“NO CAMP” “NO ASIAN”... no thanks

Good thinking. A flying start to start your Grindr profile. Combined with your headless torso I’m now head-over-heels in love and desperate to rip off your prejudiced pants.

For those uninitiated into London’s location based gay networks (Grindr, Hornet, Recon etc.), declarations such as the one above are common. I use these apps casually (which is denial for daily) and I’d say I come across this sort of thing a few times per week. In my very unscientific survey of south west London, “No camp” or “Straight acting only” was the most common, followed by “No Asian”, “White’s only” comes in at third place while “No blacks” didn't’ feature (although I have come across it).

This is a forum where it’s accepted etiquette to state that you’re a musician, a top and that you like water-sports; so why not point out that you’re a white supremacist as well?

The fact that these slogans are common, and that those who write them aren't ostracised, implies that they are considered acceptable by large numbers of people. Let’s also remember we’re not discussing some obscure subsection of the population — Grindr alone is estimated to have 350,000 users in London. We need to tackle prejudice from the football pitch to the boardroom and, yes, on Grindr too.

After decrying various groups, some of the offending profiles will offer a defence, saying, “no offence – I’m just not in 2 u”. It’s easy to see why this argument flies amongst a group that has spent the last century arguing that you can’t do anything about who you fancy. “I can’t help the fact that I don’t fancy Asian people any more than I can’t help the fact that I don’t fancy women.”

It’s a weak defence.

Imagine walking into a bar and helpfully announcing to the establishment that you’re “sorry but you’re just not into black people”. Ok, it’s not quite analogous – on Grindr it’s also apparently acceptable for a man to send you 6 unsolicited pictures of his bum hole while there are lots of bars where this isn't considered de rigueur.

When considered in isolation, offenders have nothing obvious to gain from writing “white’s only” on their profile. The implication is that they have so many contenders for their affections that their inboxes are swamped. There is simply no way of screening the thousands of inbound messages and by sign-posting against unwanted attention they’re making life easier for their busy social secretaries. A cursory glance at the offenders’ profiles reveals that this is an unlikely scenario. It’s nice to receive the complement of an appreciative message from a stranger and, notable divers aside, dealing with unwanted fan mail doesn't take anyone very long.

When this fallacious upside is balanced against the potential for looking offensive and narrow minded, the net effect is negative. If it can only reduce your chances of getting laid, why put it on your profile?

The answer is subtle, subconscious and sinister.

To untangle this we need to view the ‘straight acting’ white gays as a group, a small percentage of whom have put up a sign saying “we’re better than everyone else”. They’re subtly implying the superiority of their tribe over the more diverse gay population. When the straight acting white gay writes “No camp, No Asians, Nobody not like me” he’s signalling the pre-eminence of the straight acting white gays to the whole community, some of whom will generously reciprocate with a matching statement of their own. In Grindr’s competitive marketplace it’s clear how this demarcation benefits the group as a whole.

Interestingly, the most benefit is derived by the straight acting white gays who don’t write “No camp, No Asians” as they get all the benefit of being a member of the alpha club without having to soil their profile with the offensive text. This helps to explain why the practice has become accepted and why those who write the slogans aren't ostracised.

Describing the offenders as ‘white supremacists’ may have seemed far-fetched when I used the phrase above but that’s exactly what it boils down to. Let’s no longer accept this: call these people out next time you see it, let them know that it’s offensive, send them a link to this article, block them or report their profile as offensive.