Sure, online dating can have its ups and downs, but in order to appreciate the tools that we’ve got available to us today, it’s worth reflecting on where we’ve come from.
Life before Gaydar
Gaydar.net has been helping men come together for over 25 years. To imagine what life was like back in the day before a specialist online platform for men seeking men, we’ve got to take you all the way back to the 90s.
If you wanted to have sex with a guy in the 90s, your most effective options were cruising, hitting the bathhouse, heading out to a gay bar or club, or placing a personals ad in a gay magazine – such as QX.
At this time, all the queer media publications had a Personals section. There generally wasn’t any photos, just a few lines of text that listed your age, your location, and what you were looking for. If you liked the look of what someone had written, you had to send a letter to the magazine – the magazine would then send it off to the guy that you wanted to contact. If they were interested, they would then write to you or call. It took some patience, but it was sometimes worth the effort.
Taking personals ads to the next level
Henry Badenhorst and Gary Frisch created Gaydar.net when a friend told them that he was too busy to find a date.
The emerging technology of the internet enabled the founders of Gaydar to take the principles of the printed Personals ads in the magazines and speed up the whole process. Being able to send and receive messages in real-time was a total game-changer.
Gaydar.net became the first queer social network – a platform that brought men together and enabled them to talk and connect with each other.
Over the years, online dating platforms have had to evolve with the developments in technology. Now – with our phones always at hand – it seems as if we’re always online and constantly multi-tasking. Our phones enable us to be simultaneously working, being entertained, keeping up-to-date with our friends, assessing global trends and emerging issues, as well as looking for sex and intimacy.
Still here. Still queer.
Throughout Gaydar’s long history, it’s a business that’s been founded, owned, and managed by people who are proud to be part of the LGBTQ community.
Our home is in London, but Gaydar helps to bring people together around the world.
Other dating apps and brands have come and gone, but we’re still here, we’re still queer, and our focus remains firmly on the needs of men looking to connect with other men.
Why not put the technology to work? Log on to Gaydar.net, send some DMs, and see who you can connect with today.
Gareth Johnson
