Tag Archives: SCISSR

5 Lesbian Dating Apps To Keep Your Single-Self Entertained On Valentine’s Day

Being single on Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be depressing. Its can be highly entertaining.

Because Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love, and the means loving your self. And there is nothing wrong with pampering yourself with your own special lovin’ and chocolate on this romance-infested holiday.

So this Valentine’s day take the opportunity to reach out and connect with others


1. Her

HER takes a new approach to dating. Instead of focusing on dating, HER has its focus set to the wants and needs of the lesbian community.

As their site states:

Gay guys had their zillion apps, straight people got Earth. We wanted lesbians to have their space.”

By taking the focus off of dating, HER gives you an all-in-one solution to the social problems you might face. Want to find a fun gay party? Meet some new friends? Read news stories that are relevant to you? HER helps you do all of that.

Currently, their reach is fairly limited (only on iOS in a few English speaking countries) but they are taking requests to launch for Android as well as new regions. As far as newcomers go, HER promises to be a strong contender in the lesbian social scene – and you can get in while it’s still new!

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2. Scissr

Okay, we’ll admit – we’re a huge fan of the name of this one. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but the implication that it’s an app just for hook-ups isn’t true. Their motto is “There are no boundaries to life, nor should there be with any legit lesbian app. Let’s create something together that’s mind blowing for lesbians. An app which satisfies our needs for friendship, and oh yeah – love” – which speaks to me on an emotional level.

All first impressions aside, Scissr is all about connecting you to other lesbians, whether you’re looking for love, friendship, or just something to do.

They offer a wealth of free services that will help you to expand your social (or romantic) circle – including profile reviews that guarantee no “dudes or fake accounts”.

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3. FindHrr

FindHrr is one of few apps that boast an entirely lesbian crew – which sets it apart because, who knows lesbians better than other lesbians? Officially this is a social app (rather than a dating app), which means that they don’t just cater to those looking for love (or sex – and in fact, they discourage sending “naughty” pictures, which is generally good advice to follow anyway!).

Coming from someone who’s continually looking for new connections, apps like this are great. Even if you are looking for a date, sites and apps that help to take the pressure off things are super helpful – especially for those who may not be ready to fully come out of the closet yet. If you’re looking for a way to get more into the lesbian scene without leaving your comfort zone, FindHrr may be just what you’re looking for.

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4. GaydarGirls

For those who are looking for a different experience (but definitely looking for romance), GaydarGirls offers “the largest selection of gay personals on the web”. It’s not the most highly-featured site out there, but it does cover all the basics of a dating app – profile creation, photo albums, chat rooms, and search engines. If you’re only focused on the possibilities and not the overall look, GaydarGirls is a minimalist answer to the age-old question – “Where are the eligible lesbians around here?!”

All jokes aside, GaydarGirls presents itself as a simple solution to your dating needs. For those who like the structure of such sites as Craigslist and Yahoo! Chat, you’re likely to feel right at home with GaydarGirls. There aren’t any extra frills or distractions – just you and other single lesbians.

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5. Pink Sofa

As I’m sure the name implies, Pink Sofa is all about the lesbian social scene. The name Pink Sofaitself was chosen to imply that it would be a comfortable, friendly place – just like your living room! The idea has resonated with a lot of people, too… Enough that it is one of the longest-running businesses owned and managed by lesbians.

Founder Liz James came up with the idea over 13 years ago, after realizing that the lesbian dating scene was, to put it simply, a bit sketchy. She wanted to offer a way for lesbians to meet other lesbians without the frustrations of the bar scene, the risks of the personals scene, or the headaches of the less-exclusive dating site scene. After all, as women who love other women, are needs are different.

For those interested in Pink Sofa, there are both free and premium membership options, which makes it inclusive to people of any budget. After all, not everyone can afford the high prices of the online dating world – but Pink Sofa has fairly reasonable prices in the first place (as low as $10 per month if you subscribe in 12-month increments). They occasionally offer free trial premium memberships as well, just in case you’re not sure if you want to pull the trigger yet.

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Whether you’re by yourself this Valentine’s Day or with a significant other, it’s important to remember that Valentine’s Day is about celebrating love.

It’s not about celebrating the flowers and chocolates you got from the local corner store.


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11 Amazing Online Dating Resources For Lesbian, Bisexual, And Queer Women

In this technology-filled age, people are more and more willing to accept the idea that dating online is a legitimate way to meet someone. Truly, I’ve met a lot of my past partners on the internet – some through searching, and some through happy accidents.

