From news to social networking to simply playing a prank, there are a whole bunch of apps out there designed for the LGBT community.
Grindr
iOS (Free)
Grindr helps gay men connect with one another by using the GPS on their phone. Say, you are walking down the street. Fire up the app to find other Grindr users who are listed in the order of their proximity to you. You can start chatting and see how things go.
Aware that people would quickly label it as a sex finding tool, the developers have strict guidelines about what you can put up on profiles, especially pictures. Buoyed by the success of Grindr, the company launched Blendr in September for people of all sexual orientations. As CEO Joel Simkhai said in one interview, “gay men don’t have the monopoly on loneliness and isolation.”
Edge
iOS, Android (Free)
Edge is a reputed magazine based in California, and has a neat app for the iPhone and Android platforms. The app has a section dedicated to news affecting the LGBT community from around the world. Entertainment and lifestyle features in the app discuss fashion, nightlife, and travel for gays. It also features columnists from within and outside the gay community.
Gay History Project
iOS ($2.99)
This app has around 150 essays and articles on important people and events related to homosexuality spanning 4,000 years. It has been developed by John Clevesy who wants to spread awareness about LGBT historical figures. The articles are divided chronologically in nine sections — from Ancient Times to A New Millennium. There are also colour-coded maps which present information about laws related to homosexuality around the world.
The app also has an interactive section where people can post their own experiences or post updates about LGBT events in their neighbourhood. Clevesy has also launched another app titled A Guide To Coming Out Of The Closet.
Gay Internet Radio Live
iOS (Free)
We didn’t exactly understand what is gay about this radio station. But if you like club, dance and circuit music, this is an app for you to download. There is very little talking and that’s the main reason why this app is so popular. If you have a fast internet connection you can stream richer quality of music (encoded at 128kbps). If the internet speed is low, opt for the lower quality of music (64kbps encoding).
Gaydar
iOS, Android ($0.99)
Gaydar is a nice prank that you can pull on your straight friends. When you tilt the phone, the app makes a beeping sound that keeps increasing in frequency as you tilt it further. At maximum angle the app says, ‘gay, gay, gay, gay’ loudly.
Is Your Son Gay
NA
This app had 20 questions for mothers that would apparently help them judge whether their son was gay. But in October Google removed it from Android Market after advocacy groups complained that the app was homophobic and relied on stereotypes. Some of the questions asked were: ‘Does your son read the sports pages?’ and ‘Does he care about the way he dresses?’ However, it turned out that the app was part of the promotional campaign of a book by an openly gay author, titled Is My Son Gay.
There are other similar apps on Android Market which, however, make it clear that they are meant to be taken lightly: R U Gay Quiz and Gaydar Radar.
— Compiled by R Krishna
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