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Analysis
A viral tweet circulating on social media claims that the LGBTQ dating service Grindr is set to reveal the names of conservative politicians who secretly use their app. But the sensational allegation is only satire.
The tweet, made by the account known as “The Halfway Post” last week, racked up more than 159,000 likes after announcing that GOP lawmakers in Florida would be exposed if they continued supporting anti-LGBTQ legislation.
“BREAKING: The gay dating app Grindr says if Florida doesn’t stop passing homophobic and transphobic laws, they’ll reveal every Republican legislator and party official who secretly uses the app,” the account wrote.
Since then, the tweet has been shared over 25,000 times and counting. Left-leaning users celebrated the potential outing in countless replies.
“God please let this be real it would be so fucking funny,” one user wrote.
“Normally I would never condone someone outing someone else,” another tweeted. “In this situation it seems absolutely appropriate.”
The tweet even appeared to fool conservatives, some of whom even tagged Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in an attempt to stop the app from taking action.
“Seems like a crime to threaten legislators to make them vote your way,” conservative commentator Kurt Schlichter wrote. “Prosecute if true. After all, gotta uphold that rule of law etc etc.”
“Isn’t that a break of privacy? If it is, I’m sure they can sue and shut Grindr down,” another said “That doesn’t sound so bad, actually.”
Yet as noted by one curious user in the replies, no source for the claim appeared to be provided. A simple glance at the Twitter account for The Halfway Post also provides insight into the credibility of the claim.
“Dada news. Halfway true comedy and satire by @DashMacIntyre,” the bio reads. “I don’t report the facts, I improve them.”
In other words, the claim is the work of purposeful comedy. Grindr has not publicly addressed the satirical tweet.
The tweet’s popularity is likely linked to its timing. On the same day that the tweet was made, DeSantis’ administration proposed expanding its Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Why it matters
The tweet from The Halfway Post shows how even satirical remarks can be taken as truth once they’ve gained notoriety. The timing and the popularity of the tweet likely helped give it an air of legitimacy as well.
Once again, internet users should always check for a legitimate source when such sensational claims are made.
Mikael Thalen
Mikael Thalen is a tech and security reporter covering social media, data breaches, hackers, and more.