But what if you’re actively looking for someone online? Can you find someone by filling out some questionnaires on a website?

Of course, if you are dating online, you’ll need to follow some basic precautions in order to ensure that you’ll have an enjoyable experience, but there is a good chance that you could meet the woman of your dreams on an app.

Here’s our rundown of the best places to meet someone online.


Scissr

Okay, I’ll admit – I’m a huge fan of the name of this one. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but the implication that it’s an app just for hook-ups isn’t true. Their motto is “There are no boundaries to life, nor should there be with any legit lesbian app. Let’s create something together that’s mind blowing for lesbians. An app which satisfies our needs for friendship, and oh yeah – love” – which speaks to me on an emotional level. All first impressions aside, Scissr is all about connecting you to other lesbians, whether you’re looking for love, friendship, or just something to do.

They offer a wealth of free services that will help you to expand your social (or romantic) circle – including profile reviews that guarantee no “dudes or fake accounts”. As someone who’s tired of people on “social sites” who aren’t who they say they are (and don’t take “just friends” for an answer), this feature alone is a game changer.

Sure, there are other sites and apps that take action to prevent fake accounts, but Scissr makes it one of their primary goals. After all, the “lesbian community” isn’t just about lesbians – it’s about all women who even think they might be interested in other women. Scissr was created for all of us.

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Zoosk

Zoosk is an interesting site. Like many other online dating sites, you pay for a membership, which puts a little more pressure on you to actually “get your money’s worth” out of it (since it’s literal money spent, rather than just your time). That little tidbit aside (hey, if you’re looking for a lady to love, chances are you’re going to be spending some money on her anyway, right?), Zoosk has a user base of over 50 million members. In the online dating world, it’s a numbers game. Their large numbers mean that there are, statistically, a lot of women who love other women.

Zoosk users also love that the site (and app) are fun to use. After all, you don’t want to feel that it’s a second job just looking for love, right? Instead of filling out a bunch of profile questions, Zoosk evaluates their users’ “click habits” – what’s likely to make you check out a person further? Chances are, that’ll ring true across the board if it happens regularly. They use this information to (eventually) suggest you people you might like to talk to. They say that every interaction you do on the site will influence the algorithm, meaning it learns what you like and will tailor your matches to meet it.

For a one-month membership, you’re looking at almost $30 – but if you’re willing to commit to a longer membership, the price goes down dramatically when you buy a few months in bulk. The three-month membership plan drops it down to $19.98 per month, while the six-month drops it all the way to $12.49 per month. If you’re going to do it, you might as well go all in!

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HER

HER is a bit different than many of the other apps and sites on our list. Instead of focusing on dating, HER has its focus set to the wants and needs of the lesbian community.

As their site states:

Gay guys had their zillion apps, straight people got Earth. We wanted lesbians to have their space.”

Ladies, I’m pretty sure you can agree – we all want to connect with other lesbians, right?

By taking the focus off of dating (although there are definitely dating-site features at play here), HER presents itself as an all-in-one solution to the social problems you might face. Want to find a fun gay party? Meet some new friends? Read news stories that are personally relevant to you? HER helps you do all of that.

Currently, their reach is fairly limited (only on iOS in a few English speaking countries) but they are taking requests to launch for Android as well as new regions. As far as newcomers go, HER promises to be a strong contender in the lesbian social scene – and you can get in while it’s still new!

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Match

Match has been a player in the game for a long time now, outliving many other “fad” dating sites that came and went. There are millions of members around the world and their claims are backed up by actual results. (Chances are, if you hear of someone meeting someone else on Match, they’re pretty happy about the experience.) They are not exclusively a “lesbian” dating site, but with millions of members worldwide and a warm welcome for those in the gay community, they’re not sweeping us under the rug, either (remember when eHarmony did that? Yeah, we do too.)

Match has always sought to improve the online dating experience, and even today with so many competitors, they’re constantly seeking out new ways to improve their algorithms and increase their users’ success. Possibly the biggest way they do this is through their search functions – they’re easy to use, very welcoming to under-confident daters (whether gay, straight, or bisexual), and they come up with good, solid matches.

In addition to their search functions, they actually have features that promote the users getting together offline, too. That’s actually pretty monumental from a dating app, as they definitely make more money if you’re spending more time looking for a date than actually getting one, right? But they know that their easiest advertising is going to be word-of-mouth from happy new couples.

