The third annual D.A.T.E. Report finds LGBTQIA+ daters are facing label fatigue and want more room to evolve…
In Hinge’s third annual LGBTQIA+ D.A.T.E (Date, Advice, Trends, Expertise) Report, called Love Beyond Labels, the dating app found LGBTQIA+ daters are looking to explore a more label fluid approach. The new data reveals that many LGBTQIA+ daters are experiencing label fatigue, becoming frustrated with the pressure to define themselves in fixed terms.
“LGBTQIA+ daters are redefining attraction, gender roles and relationships – moving beyond rigid expectations to embrace what feels authentic and fulfilling,” says Hinge. “While labels can be valuable tools…they don’t always capture the full complexity of identity and attraction.”
The report, which surveyed 14,000 global LGBTQIA+ and heterosexual Hinge daters, found 28 per cent of LGBTQIA+ daters feel this fatigue, calling the need to label themselves as limiting and inauthentic. When broken down across the LGBTQIA+ community, it found those identifying as queer (48 per cent) are more likely to feel this followed by those identifying as trans (33 per cent), bisexual (29 per cent) lesbian (28 per cent) and gay (22 per cent).
“Labels can help communicate who we are, but they can also create a false sense of certainty about who someone is,” the report says. The data also shows that half of LGBTQIA+ Hinge daters have felt the need to present as more masc or femme to attract someone, with 29 per cent regretting not presenting their true self.
Beyond it being misleading to one’s identity, some daters find labels can lead people to overlook them as well as set false expectations about dating styles and the type of relationship they’re looking for. The data also found 39 per cent of LGBTQIA+ daters feel people make assumptions about their relationship roles based on appearance, something that impacts non-binary daters most.
By embracing a fluidity in labels, daters can explore who they are more authentically, updating or using multiple sexuality or gender labels to reflect their evolving experience. “A dater might feel aligned with labels depending on how they feel or the social context” the Hinge states.
Examining specific community members, trans Hinge daters are 72 per cent more likely to have used a different sexuality label at some point. The least likely are gay Hinge daters who are 183 per cent less likely than their community counterparts to have changed the label they use.
When examining it generationally, there is a divide. Gen Z LGBTQIA+ daters are 39 per cent more likely than millennial one’s to have reconsidered their sexuality label in response to an expected attraction.
This fluidity is also present in how LGBTQIA+ daters see their future with someone. Eighty-two per cent said they are prioritizing finding life partners with 58 per cent of them saying they want to get married. The report also found LGBTQIA+ daters are 3x more likely than heterosexuals to consider platonic marriages.
LGBTQIA+ people are once again leading an evolution in dating, rejecting norms and creating a future that fits who we are.
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