Hinge’s New Feature Helps LGBTQ+ Users Navigate ‘Not-So-Frequently-Asked-Questions’

“I just think it’s important to have a conversation, sit down, practice active listening, and get to know people,” says ABC News medical contributor Dr. Darien Sutton.

The dating app Hinge, popular for its creative prompts, has launched a new educational feature that help LGBTQ+ users date safely. The feature, called NFAQs (Not-So-Frequently-Asked-Questions), features information gathered from members of the LGBTQ+ community as they weigh in on topics like identity and consent. Two notable voices are founding editor of queer publication Them, Phillip Picardi, and his partner, ABC News medical contributor Dr. Darien Sutton, who met on Hinge in 2014.

Dr. Sutton told PinkNews, “For us as queer people, sometimes these apps are not often made in a way that we communicate and find our partners. I’m really happy to see things like NFAQ come to life because it helps to create real conversations about real subjects that we are actually curious about.”

Dr. Sutton specifically addresses substance abuse on the NFAQs. He recommends daters try to “understand what associations [they] draw with substance use, and where these associations come from”, but concludes that it’s “perfectly acceptable to want to choose a partner that shares your boundaries.”

“I just think it’s important to have a conversation, sit down, practice active listening, and get to know people,” he adds. “You may decide that you don’t want to be in a relationship or intimate partner or close partner with that person, but you may gain a new friend.”

Picardi found it important to cover the topic of religion. Picardi has a Masters in religion from Harvard University, but he is aware of the triggering nature of religion for LGBTQ+ people.

“If I were to have sat across from Darien eight years ago and Darien would have told me that his faith was very important to him, I probably would have considered that a red flag,” Picardi says. “I probably would have been like, I don’t know if I want to get involved with a religious partner.”

Other topics on the NFAQs include how to date when you are not out and how to feel affirmed in your gender with new partners.


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