There is an extensive questionnaire that you’re asked to fill out when you first start, and many members might be put off by this – but it’s important to realize that, on any dating site, the more questions you answer, the easier it is for the people behind the site to use math and science to find your perfect partner – which means less work on your part. Match at least does a fairly good job of making the questions fun and simple – super important!

They’re a bit more expensive than some of the other options, and they will ask you to do a bit of work to get your accurate matches – but once you do, they’ll not only give you their choices for who you should be with, but they actually tell you why they were picked. This makes it easier to understand your own preferences, and it can help you to understand where you should be re-evaluating your priorities if you do get a match that wasn’t a good fit.

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Compatible Partners

So, earlier we briefly touched on the fiasco that was eHarmony “not allowing” gay members on their site. Compatible Partners was their answer to that fiasco. Powered by eHarmony’s hugely successful matchmaking algorithms, Compatible Partners is directed straight at the gay and lesbian community. They’re not one of the bigger sites, but on the internet, there are no guarantees that success can’t be had in the smaller communities. After all, matchmaking algorithms already imply a sense of destiny – wouldn’t it be great if your perfect partner was on the same small site as you?

Something that’s exclusive to Compatible Partners is their “eH+” – a premium matchmaking service, which partners you with a personal matchmaker. This personal matchmaker will actually interview you, and other users who pay for this premium service, in order to determine not only what you want based on science, but also what you want based on you. This helps to balance the science of compatibility with the reality that is your interests and desires.

However, Compatible Partners goes a step beyond even this revolutionary step. How would you feel about having a detailed description of who you are in a relationship, what you need to get out of it, and the reasons your past relationships have failed? (Wow, putting it that way, it could be a bit scary to read!) They offer the “Book of You” – which does exactly that. And, with a few simple steps, you can make this “book” public to your matches – they can read all about what makes you, you.

So, how much are all these features really going to cost you? Quite a bit, actually, but if you’re really looking for “the one”, it might be a worthwhile investment. After all, the more in-depth their matchmaking strategy is, the more beneficial and successful the relationship will likely be in the long run. Their membership options are offered in 6-month intervals, and of course the longer chunk of time you buy at once the less expensive it is overall. (Not to mention, the longer you stick with it, the more likely it is to find the perfect woman for you – their algorithm isn’t at its peak success after just a month or two; it takes time to find the perfect solution to your needs.)

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Elite Singles

This is an exclusive dating pool, for those who have strong “qualifications” and criteria for their dates. In fact, over 67% of their users are University graduates, making their choice of the word “elite” make a lot of sense. If you value excellence in your matches and don’t mind filling out a bunch of questions (remember that earlier we said the more questions there are, the more precise the matching is), Elite Singles may be the right choice for you.

In addition to the initial questionnaire you fill out for your profile, there are settings for your profile that make it easier to custom-tailor your matches to your own wants and needs. Their questions cover every possible aspect of your perfect match, from their views on step-children to their character and their hygiene. While many other sites focus on what they think would make a good match for you, Elite Singles lets you set your criteria around what you require from a future partner. After all, if you’re searching for perfection, wouldn’t you want them to be perfect for you?

Of course, the typical conundrum lies within this process. The more questions you fill out, the easier it is to weed out someone who doesn’t meet your standards, but the less standards you set, the more matches you’ll get. It seems like a catch-22, but with “elite” right in the name you’d expect the matches to be pretty exclusive.

Their prices vary greatly depending on the number of features you choose to buy access to – which is pretty standard in the online dating game. Like so many things in the age of apps, it’s free to sign up and “use” the site, and you only pay for premium features if you actually want to use them. Of course, the premium features house the most possibilities, but that’s not to say it’s a required part of the process.

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FindHrr

FindHrr is one of few apps that boast an entirely lesbian crew – which sets it apart because, who knows lesbians better than other lesbians? Officially this is a social app (rather than a dating app) which means that they don’t just cater to those looking for love (or sex – and in fact, they discourage sending “naughty” pictures, which is generally good advice to follow anyway!). Their site reassures users with the simple premise:

Whether you’re seeking a hot date for the weekend, want to find the best gay bar or lesbian event near you or love reading reviews on local attractions when you travel abroad, findhrr will surpass all your expectations.”

