SAFE SPACE: The Strange Rise Of Dating Apps For The Far-Right

“NOTHING BUT LOVE FOR MY PRESIDENT”

The dating scene isn’t easy for Republicans. As users cite “rejection discrimination” on mainstream platforms such as Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and OkCupid, several reactionary right-wing independent dating apps have begun flooding the market promising to deliver on these lustful safe spaces. Just like their prefered politicians, however, the irony is incredibly rich.

“This app is about love for conservatives by conservatives,” declared Righter founder Christy Edwards Lawton, the die-hard Trump supporter who spoke with Vox about leftist hegemony over the market. “I think people should date who they want to date. If you want to date a blonde, date a blonde. If you want to date a skinny person, date a skinny person. I don’t think that’s discrimination,” she added, “[but] they’re the ones telling us how racist we are, and how shortsighted we are, and it’s like, really? I just feel like it’s very rude. Get on a different app, [leftists]. Righter is not the app for you.”

Righter, nonetheless, still follows the footsteps of the reactionary competition such as Conservatives Only, Donald Daters, Dating Republicans, TrumpSingles, Gun Lovers Passions, Patrio, and countless more across America. Emily Moreno, the founder of Donald Daters, credits her cite to the left for their behaviour of walking out on dates “before the drinks had even arrived” if they’re discovered to be supporters of the GOP.

As framed by journalist Gaby Del Valle, “these conservative apps think liberals who refuse to date conservatives are doing something more destructive than looking for partners who share their values. To them, it amounts to anti-conservative discrimination… which [Moreno] said has intensified under Trump.”

This is funny given the foundation of Trump’s rise, along with the banter from his base, is about culture-war provocation, as seen in Righter’s own Instagram post where a picture of migrants waiting at a border wall being caption: “ACCESS DENIED” while US soldiers are stringing barbed wire with the words “FREE BENEFITS”, granting veterans premium access to the site.

Moreno told the publication: