg rate across the UK”, Mr Rogers says, is beg difficult to fd new people.

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