Coming from someone who’s continually looking for new connections, apps like this are great. Even if you are looking for a date, sites and apps that help to take the pressure off things are super helpful – especially for those who may not be ready to fully come out of the closet yet. If you’re looking for a way to get more into the lesbian scene without leaving your comfort zone, FindHrr may be just what you’re looking for.

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Plenty of Fish

Fun little back story: After a break-up, years ago, I was on PoF looking for a date. I had a friend who I told about the site, and she responded with a quick, “That sounds like a lesbian thing.” Well, it’s not an exclusively lesbian dating pool, actually, but there are many bisexual and lesbian members in their numbers.

Plenty of Fish doesn’t have a million questions for you, and I don’t recall there ever being any “premium features” (if there were, I certainly didn’t use them). It’s not the most scientific site, but the fact that it’s free means there are a bunch of users just waiting to talk to you. You can message people for free, and you’re encouraged to fill out your specifications on your profile – but the real “work” is up to you. (Hey, it’s free, what do you expect?)

They do have some scientific matching algorithms available to their users, such as their “Chemistry Test” which evaluates the things you want and the things you need, and helps to tell you whether your potential matches will meet those needs or not. It’s a nice touch, but it is still a free match, and your results may vary.

Plenty of Fish offers some fun features that you often have to pay for on other sites, which makes it a great budget-conscious choice. They estimate 3 million active daily users – again, not all of them women interested in other women – and they claim to be the most popular dating site out there. I’m not sure if that’s true or if it’s just marketing hype, but when I was on the site I met a ton of people. Some weren’t right for me, some were better off as friends, and some were quite weird. (I once actually had “a date” with an escort that I met on PoF – that was a crazy experience, to say the least.)

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GaydarGirls

For those who are looking for a different experience (but definitely looking for romance), GaydarGirls offers “the largest selection of gay personals on the web”. It’s not the most highly-featured site out there, but it does cover all the basics of a dating app – profile creation, photo albums, chat rooms, and search engines. If you’re only focused on the possibilities and not the overall look, GaydarGirls is a minimalist answer to the age-old question – “Where are the eligible lesbians around here?!”

All jokes aside, GaydarGirls presents itself as a simple solution to your dating needs. For those who like the structure of such sites as Craigslist and Yahoo! Chat, you’re likely to feel right at home with GaydarGirls. There aren’t any extra frills or distractions – just you and other single lesbians.

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OKCupid

OKCupid is another one of the freebies that isn’t exclusively for lesbians, but allows a great deal of success. Instead of treating their matchmaking questions like one big test, you are welcomed to fill out as many or as few questions as you like.

Something that sets them apart is that they have you evaluate what you want your partner’s answers to be. Obviously, you might not know – but this small difference between them and other sites actually lets you specify the things that don’t really matter to you. After all, just because you’re deeply religious doesn’t automatically mean that you require a partner who is – right? (This is of course just an example.)

OKCupid uses your answers to these tests, as well as some fun personality quizzes (yeah, really!) to gauge your compatibility with your matches. You are shown a score of how likely you are to be friends, enemies, or lovers, based on what each of you answered to the questions. You can even compare answers directly if your match has allowed their answers to be posted publicly. If I remember correctly, this also extends to the personality quizzes – after all, don’t you want your matches to be fun as well as serious?

As far as free sites go, I personally stand behind OKCupid. The fact that you’re not forced to sit through tons of questions all at once makes it a lot easier to explore the site on your own time. Got a few minutes with nothing better to do? Might as well answer a few questions! You can even go back and change your answers to questions you’ve answered previously, if you’ve found that your needs and wants have changed. Humans are fluid in nature, after all, and things change over time – but OKCupid stays free.

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Pink Sofa

As I’m sure the name implies, Pink Sofa is all about the lesbian social scene. The name Pink Sofa itself was chosen to imply that it would be a comfortable, friendly place – just like your living room! The idea has resonated with a lot of people, too… Enough that it is one of the longest-running businesses owned and managed by lesbians.

Founder Liz James came up with the idea over 13 years ago, after realizing that the lesbian dating scene was, to put it simply, a bit sketchy. She wanted to offer a way for lesbians to meet other lesbians without the frustrations of the bar scene, the risks of the personals scene, or the headaches of the less-exclusive dating site scene. After all, as women who love other women, are needs are different.

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For those interested in Pink Sofa, there are both free and premium membership options, which makes it inclusive to people of any budget. After all, not everyone can afford the high prices of the online dating world – but Pink Sofa has fairly reasonable prices in the first place (as low as $10 per month if you subscribe in 12-month increments). They occasionally offer free trial premium memberships as well, just in case you’re not sure if you want to pull the trigger yet.


