Tinder adds 23 new gender options for Indians

Tinder-hooked singles could now look beyond the gender boundaries of 'man' and 'woman.' The online dating app on Tuesday rolled out its 'More Genders' feature in India, effectively allowing as many as 23 new gender options to choose from. 

The new feature is in line with the 'Transgender Awareness Week' that kicked off on November 12. Tinder collaborated with transgender users and The Humsafar Trust, the country's oldest LGBTQ organisation. 

With the new update, Tinder says users could now type any word that describes their gender identity. "Users now have the opportunity on the platform to identify as any gender that they believe represents them most authentically," elaborates a Tinder official. 

For users who identified as transgenders, gender neutral or somewhere between or outside the gender binary, the limitation of 'man' or 'woman' posed an obvious challenge. "From the 'Edit Info' screen, users can now type any word that describes their gender identity. Tinder users may also choose to display their gender on their profile." 

Tinder had instituted an advisory panel comprising The Humsafar Trust and LGBTQ author and inclusion advocate, Parmesh Shahani. The panel helped guide the local development of the update, be more inclusive with indigenous gender identities and to reflect cultural nuances of the community in India. 

Says Ashok Row Kavi, Chairperson, The Humsafar Trust: "Tinder's new initiative celebrates the diversity and pluralism and truly represents the idea of India. For numerous Indians who identify as trans and non-binary, this will be their chance to be their true selves online and in person." 

Tinder India's GM, Taru Kapoor, says: "Inclusivity, acceptance and individuality are core values of Tinder. Users are best to assert their own identity, and our latest update gives them the opportunity to decide how to express themselves authentically. I think it is vital to be reflective of our time, and it has been a good year in India for gender, sexuality and personal autonomy." 

Launched in 2012, Tinder has emerged as the highest-grossing Android app in India, and the top-grossing app on the Apple Store, beating the likes of Netflix, Candy Crush and Pandora. An estimated 50 million users log in daily in over 190 countries. Each day, 26 million matches are made on Tinder with more than 20 billion matches made to date.