What Now?

Well, obviously, if you’re dedicated to finding your perfect partner, the more in-depth your search is, the more likely it is to be successful. I’m not really sure how effective any of these are for finding a match, personally, as I’ve been matched with people who I had actually previously tried to date with no success. (Hey, even science isn’t perfect. And there was that one time that OKCupid matched me with my mother… Talk about awkward!)

But if you don’t mind investing a little time into finding the perfect person for you, and you’re willing to take the steps necessary to guarantee your own success outside of their algorithms, there is scientific proof that these matching algorithms work, at least some of the time.

The extent of the weight of science in each of these sites is different, and what works for one may not work for all. Your best bet is of course to use common sense when going on any dates, and to take pride in your own future. After all, any matchmaking site is built with the intent of earning money.

They get more money if they have a proven track record, but they’ll never do all the work for you.

Take care, and best of luck on your search!

‘Scissr’ Is A Lesbian Web Series That Needs Your Help To Complete Its First Season

Last week we brought you our list of queer web series picks, which ranged from a 1950s drama about a pub, a refreshing coming out story, and one about two actresses who fall in love as they’re shooting a movie. Hoping to join their ranks is Scissr, which needs your help in order to complete production on its first season.

Scissr‘s pilot, which was uploaded to YouTube last year, was hugely popular having garnered over 120,000 views from people all over the world (from the United States right to Malaysia) and it was also covered by over 100 print and online publications.

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That lone episode, which has been described as a hilarious hybrid of The L Word and Girls, featured several women as they aimed to navigate the trials and tribulations of Brooklyn’s queer scene.

There was Emily, a punk rocker who’s looking for love in an increasingly small pool of options, Corey who recently broke up with her girlfriend, and the newly out Aviva who slept with Corey’s girlfriend. Yikes. (Jamie Clayton was also in the show as Niamh but since she now stars in Sense8 on Netflix, it doesn’t look like she’ll be returning to Scissr).

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In our interview last year with Lauren Augarten (who plays Aviva) she explained that,

I came out later in life and there wasn’t a lot of lesbian TV or film I could identify with at the time, apart from The L Word. In other shows, the characters were in their thirties and lived these charmed lives. I couldn’t relate to this, as a twenty something living in Brooklyn struggling to make ends meet”.

She also told us if networks didn’t pick up the show, she’d go about producing the web series herself and that now seems to be the case.

Scissr is currently on Indiegogo seeking $30,000 of funding in order to make six more episodes at around 10-15 minutes each. The show has currently raised just over $10,000 with 11 days to go – it does have flexible funding and will receive any funds raised but obviously the more money they raise the better.

Some of the perks include a poster download, an invite to the wrap party in NYC, a t-shirt, and early access to the first season once it’s done.

Click here to support their crowdfunding campaign and to find out more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3nQ8_13ZRY

Lesbian Dating Apps (sigh) – The Best and the Worst. 

Disclaimer: In the interest of anyone who may be interested I have managed successful relationships without the use of dating websites.

Scissr

So! The app to beat all other lesbian dating apps arrived. Welcome ‘Scissr’. It has promised to be the lesbian version of ‘Grindr’. So far, I’m in two minds…

Yes, the app itself is smart, easy to use, and it’s great to be able to see more accurate distances between you and other users, and online times.

It also requires you to connect through Facebook, filtering out many fakes who can’t be bothered to create alternative Facebook profiles I’m sure.

However, the closest person to me currently sits at 2.5 miles. Ok, it’s only just getting going, but it takes only 12 people down the list and we jump to 32.8 miles. And I live in Birmingham. It’s a pretty big place.

So possibly it hasn’t been advertised enough yet in order to attract more users. Or maybe it is more U.S based. I’m guessing, it has been out about three weeks now- I would have thought that’s quite a while in the dating app world? Correct me if I’m wrong.

First downside to this app; you have to actually go into your messages to see if you have any new ones; unlike other apps such as POF, which will give you a notification on screen.

Second downside is that you can’t see your sent messages. There isn’t that option.

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On a plus side to that, if you can’t remember if you’ve sent someone a message (and I don’t send THAT many), when you hit the message button to contact them it will show what you have already sent. Maybe this is how Grindr works too.

I used Grindr once… Hold up… Myself and a good guy friend of mine had a competition to see who could get more messages within one hour. And yes. I won. I also felt so guilty at some of the guys messaging me that I had to reply and confess I was a woman on a dare mission.

If only that many messages came through per hour from women! One can dream.

‘Crushes’ and ‘Crushed on me’ – this is great, but, one user who has ‘crushed on me’ recently, I already sent a message to two days previous. Has she seen it? Possibly not if there aren’t notifications to let her know she has messages waiting in her inbox, and I’m not going to message twice. Or, she could have just hit the wrong button!

You also have coloured lines around people’s profiles on the main screen; green to show that they are online or very recently online, yellow to show they have been online in the past 24 hours, and red to show 1 day or over.

Unfortunately, all I am seeing right now is a lot of red…

Current rating: 5/10.

I hope it can and will improve with a bit more time. I’m confident it will be better than some others…


Brenda

Terrible lesbian dating app. Terrible. And not just because it doesn’t rate highly for successful interaction.

I must have used this a very long time ago then deleted it (because it was shit). I then downloaded the app to my phone once again a few months ago however received a message on screen to say I had been blocked from using this app.

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Well, I am definitely over 18, and I definitely do not send or post sexual or abusive content. When I sent an email to ask why my profile had been blocked, I received no reply. Soooo… I guess I’m still blocked.

Rating: 2/10. 


Badoo

Badoo (And I just knew I shouldn’t have bothered). Another awful dating site, not just for the simple fact you can’t see who ‘likes’ you and the whole app requires a level of concentration you simply cannot be bothered with; But for the fact they clearly don’t understand the entire population aren’t a straight Ken & Barbie:

I received a message from Badoo to say my photos didn’t match my gender therefore my account had been stopped, or something to that effect. Excuse me? What? If you could have possibly insulted me more, I probably could have sued you under something I’m sure.

So I sent a very unpleasant email expressing my anger and to who the fuckwits were deciding on MY gender. To which I did receive a ‘sincere’ apology.

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However, was a bit late for an apology, no matter how sincere, and I swiftly deleted my profile and the app. Unless I’ve been walking round with my eyes closed for near 32 years, I am fully confident of my own gender. Take note. Thank you.

Rating: 0/10. Yes. Just for that.


Gaydargirls

Gaydargirls. This followed on from gay.com for me. If anyone remembers gay.com, it was way back when we still used dial-up connection; when it was guaranteed you’d start talking to a really cool girl in a chat room and you’d get disconnected.

I left Gaydargirls back in 2005, and only rejoined in 2014. I don’t use it on my phone, I only log in when using my laptop and I don’t think I have bothered logging in for about 3 months now.

Unfortunately for Gaydargirls, it doesn’t seem to have moved on so much from years ago, and I think what used to maybe be quite a popular and modern site, possibly the number of active users has decreased somewhat. And it looks exactly the same. It needs a revamp.

Rating back when: 7/10. Rating now…. Probably a 2.


Tinder

Tinder is actually ok although it isn’t a “gay” dating app. I haven’t been registered on it I’d say any more than 4-5 months, and I’ve not met anyone off of it. However, I think Tinder has quite a good thing going on. It’s simple, it works on users profile photos that you swipe left for no and right for yes. You have to have both said yes in order to speak to each other.

I think it could be a lot better, but the idea itself is a good one. The downside to that though is I fear there are probably many people who will swipe yes to EVERYONE just to get more matches.

Not only that but there is no option for sexuality- it’s simply show only men, only women or both. So there’s a hint for Tinder on how it could instantly be better!

I’d say out of every 20 ‘matches’, I only engage in conversation with two. And unless I think someone really looks as though they might have something about them, I’m unlikely to make the first move.

Rating: 6/10


Plenty of Fish

I have to say my best score for a dating app would have to go to POF (Plenty of Fish). It’s always been easy to use and I have the most interaction and meets from there, and there seem to be a lot more genuine people using this app.

You can filter your search results by age, area and relationship intent. You have onscreen notifications to tell you when you’ve received a message. You can see who has viewed your profile and who you have viewed. You can see who is online. It also stores a substantial amount of past messages.

The only one thing I would complain about is that they have changed their “meet me” set up (which is kinda like a Tinder swiping system), so you have to upgrade the app (which means paying) to view who would like to meet you.

Saying that, it’s not a huge issue as when you receive an email to say “User123 wants to meet you!” you can still go to your search facility and type in the username of that person to view their profile. It’s just a bit more long winded than before.

dating-apps-03

Rating: 8/10

While dating sites used to be something we were embarrassed about admitting we used, they now seem to have become a normal part of the single person’s life. It would be interesting to hear other’s experiences with these sites and others.

Lesbian Dating App Market is Getting Bigger, as ‘Scissr’ the Female Version of Grindr Comes to Town

Why should gay men get all the fun? Not only do they get most of the representation in pop culture and are largely regarded as the face of the gay rights movement they also get to make good use of Grindr.

A dating app for gay men, Grindr’s selling point is that it allows you to find other gay men to hook up with. The app allows them to flirt and exchange messages before arranging to meet up.

Sadly the equivalent apps for gay women have never been as good or as popular. Until now, as one woman has now created ‘Scissr’, which is looking to be the premium lesbian dating app on the market.

Scissr was thought up by Allison Ullrich, who, after ending a relationship she moved to Chicago looking for a new job and a new love. With the job opportunity secured, it was her love life that was causing her trouble as she was unable to find other women to date.

She explains:

“I think what spawned the idea was life — reality — and conversations I’ve had with my friends regarding relationships and women. Women have this conundrum about meeting other people, but no one was working to find a solution.”

Allison Ullrich

This is quite right as although the ‘Gaydar’ has been something often joked about in pop culture, it doesn’t actually exist, not really. And so the task of finding out if another woman likes women too generally requires you to ask her point blank, which is more than a little daunting.

How Scissr plans to fix this is by allowing women to upload three photos (and a 300 word bio) to the app and establish whether they want a hookup, love and a relationship, networking or friendship. The app makes use of the GPS system on your phone to figure where you are and who is close by – and it’s not geo-fenced either so you have as much of a chance of finding love in New York City as you do in the middle of Sheffield.

Scissr will also have “crush” and “wish list” functions too. Denoting a crush allows you message the other user whilst the wish list will remain private so that you can keep track of who’s giving you the hots in secret.

Also important to note is that while Scissr is being promoted as a “lesbian” dating app (Ullrich says it will offer a “mind-blowing” experience to lesbians) it is actually inclusive to other queer women. Identity options in the app are lesbian, bisexual or ‘curious’ which isn’t exactly the most comprehensive list we can think of (I’d argue that it would just be better to let users type in their own identities rather than select them) but it’s a start.

Scissr will launch for free either this week or next.

 

Source: DNAinfo

Interview with SCISSR Creator Lauren Augarten

Tom Sykes: You’ve made a pilot for a drama series called SCISSR about the trials and tribulations of four lesbians living in New York City. How did you come up with the idea?

Lauren Augarten: I came out later in life and there wasn’t a lot of lesbian TV or film I could identify with at the time, apart from The L Word. In other shows, the characters were in their thirties and lived these charmed lives. I couldn’t relate to this, as a twenty something living in Brooklyn struggling to make ends meet.

I wanted to create something that reflected my community and that’s how SCISSR happened. I invented some characters but wasn’t sure how to connect them. Then Taylor Blakin – the actress who plays my best friend in the show – told me she had joined an online community of women and they all decided to meet up in real life. That inspired me to write about an iPhone app that would bring together my characters.

TS: What are your hopes for the pilot? Where would you like it to lead?

LA: The pilot we’ve made is for a web series and it’s nine minutes long. I’ve now written a half hour pilot which we’re pitching to networks in the hope they’ll produce a full-length TV show. If the networks aren’t ready for that then I’ll produce the rest of the web series myself.

TS: What advantages would an online show have over a TV show?

LA: When you work on the web you don’t have a network telling you what you can and can’t do. It doesn’t matter whether the actor is unknown or not, you can cast whoever you want to. My first job as a sixteen-year-old was assisting a casting director in Sydney. That experience has really informed my approach to acting and film-making – I think casting is vital to a successful production.

You get to pick your own team as well – director, cinematographer, editor etc. You have to be really lucky to be in that position when you’re employed by a network. That world is so much more business-oriented and you are answerable all kinds of people.

The downside of making a web series is that you have to do so much for yourself. Right now I’m not only writing the show but managing the publicity, while trying to hold down my day job. I’m working from six in the morning till midnight almost every day!

TS: Is your day job related to film-making?

LA: Yes. I’ve just moved to LA and am evaluating scripts for a couple of production companies. I’m also doing some acting.

I come from Australia originally and moved to New York to attend acting school. When I graduated I didn’t like the auditions I was getting. They were all essentially for a “hot brunette woman in her twenties, surprisingly intelligent”. I quickly got sick of roles like that!

I started volunteering at production companies. I’ve worked in almost every department imaginable and that wide experience has really helped with making SCISSR .

TS: You have promoted yourself widely through social media. What impact is it having?

LA: A web PR firm gave me advice about writing press releases and approaching the media. SCISSR  now has 20,000 views and only 2 dislikes. I’ve been surprised at quite how positive the response has been. I didn’t think any of the lesbian media would be interested, but they have been. Later on I’m doing a live web-chat with the Huffington Post, a major news website.

I think my team has to take the credit for the success. At the time, some of them were based in Philadelphia, and during filming they all moved into my apartment in Brooklyn. We were like one big family!

TS: You’ve talked before about the lack of lesbian characters in popular film and TV. How can greater lesbian visibility in the media benefit society?

LA: I think there are two different phenomena: shows that are made for mainstream audiences that contain stereotypical lesbian characters (the ultra-femme or the ultra-butch, for example). They don’t necessarily show the full spectrum of people who identify as lesbians. Then you have shows that are aimed exclusively at lesbian audiences – a great example being Lip Service.

There hasn’t been a show yet that has covered both of these bases. I see SCISSR as a series about lesbians that can be enjoyed by lesbians and straight people because its cast of characters also include gay men, straight men and straight women.

My aim is to show this world that I know and am a part of. I’m not trying to reflect every lesbian in the universe, but the more voices out there from different walks of life, the better.

TS: You’ve said that ‘living in New York as a twenty-something is a daily struggle, sexuality aside’. New York is a very tolerant and diverse city, but is there still prejudice towards LGBT people there and if so is this an issue how does SCISSR tackle it?

LA: I want to tell stories, not to make some overarching statement about lesbianism. If there are prejudices within those stories, then yes we will tackle them.

For the most part New York is such a fantastic place. For the most part NY and LA LGBTs aren’t made to feel different or afraid.

Having said that, I do get sick of certain myths about my community. The mainstream media can overtly sexualise lesbianism, and telling stories about more than just this aspect of being gay is important to me. We tried to deal with this in the opening scene of SCISSR where these straight guys want to go into a lesbian bar. Of course they’re welcome to come in and have a look but it becomes problematic when they turn it into a raunchy, “how hot is this?” experience. I mean, none of the women in there are being intimate for their benefit!

A more diverse array of lesbians in the media helps mainstream society to become more tolerant. It’s always great when you see something on TV that you identify with. My aim with SCISSR is to try to tell my own story and the stories of the people around me in a way that is entertaining, realistic and honest.


Watch SCISSR: Pilot

4 Lesbians, 12 Relationships, 1 App = New Lesbian Series SCISSR

The pilot episode of the lesbian web series SCISSR was released the end of April and KitschMix is loving it.

Co Created by Lauren Augarten and Katie Scoones, the synopsis is simple and something we can all (at some point in our life) relate too: Aviva, Corey, Emily and Niamh are four twenty-something lesbians from very different backgrounds.  Aviva (Lauren Augarten) has just come out and is hoping to connect with the other lesbians online, while Corey (Paulina Singer) has just gone through a traumatic breakup and is ready to swear off women altogether and Emily (Kelly Sebastian) is constantly looking for the next best thing. Navigating life and love in Brooklyn is easy for none of them, but when they meet through an iPhone app, the girls realize they have much more in common than they originally thought.

This series is new, but looks promising and full of adventure starts.

I can count on my right hand the television shows in both my country of birth (Australia) and country of residence (US) that are about, or even feature, lesbian women. And those shows (or, lez be honest, one show) that do, have received criticism from the LGBTQ community for not showing enough diversity.

We want to establish a more realistic world, where gay women come in a multitude of colors, shapes and sizes. Where sexuality is simply a part of our characters, it is not their entire personality. 

If there is one thing I know, it’s that living in New York as a twenty-something year old, trying to figure out who you are and how you want to impact the world, is a daily struggle, sexuality aside. For me, it’s made so much easier by the community of people I have around me, egging me on as we tread that path together. With SCISSR, we want to give young lesbian women that community, in a realistic, relatable and entertaining way.  

SCISSR

For more information visit – www.facebook.com/scissrwebseries / www.scissrwebseries.tumblr.com

Image source